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What it Was Like to Travel the Decade You Were Born

What it Was Like to Travel the Decade You Were Born

By Ellie Nan Storck

December 24, 2015

SeongJoon Cho

Getting from point A to point B has not always been as easy as online booking, Global Entry, and Uber. It was a surprisingly recent event when the average American traded in the old horse-and-carriage-look for a car (or a private jet, if you’re lucky).

What was it like to travel at the turn of the century? If you were heading out for a trans-Atlantic trip at the very beginning of the 20th century, there was one option: boat. Travelers planning a cross-country trip had the something akin to options: carriage, car (for those who could afford one), rail, or electric trolley lines—especially as people moved from rural areas to cities.

At the start of the 1900s, leisure travel in general was something experienced exclusively by the wealthy and elite population. In the early-to-mid-20th century, trains were steadily a popular way to get around, as were cars. The debut regional airlines welcomed their first passengers in the 1920s, but the airline business didn’t see its boom until several decades later. During the 50's, a huge portion of the American population purchasing a set of wheels—having a car meant having the ability to hit the open road—and living the American dream.

Come 1960, airports had expanded globally to provide both international and domestic flights to passengers. Air travel became a luxury industry, and a trans-continental trip soon became nothing but a short journey.

So, what’s next? The leisure travel industry has quite a legacy to fulfill—fancy a trip up to Mars, anyone?

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The Year: 1900

Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Horse and Buggy

A family tours by caravan on country roads. In the early 1900s, horse-and-buggies were still popular, but would soon be replaced with cars.

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The Year: 1912

Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Ocean Liner

Passengers gather on the deck of the RMS Lusitania. In 1912, trans-Atlantic ocean liners trips were the only way for travelers to journey across the pond.

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The Year: 1920

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Mode of Transportation: Train

The Midland Railway in the United Kingdom was just one of many railway systems in the 1920s that provided travelers with comfortable seating and on-board dining. Now, it's something of a nostalgic, romantic experience.

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The Year: 1930

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Mode of Transportation: “Aeroplane”

The interior of the Handley Page HP42 was a luxury airplane for Imperial Airways, and flew at about 100 mph, carrying 24 passengers and four crewmembers.

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The Year: 1940

Retrofile/Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Car

A couple begins their journey in a convertible sedan, packed with luggage. Even in 1940, nothing could replace a good, old-fashioned road trip.