Grand Tour

To Boldly Go Where Everyone Has Gone Before

A Grand Tour is a tradition in the Kingdom of Man where humans that come of age travel around Elone to various tourist spots as an "educational rite", though only nobles and royals generally can afford to undertake these extravagant journeys.

The Tradition

Gleg Stiknuz by Jarhed

In the Kingdom of Man, there are two times a Human is said to come of age. First, when they are 18, and again when they are 21. These two have various cultural meanings for the Humans, but it is the 21st year when it is said that their brains mature.
Thus, they undertake an educational journey when they have come of age and are 21, heading out to various places in the continent of Elone.

Destinations

There are various destinations they may go to, though most journeys at least visit some of the Draconian Villages or the Elven City of Camor.
Some go to Alzirgos or Stallbourne, while others will instead take a trip into the Dwarven Kingdom or the Jihdi Empire.
Those feeling particularly adventurous have even attempted travel to Vitroveil or the Uncharted Desert, though the survival rate of those that visit those places is not very high.

Perception

In the Kingdom of Man, this is a revered tradition, especially among the upper class, who see it as a brilliant way to see the world and learn from it.
The lower classes see it generally as either rather frivolous or, to those who buy what the upper class says, something they'd like to do as well, even if it is too expensive and too dangerous for most of them.
The regions they travel to have various thoughts on it. In Alzirgos, the Draconian Villages, and the Jihdi Empire, tourists are welcomed rather openly, while Camor is wary of travelers, and the Dwarves detest the travel of Humans. Most people, however, dislike the practice.
Some Dwarves have even attacked travelers, though it often ended up with fierce retaliation.
Grand Wizard Stomle Acoria of the Draconians went on record once to say:

"If it meant kicking out every Human that passed through here, I would put a stop to this Grand Tour nonsense... but I'd rather not make any enemies, so I let them meddle about in our lands as they please. A disgrace."

— Stomle Acoria

Travel Guides

Some of these young Humans then come back to write Travel Guides, acting as if they are experts on these foreign lands and cultures that they visited only for a short period of time.

Smelfungus

Gleg Stiknuz was a Human from Perilun who published a series of travel guides after going on his Grand Tour, particularly ones describing a travel through Elven and Draconian lands, titled Travels Through Camor and Ealla.
These were bitter tales, filled with complaints, insults towards the foreign cultures, and clear misunderstandings that Stiknuz did not bother to even attempt to fix.
One account he even said he got nausea "just looking at the way Draconians live."
Still, his work sold well and he became famed in the Kingdom of Man as a brilliant writer.
Clerrence Goldswallow, a contemporary of Gleg Stiknuz's, then wrote his own travel guide entitled A Sentimental Journey Through Camor and Ealla. In these stories, there is a character who often complains and insults the local customs, who is referred to only as "Smelfungus."
The character of Smelfungus was Gleg Stiknuz.
As a matter of fact, Clerrence Goldswallow's work was entirely a parody of Stiknuz's guide, intending to be respectful to the cultures in ways that Stiknuz refused to.
Goldswallow did not reach the same level of fame as Stiknuz, but his character did, as now it is said that all upset tourists are being "a Smelfungus."
There are even some writers who take on the pseudonym "Smelfungus" when they are writing particularly scathing critiques so that they are not exposed as being the one who wrote it.

Of course, they get this knowledge from their Cicerone, or Guide, who travels alongside the Human or group of Humans for the months to years the journey could take.
Most of these travel guides have been said to be insensitive, as Humans know little of the cultures they are travelling to and therefore by attempting to describe it, they end up only insulting it instead.