ABSTRACT
Introduction The previous two chapters have concentrated on those trips that occur most regularly and over which we have least control. Most children have to go to school and the majority of adults below retirement age are in paid employment. Travel to school and to work thus not only take place most days, but also offer relatively few choices regarding where and when we travel and, in some cases, even how we travel. However, total travel behaviour comprises many more journeys that are both less essential and over which the travelling public has much more choice. These range from essential travel like shopping for food that can be scheduled to fit in with other activities, through travel that may be seen as a combination of duty and pleasure (for instance to visit relatives), to trips that are undertaken purely for pleasure, such as visits to a cinema or just going for a walk or ride. In the next two chapters a selection of these trips is examined, particularly with reference to the travel behaviour of children and teenagers, to assess the extent to which travel for what may be broadly termed leisure and pleasure has changed over the past 60 years.
