late 14c., "to journey," from travailen (1300) "to make a journey," originally "to toil, labor" (see travail). The semantic development may have been via the notion of "go on a difficult journey," but it may also reflect the difficulty of going anywhere in the Middle Ages. Replaced Old English faran. Travels "accounts of journeys" is recorded from 1590s. Traveled "experienced in travel" is from early 15c. Traveling salesman is attested from 1885.