Internet Users Demand World's First Global Public Holiday

Ed Lester the founder of So Much World Online Travel Guides and Travel Bookmarking has suggested that travel is pretty much the only universal theme that could generate the kind of broad agreement necessary to create the first truly global public holiday.

"In Western society we all think of Christmas as being a universal holiday but of course it isn't. Even in the US many religions don't celebrate Christmas. Thanksgiving is generally only celebrated in North America. Most people cite New Year's Day as a global holiday but again that's incorrect. A great number of countries including China (the world's largest population) have a completely different date for their New Year."

It's true that there is no globally celebrated holiday but why does Lester feel that travel could be the uniting force?

"Travel is an incredibly universal force. People in all cultures and throughout all time and civilizations have felt the need to make journeys. It's a great opportunity to learn and grow - to meet new people and expand your horizons. Many cultures revere the Shamans who conduct 'dream journeys'. They travel without physically going anywhere. This just demonstrates that travel is sometimes as much a state of mind as a physical action. International Travel Day would be an excuse to go somewhere you haven't been before, even if it's the next village or a library, museum or park. You don't have to go very far at all. Governments the world over should jump at the chance to give their population a chance to grow individually and as a culture."

Ed Lester takes his 'International Travel Day' very seriously and believes that the government in his home country of New Zealand will be the first to embrace the plan.

He may well have a point. New Zealand is a country obsessed with travel and they also have a proud history of political firsts - they were, for instance, the first country to allow women to vote.

He has already sent a letter to the prime minister but does he really believe the government will be ready to dish out another public holiday?

"Yes I do. We currently have proportionally less public holidays than many OECD countries and we're not that far ahead of the United States with it's 0 paid holidays a year. I think New Zealand could well be the first government to support an international public holiday. They might not immediately implement it but I think they could well be the first to put their hand up and say, 'Ok we're game if other people are.' What would really get the thing going is if Hillary Clinton adopted it as official Democrat policy. And of course President Putin in Russia has just been re-elected - What a great gift to the Russian people, an extra day off work!"

Ed Lester's idea isn't as ludicrous as it might sound. Many experts believe that a country can clearly boost its productivity and the health of its economy by giving its workers more time off.

Although Lester isn't adamant that the holiday needs to be of a travel nature, he is convinced that it's a good starting point in finding a theme that would be acceptable across different cultures, religions and political systems.

The petition which is open for anyone to sign online also asks for suggestions regarding:

• Potential alternative 'themes' for the universal public holiday
• A date which would be globally acceptable
• How employers and governments the world over can be convinced of its merit
• How we could all celebrate such a holiday

To find out more visit International Travel Day

If you believe in the merit of a global public holiday (or even if you just like the idea of a day off work) you can sign the online petition at International Travel Day Petition