The tyranny of distance is a colonial‑era expression. Diaries of early migrants from England to Australia show how far they felt from old friends and familiar landscapes. For most modern migrants, there is no tyranny. Scandinavian students in Australia routinely fly home for Christmas. Suburban newspapers advertise cheap holidays worldwide. Backpackers blog casually about worldwide wanderings. The World Tourism Organisation claims that travel is not a privilege, but a right. It was not always so. It is not so for everyone, even now. And it may not be so for anyone, in the near future.