"trip" (pleasure excursion), 1739; antedates c1749-

[Joel S. Berson]

"trip, n.1" sense 3.c is "A short journey (by sea or land) for
pleasure or health, an excursion (more fully pleasure trip); in later
use often applied to such a journey whatever its length ...".  The
OED's (1989) first quotation is c1749.

The OED editors write "This arose imperceptibly out of a or b, and it
is not easy to fix its first use."  But I can move it earlier by a
decade.  And perhaps close to it first use, given the "as they call it" below.

New England Weekly Journal, 1739 April 10, 1/3.

Half the private Families in England take a Trip, as they call it,
every Summer to Paris: And I am assured, that near four hundred
thousand Pounds have been remitted thither, in one Year, to supply
this Extravagancy!

Antedates OED2 "trip, n.1" sense 3.c,  c1749-.

I must confess, however, that this quotation can also be found in The
Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 8 (1738 November), pp. 586--587.

Joel

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