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  1. Home
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  3. 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
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Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: 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

Credit: SSPL via Getty Images

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

Credit: SSPL via Getty Images

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

Credit: 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.

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The Year: 1955

Credit: Mondadori via Getty ImagesSSPL via Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

Passengers on a TWA Super G Constellation Airplane serve themselves at a buffet. Some of the first luxury airplanes featured quite the spread when it came to in-flight dining. They could not imagine the horror of the sad, single packet of dry-roasted peanuts.

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The Year: 1967

Credit: Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

A flight attendant serves coffee to passengers aboard a Braniff International Airplane. During the Golden Age of Flying, an airplane ticket could have been up to 40 percent more than what it costs today.

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The Year: 1970

Credit: Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

Classy interiors, plenty of space, and a huge spread of food: lunchtime on the BOAC Jumbo Jet was a fancy affair in the 1970s.

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The Year: 1985

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Mode of Transportation: Airplane

Princess Diana and Prince Charles board a royal flight to Australia.

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The Year: 1990

Credit: ullstein bild via Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

A stewardess serves passengers in the economy seating area. By the 90s, air travel had become the new normal for long-distance travel.

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The Year: 2000

Credit: ullstein bild via Getty Images

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

Passengers settle into their seats for a domestic flight on a Boeing 767. Before 9/11, airport security in the U.S. was drastically different to what we know today.

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The Year: 2010

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Mode of Transportation: Airplane

At JFK Airport in New York, travelers walk along a moving walkway to catch their flights. During the holiday season in 2010, 2.75 million domestic travelers flew within the U.S.

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The Year: 2015

Credit: SeongJoon Cho

Mode of Transportation: Airplane

A passenger settles into his first-class seat onboard a Boeing 747-8 with Korean Air. Flying first-class in 2015 is the epitome of luxury travel: think fresh orange juice, champagne, hot towels, and total privacy—it doesn’t get much better than this.

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1 of 13 The Year: 1900
2 of 13 The Year: 1912
3 of 13 The Year: 1920
4 of 13 The Year: 1930
5 of 13 The Year: 1940
6 of 13 The Year: 1955
7 of 13 The Year: 1967
8 of 13 The Year: 1970
9 of 13 The Year: 1985
10 of 13 The Year: 1990
11 of 13 The Year: 2000
12 of 13 The Year: 2010
13 of 13 The Year: 2015

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What it Was Like to Travel the Decade You Were Born
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