Anyone travelling as a tourist from the Netherlands to the Indies had to spend an extensive period of time on board a ship. The crossing took some four months in the early nineteenth century, but the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced travel times. The following year, 1870, saw the founding of the Netherlands Steamship Company (Stoomvaart Maatschappij ‘Nederland’). Operating from Amsterdam, it established a shipping line between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As of 1883, the company faced competition from Rotterdam Lloyd (Rotterdamsche Lloyd). Between them, the shipping lines ran weekly sailings from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies. That same year, 1883, also saw the completion of Batavia’s new port, Tanjung Priok. Initially, it was especially men who left for the Indies for reasons of work, but as connections improved, more and more women and children headed for ‘the East’.

The tourist trip started as soon as travellers came on board. The increasingly luxurious steamships not only provided delicious food, but also all kinds of entertainment. En route, ships called in at various places, where passengers could visit multiple attractions. Another special event was the crossing of the equator. Little by little, travellers were readied for the tropics, and donned lighter and airier clothing. On board, Europeans came into contact, for the first time, with the colony’s indigenous population – through the servants working on the ship. Records abound recounting the experiences of the voyage, in letters, books, stories, drawings and photos.