The original “Cook’s Tour” guy, Thomas Cook

.
On January 10, 2011, my little vanity project started out:

Well, I guess I’m going to really do this thing.  I don’t know how often I’ll be posting, or if it will be any good, or if anyone will even read what I write.

I’m still learning my way around the whole blog “thing”, so be patient with me!

It’s hard to believe that I have been doing this for 12 years – WOW!!!!

***********************************

When you start up a blog, one of the first things that you have to do is come up with a name for it.  You want it to be catchy and personalized, without sounding too self-important.  You also want to hint to people what kind of adventure they will be going on if they decide to read your blog.

With that in mind, here is how I came up with the name for my blog:

• My blog’s name is a play on the pronunciation of my last name, Koch.
• “Koch” is the German word for “cook”.
• My husband’s family pronounces their last name “Koch” to rhyme with “cook”.
• The inspiration for the title of the blog was the “Cook’s tour” from travelling’s heyday.
• I substituted “Koch” for “Cook”, and vóila, “Koch’s Tour“, the perfect name for my blog!

Cook’s tour (noun)
A long or complicated journey; an indirect route.
     The detour meant that we had to go on a twenty-mile Cook’s tour to get home.

.

.
And here is how the term “Cook’s tour” came to be:

In 1841, British missionary Thomas Cook convinced a British railway to run a special train to a temperance meeting, then proceeded to find passengers for the trip, an event regarded as the beginning of organized tourism.

Within a few years, Cook was setting up excursions on a regular basis, and by the century’s end, the Thomas Cook & Son travel agency was orchestrating travel around the world.

The agency’s tours were famously well-organized, but they were also known for herding travelers hurriedly from location to location. A Cook’s tourist might see an impressive array of famous sites, but often only in superficial glimpses.

Over time, English speakers started using “Cook’s tour” for any hurried tour.

***********************************

***********************************

So, there you have it – my blog’s “origin story”.
Thank you so much for “taking the long road” with me through my world!
I hope you have enjoyed the journey, because I don’t issue refunds….. 😊

***********************************

.