TRAVEL NOTES
INCREASED attention has been directed this summer to the management of the roadside hotel upon which the holiday- maker in Great Britain, more especially if he travel by motor- car, so greatly depends. The inn of to-day is handicapped by a tradition of marvellous hospitality, which like so many other traditions is based more on fiction than fact, and it has to put up with criticism from all quarters both as to the quality of its accommodation and its cost to the traveller. These criticisms have directed attention afresh to the Trust House method, which provides for the disinterested management of licensed hotels and inns and for the control of service and tariff by a central organization. * * * * Possibly North America as a holiday ground for British people may never seriously rival the Continent, but its claims to interest the tourist of the future are strong. Two years ago the American Express Company first offered facilities for
Seeing America " as complete as those by which Europe is seen by its transatlantic visitors. The results, which were at once encouraging, this year show a definite impetus towards the New World. The- traffic is not of the so-called " popular " kind ; conducted tours arc not in great demand. The people Chiefly interested are those with time to spare, who desire a change, business men on business bent, and confirmed globe- trotters who go to America because they have been eterywhere else. There is a distinct tendency to choose the large American cities rather than the scenic centres, although Niagara Falls, the Rockies and California have their visitors. The tours arranged by the American Express have the advantage of being planned completely in advance—before the traveller leaves England. * * * * Sweden as a tourist country is becoming increasingly popular. Her idyllic lowland scenery in the south, with its charming lakes and seaside resorts, her rivers, waterfalls and snow-clad mountains in the north, her beautiful capital and numerous places of historic interest attract many visitors each year. Travel conditions in Sweden are exceptionally com- fortable. In proportion to her population, Sweden has a more extensive railway system than any other European country. First, second and third-class sleeping cars are attached to all night trains on the main lines. The large towns and other tourist centres are well supplied with hotels with modern con- veniences and comforts. Visitors need have no concern about the language, as English is compulsory in Swedish schools, and consequently almost every educated man, especially of the younger generation, speaks at least a little English. The most convenient city from which to start a trip through Sweden is Gothenburg, on the west coast. The town possesses some beautiful parks and a museum with interesting collections of paintings by modern Swedish artists. From Gothenburg excursions can be made by steamer to sonic of Sweden's most frequented seaside resorts, with every oppor- tunity for bathing, fishing and yachting. The shoreline to the north of the town is broken up into numerous fjords, and thousands of large and small rocky islands are scattered along the coast. * * * An illustrated booklet has reached us from the Harrogate Corporation, to whom application may be made for copies by readers who seek information about this well-known Yorkshire resort. Harrogate, one of the beauty spots of England, is a favourite holiday centre from which motor and walking tours to some of the most delightful moors and dales in the country may be taken. The Harrogate Spa is distinguished from others by the variety of its waters, for within the district there are no fewer than eighty-seven known springs, all constant and all different. The town stands on the edge of the York- shire moors, high above the sea level, and invigorating breezes blow across the surrounding heather. • * *
Readers wishing to secure travel information arc invited to apply to the Spectator Office, 13 York Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C. 2. Communications should be marked " Travel on the envelope.
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