A day for Overseas Travel

Today, October 19th, is Overseas Travel Day 海外旅行の日. It is an anniversary established by Travel Agencies and travel enthusiasts to spread the appeal of overseas travel and provide an opportunity to enjoy interacting with cultures and people around the world. They chose October 19th as it is a pun on "to（10）ku he iku （19）" 遠くへ行く, which means "to go far". 

Overseas travel is a trip to a foreign country (abroad). In English, we tend to say "international travel" or "travelling abroad", but in Japanese they say "overseas travel". But as Japan is an island country, "overseas" is used as an expression to mean a foreign country. As people need to cross the sea to go abroad, it is common to express it this way when it comes to traveling to foreign countries. Officially, Japan was established as a modern nation after the Meiji era, but the general public did not travel abroad for the purpose of tourism. Overseas travel only began to become common in the 1970s, and in 1972, the number of overseas travelers exceeded 1 million.

Overseas travel day is an ideal day to plan your next foreign trip! Or reminisce about international trips you've taken in the past. When was your last international trip? And have you an overseas trip planned in the near future?