All too often people make lists of their dream vacation destinations. They might include places that they have already visited, as well as those still on their list of places to visit. Some people refer to these as bucket lists, it seems rather curious that on the majority of these lists there is a common destination. There are many who plan on indulging in Panama Canal travel at least once.
For the traveler there are plenty of different trips to select from, and they are of varying lengths. Which could be convenient as no matter what your schedule might be there will be something suitable for you. Even though it appears on so many lists there are some who know nothing about it. They are probably blissfully unaware about what they are missing out on.
So if you look in an atlas you will find Central America, it is the thin bits of land which join North and South America together. It is acting as a land bridge. Although if you were to go back in time it was completely submerged. It also separates the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean.
Ever since man has explored the world it has been claimed that a short cut connecting the two mighty oceans would be beneficial. Prior to it being built the journey was many thousands of miles longer, and it also meant the dangerous passage through the stormy seas at the bottom of South America. It will come as no surprise that this is still one of the globe's busiest routes for shipping.
The first real attempt to complete a path joining the oceans was started by the French in the late 19th century. Their attempt was overseen by a man called Ferdinand de Lesseps. You might have heard of him as he was instrumental in building a similar project linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Out of the necessary 51 miles the French completed about 11 of them. They were forced to abandon their attempt due to a combination of things. Things such as cash flow, disease and engineering difficulties. Work was halted until 1904 when the Americans bought the rights and the equipment from the French.
It took the Americans thousands of workers and a further 10 years to finally complete this project. It was the American's decision to use a lock based system which finally enabled the completion of the whole project. A complete transit will take approximately nine hours, and will pass through all three sets of these massive locks, a partial transit might only take in one of them.
If the Americans took over from the French in 1904 and took a decade to complete the works, then it all finished in 1914. So this means that it celebrates its first centenary next year. People see this as an ideal time to enjoy a Panama Canal travel, and take a vacation at what has been called the eighth wonder of the world. With such a variety of trips on offer it is no easy task trying to decide which to do first.
For the traveler there are plenty of different trips to select from, and they are of varying lengths. Which could be convenient as no matter what your schedule might be there will be something suitable for you. Even though it appears on so many lists there are some who know nothing about it. They are probably blissfully unaware about what they are missing out on.
So if you look in an atlas you will find Central America, it is the thin bits of land which join North and South America together. It is acting as a land bridge. Although if you were to go back in time it was completely submerged. It also separates the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean.
Ever since man has explored the world it has been claimed that a short cut connecting the two mighty oceans would be beneficial. Prior to it being built the journey was many thousands of miles longer, and it also meant the dangerous passage through the stormy seas at the bottom of South America. It will come as no surprise that this is still one of the globe's busiest routes for shipping.
The first real attempt to complete a path joining the oceans was started by the French in the late 19th century. Their attempt was overseen by a man called Ferdinand de Lesseps. You might have heard of him as he was instrumental in building a similar project linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Out of the necessary 51 miles the French completed about 11 of them. They were forced to abandon their attempt due to a combination of things. Things such as cash flow, disease and engineering difficulties. Work was halted until 1904 when the Americans bought the rights and the equipment from the French.
It took the Americans thousands of workers and a further 10 years to finally complete this project. It was the American's decision to use a lock based system which finally enabled the completion of the whole project. A complete transit will take approximately nine hours, and will pass through all three sets of these massive locks, a partial transit might only take in one of them.
If the Americans took over from the French in 1904 and took a decade to complete the works, then it all finished in 1914. So this means that it celebrates its first centenary next year. People see this as an ideal time to enjoy a Panama Canal travel, and take a vacation at what has been called the eighth wonder of the world. With such a variety of trips on offer it is no easy task trying to decide which to do first.
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