Thomas Cook could be said to have invented the global tourist industry. He was born in England in 1808 and became a cabinet-maker. Then he hit on the idea of using the newly-invented railways for pleasure trips and by the summer of 1845, he was organizing commercial trips. The first was to Liverpool and (1) ____________ a 60-page handbook for the journey, the (2) ____________ of the modern holiday brochure. The Paris Exhibition of 1855 (3) _______ him to create his first great tour, taking in ...

Thomas Cook could be said to have invented the global tourist industry. He was born in England in 1808 and became a cabinet-maker. Then he hit on the idea of using the newly-invented railways for pleasure trips and by the summer of 1845, he was organizing commercial trips. The first was to Liverpool and (1) ____________ a 60-page handbook for the journey, the (2) ____________ of the modern holiday brochure.

The Paris Exhibition of 1855 (3) _______ him to create his first great tour, taking in France, Belgium and Germany. This also included a remarkable (4) ____________ - Cook’s first cruise, an extraordinary journey along the Rhine. Nothing like this had been available before, but it was only the beginning. Cook had invented (5) ____________ tourism and now became a pioneering giant, striding across the world, traveling incessantly, researching every little detail before being absolutely confident that he could send the public to (6) ____________ his steps.

Cook was not slow in thinking beyond Europe, and he turned his gaze upon Africa. The expertise he had gained with his pioneering cruise along the Rhine in 1855 (7) ____________ him in good stead when it came to organizing a fantastic journey along the Nile in 1869. Few civilians had so much as (? ____________ foot in Egypt, let (9) ____________ traveled along this waterway through history and the remains of a vanished civilization (10) ____________ back thousands of years. Then, in 1872, Cook organized, and took part in, the first conducted world tour. The whole adventure took 222 days and the world of travel has not been the same since.