TIME ZONES AND ITS
INFLUENCE ON TRAVEL
Time zones are determined by lines of longitude.
The earth rotates:
Why is there a time difference on
different parts of the earth?
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It takes the earth 24 hours to complete one
rotation of 360°
Divide 360° by 24 hours = 15°
Therefore the earth moves through 15° in
one hour
What is a time zone?
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A time zone is a region on earth that has
adopted the same standard time, called
local time.
The world is divided into 24 time zones,
since there are 24 hours in a day. 
Time zones start from Greenwich Mean
Time (GMT) or sometimes known as
Universal Time Co-ordinate (UTC).
Calculating time differences:
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A (+) sign indicates that a city is ahead of
UT, and a (-) sign indicates that a city is
behind UT.
Each of the lines on the time zone map
represents one hour (15°).
To calculate the difference between two
points, count the number of hours between
them.
The International Date Line (IDL)
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It changes from today to yesterday when you are
moving from the west to the east across it,
Countries on the western side of the IDL are one
calendar day ahead of those on the eastern side.
If you travel to the WEST, you LOOSE a day, If
you travel to the EAST you GAIN a day.
The time on both sides of the IDL is the same, but
the day is different. West of the IDL is one day
later.
REMEMBER:
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In the tourism industry the 24 hour clock is
used
The time format is used as e.g. 23:00 NOT
23h00 or 11pm
If you travel EAST you ADD Time
If you travel WEST you MINUS time.
How do time zones affect travellers?
 Jet Lag- is when your body feels tired the next
day (if you are travelling where time is
added). This might affect your holiday enjoyment
at first as you adjust to the new times.

Loss of time. If you cross the International Date
Line as you travel you may also lose a day of
your holiday. If you are a business traveller this
might affect you more as you may have to
attend meetings and conferences when you are
tired and not performing at your best.
Class activity: define the following
terms:
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IDL, GMT, UTC,
PM
Equator
Latitude
South pole
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Longitude
North pole
Time zone
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