Amazingly, it's a Century and a half since Leicestershire cabinet maker Thomas Cook organised the first overseas holiday, quite literally opening up a whole new world to millions of Brits. In July 1855 Cook hosted the first ever overseas package holiday - a tour of Belgium, Germany and France, costing £8 for a two-week first-class tour. Britain would be a very different place today if it wasn't for the boom in foreign travel, according to a poll of 2,000 people, carried out by Thomas Cook to mark the anniversary. We now rate curries, new world wines and vodka has some of favourite foreign food and drink items.

A former Baptist preacher, Cook was a religious man who believed that education through travel could have a positive effect on the lives of disadvantaged people. His enterprise had grown from humble beginnings - his first ever commercial trip on July 5th 1845 was from Leicester to Loughborough and cost just 15 shillings for first class tickets and 10 shillings for second class seats By 1872, his company was operating world tours, taking tourists to the USA, China, Japan, India, Turkey and Greece.

It's a far cry from today's world, in which globetrotting Brits take a staggering 41.2 million overseas holidays a year and spend an average of £480 per trip.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook said: "Our founder really did believe the old adage that travel broadens the mind. Over the last 150 years Brits have embraced all things foreign which can be seen everywhere from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. We think even Thomas Cook would be surprised to see how much an effect travel has had on modern British life."

Britain would be a very different place today if it wasn't for the boom in foreign travel, according the Thomas Cook Anniversary poll.

• Almost 80 per cent of people said they prefer going abroad for their holidays and 51 per cent reckon travelling overseas has influenced their lives in some way.
• A staggering 87 per cent of Brits reckon they eat more foreign food than British grub these days, with curries ranking as the nation's number one foreign food.
• And 71 per cent of Brits say they're more likely to drink wines than traditional British brews like cider or ale. Wine from the new world is now the nation's favourite tipple, followed closely by the more traditional French variety.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook added: "Since the industry's modest beginnings 150 years ago, Britain has become a great nation of travellers. "Spain is still our favourite destination but we're now also travelling further afield for our holidays which is beginning to have an influence on the way we live today."

TOP 10 FOODS FROM ABROAD

1. Indian Curries
2. Pasta
3. Pizza
4. Fajitas
5. Thai Curries
6. French Cheeses
7. Tapas
8. Barbeques
9. Stir Fries
10. Olive Oil

TOP 10 TIPPLES FROM ABROAD

1. New World Wine
2. French Wine
3. Vodka
4. Continental Lagers
5. Sangria
6. Jamaican Rum
7. Champagne
8. Tequila
9. Ouzo
10. Indian Lager

ABOUT THOMAS COOK

Thomas Cook celebrates the 150th anniversary of taking Britain abroad this summer as it was the first company to offer package trips overseas in July 1855. The first foreign holiday was a grand circular tour of Brussels, Cologne, the Rhine, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg and Paris. Today Thomas Cook - the most famous name in travel and still one of the largest travel company's in the world - offers holidays to more than 1,000 locations. The very latest to be introduced 150 years on is Brazil, which will start receiving Thomas Cook holidaymakers in Spring 2006.

Thomas Cook UK & Ireland is one of the UK's largest travel companies, employing around 11,000 people. The company's principal operations include 615 high street shops selling travel and foreign exchange, 121 separate bureaux de change, seven Thomas Cook travel warehouses, three call centres, Thomas Cook TV and thomascook.com, one of the most popular UK travel websites. As well as launching the first holiday company, Cook also invented the hotel voucher and the "circular note" - the forerunner to the traveller's cheque!

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