How Travel Has Changed Over The Last 100 Years

The essence of living is travel. What you know now of travel may include checking information sources online, booking trips online or with agents, and following planned itineraries after scores of research. But the face of travel has seen that and more over the last 100 years. Oftentimes, we forget that necessary migration was also a form of travel back in the 1900s. The way we migrate from our location to our destination, the places we choose to stay at while travelling, the company we choose and the method of payment are just some of the different parameters we can utilize to span the variant changes travel has undergone over the span of the last hundred years.

Transportation

In the early 1900s, travelling entailed horse-driven carriages and buggies for the elite, while the proletariat got through by bullock carts and on foot. Overseas travel meant either ships or planes, both extremely expensive, and not for the faint-hearted! The journey took many days rather than hours. These modes were taken over by networks of small railways for low costs, and ocean liners for comfortable and reliant transportation of people and goods. Soon after, cars and trucks emerged as the biggest means of transport. Every family had one car that was used in travelling to short distances for vacations or picnics. Affordable trains soon ruled the forte of long-distance travel. Jet services were introduced that could fly higher and faster. By the time the 2000s rolled around, commercial flights had transformed themselves into the primary option of travel. Now, each member of the family boasts of a car each for personal use. Due to the speeding depletion of natural sources, the hybrid car was introduced and has since become a popular alternative.

Accommodation

The earlier glory days saw the visitations of guests and travellers accommodated in family homes, manors, and local inns. These places were designed to feel like ‘a home away from home’. The 60s introduced a boom in the number of hotel chains due to an increase in foreign travels. Motels lost their charm and were replaced by expensive and fancy alternatives. However, since 2000, there has been an exponential increase in the demand for hostels, backpackers’ inns, and homestays again. There has also been an interest in renting out tents and camping out in the wild for shorter time intervals to ‘be one with nature’.

Travel Companions

The concept of solo travelling has only recently held ground with the masses. A fairly new concept, it was preceded by nuclear family travels coupled with the occasional joint family trip taken together.

Payment

Money talks, but travel sings! Things are so much easier these days, with the introduction of online payments and credit systems in place. One can book and pay for their travel, accommodation, and entertainment options whilst sitting in the comfort of their homes. Of course, this wasn’t always so convenient. In the early 1900s, payments were usually accentuated forms of the barter of goods and other services. Soon after, cash and checks were the preferred alternative. In the 50s, travel and entertainment cards were introduced to be cashed in while travelling to favoured locations. Post this, the introduction of debit cards for business executives was brought about, along with the revolutionizing concept of online shopping! Ever since booking trips and experiences have been a piece of cake. The late 2000s introduced the concept of eliminating the middleman and dealing the matter of finances with the owners themselves of the location you plan on staying at.

Thomas Cook has now taken worry-free and smooth travel experiences up a notch by offering Holiday Savings Accounts, with the incentives of earning up to 7.25% P.A. interest! Now, you have no reason to keep postponing your plans with family and friends!

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It is as the young ones say – You Only Live Once!