Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Leading Article: Kicking the bug

Tuesday 17 September 1996 23:02 BST
Comments

Peter Kerry, the missing schoolboy, was born too late. When young Cecil Rhodes was struck with wanderlust, he found a continent to roam and empires to build. Dick Whittington set off for London, to win political power. Laurie Lee, trekking Europe as a teenager with his violin, made his reputation as an early travel writer.

Today's would-be teenage travellers need an outlet for their exploratory urges. Instead of dispatching them home again (courtesy of Interpol) we should send them off to investigate the final frontier. If the experience of the astronaut Shannon Lucid is anything to go by, six months stuck in a space station with two burly Russians should cure that travel bug for good.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in