They say that travel broadens the mind, though whether or not this applies to all travellers is a moot point.  I travel for a living and it certainly helps me gain a true sense of perspective of not only myself but, much more importantly, of our country. There are those among us who are constantly critical, always seeking to have a moan about the UK, a trait which most foreigners who I encounter find truly astounding.

I make no apology for the fact that I am both a proud Briton and a proud Englishman and I mean  that in a matter of fact and positive manner and not through any misplaced sense of superiority. In my work I travel all over the world particularly Canada and the USA , from where I am writing this blog. I’m actually in Memphis today and have been guiding a group through the beautiful states of Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. These are lands steeped in history, though compared to our history they (at least as far as the history of non-native Americans is concerned) are a mere five minutes old!

I’m in the land of cotton and the more I research the history of cotton I am struck by how much our own recent history is linked to that of the southern USA. For many years, at the height of the Industrial Revolution and the height of Empire, the British were the biggest purchasers of American cotton and much of Britain, particularly northern England grew very wealthy on the back of it. Thousands of mills were constructed in the north of England to process cotton purchased from the USA and other parts of the world and hundreds of thousands of people found work in those mills. At one time Britain was the world’s leading exporter of cotton products. The Industrial Revolution began in England and our country was the first industrial super power with mainly English inventions leading the way for the rest of the world to follow.

Most of the mills have gone of course but the legacy remains. As somebody who works in tourism, taking British people around the world, it occurs to me that we should turn it on its head and invite more tourists to our country. Just think of the jobs that would be created for a start and the sense of pride that could be engendered in our own people as they show foreigners around our country. We have a history and a heritage second to none and wouldn’t it be marvellous to invite coach loads of Chinese, Indians and Americans to these shores to show them where it all began and from where their own current prosperity originated?