In my ongoing research on life in the Regency, it seems as though the Grand Tour was often an equally accepted and respected alternative to university for the nobility. The Grand Tour was basically time spent in France and Italy (maybe the other major capitals of Europe) with a tutor, learning to be cultured, worldly, and refined. Naturally, due to the Napoleonic Wars, the Grand Tour was suspended. #NapoleonRuinsEverything.
But...what if it wasn't suspended? What if, instead of traveling through the Great Capitals of Europe with a tutor, you traveled through the Great Capitals of West Africa, or toured the Great Courts of South East Asia, or any of the other really wonderfully rich and interesting places in our setting?
As a cis gay white male IRL, this is totally not my call to make, and clearly, this is more Athena/RJ-writers, but it struck me and I thought I should float the idea?
Yes! By all means. We want travel to happen in the Great nations of the other Continents! Grand Tours of Asia, The New World (once we have more of it posted), Africa, would all be reasonable in our re-written history. They are all potential trade partners and important people and cultures to know and make allies of.
I have been thinking the same thing since the alt-histories have been coming out!
I never really saw Eleanor as going to university or being interested in the marriage mart, but she would love this!
(for one thing, I would probably try to make this work with my backstory, because again, I love travel IRL)