Vacation-a-go-long-ago-go

It's that time of year where folks are thinking about vacations, which got us thinking about how much vacationing has changed over the past many decades. The wife and I were very entertained when reminiscing about what used to be involved in planning/taking a vacation.

I dedicate this blog to all of those who were not alive before the advent of the Internet (for those of you born after 1985).

The wife: "Remember how we used to have to get Traveler Checks? How we had to figure out how much money to get in Traveler Checks? How we had to go and get the Traveler's Checks from the Bank or Triple A?"

Me: "Remember how we would order "Trip-tiks" from Triple A so we would have maps and travel information when driving somewhere on vacation? I loved Trip-tics!"

The wife: "There were no cell phones to call for help or assistance."

Me: "A cell phone would have come in handy when we got locked out of the rental car in California. Remember how we had to walk seven miles in our beach shoes because we couldn't call the rental car place to come help us? Three hours of walking in beach shoes. Oh, the blisters!"

The wife: "We're old."


No cell phones.
No Google Maps.
No navigational systems in the car.
No Internet.
No debit cards.
Gas stations that weren't open 24 hours a day.
Gas stations that weren't open seven days a week.
Smoking on airplanes.
Smoking anywhere you wanted.
(Raise your hand if you remember the days of people smoking at their desks.)

Deciding where to go on vacation required a trip to a travel agent, the library, Triple A ....or, was based on slide shows friends and family showed you of where they had been. (Yes, slide shows.) Travel agents had all the cool color brochures. Whether you wanted to go to Disneyland or Washington D.C., travel agents had the information, all on shiny gloss paper. If you were feeling adventurous (or didn't belong to Triple A), you could buy a road atlas and hit the road.

Once at the location of choice, you had to figure things out--the sites, the food, the events, the local attractions....no Googling about where to go or what to do.

In order to secure flight arrangements, one had to call the airlines (using the phone book to find out the number) or use a travel agent. No comparison shopping on the Internet, as there was no Internet or mobile apps. Since you couldn't "see" the prices, you had to hope for the best. Your tickets were mailed to you--hard copy on card stock, most likely with carbon copies attached. No electronic check-in.

Ditto for hotel reservations. No Internet to peruse the areas of interest. No website to comparison shop. You called the hotel chain of choice and hoped for the best.

Since there were no cell phones or email or social media, you had to tell someone where you were going....that way, if you were lost at sea or chopped into little pieces by a psycho-mass murdered, someone would have an idea of your most recent whereabouts. Once on vacation, nary a person could call or find you unless they knew your itinerary.

Imagine, pre-internet youngsters, riding in the car, hours at a time without video gaming systems or TVs in the car. No I-Pass. No satellite. No CDs or MP3 music--it was cassettes (or, 8 tracks) or AM radio. No instrument panel telling you how many miles of gas you had left. Hour after hour. State by State. Soft rock song after soft rock song.

There was no Weather Channel. You had to guesstimate. You didn't know what weather might or might not be coming to your chosen destination. Better to bring too many clothes than not enough. Once at the destination, you knew what the weather was and was going to be because you were standing in it.

Youngsters, you know what the best part about vacationing of long ago?

Being on vacation meant being on vacation. 

No virtual office.
No working on-line.
No texting.
No emailing.
No webcams.
No being bombarded by 24 hour news.
No being at everyone's beckon call.
No cell phone cameras or social media to distract you from looking at the sites. You actually looked at the sites, enjoyed them, remembered them in your head.
No electronics running out of power with no re-charging source.
No staring at a screen of one type or another.
No ignoring one and other by wearing headphones the entire trip.
No alarm on the watch.

Unless you were standing next to a pay phone or standing in a hotel room next to a land line, you were cut off from the world. What a glorious thing!

Security at airports was minimal, so there were no long lines. You didn't have to have anyone check your shoes or your three ounce shampoo bottles. You got dressed up (after all, flying was an event, not just a mode of transportation) and waited patiently at the gate.

Playing the "Alphabet Game" or finding the most state license plates or counting the numbers of various-colored cars while on the road led to many hours of family fun. Trip-tiks were the coolest things ever invented. Talking and playing board games required face-to-face interaction. A.M. radio wasn't that bad.

Being in the "vacation here and now" zone sure beats being focused on your phone, reading work emails while on the beach or updating your status.

Ah, don't get me wrong--I'm all for today's modern vacation conveniences. Credit cards, the Internet, ATM machines, satellite maps and cell phones have made travel much easier, safer and more accessible. I don't want to go back. I'm just a wee bit saddened about the loss of being able to be on vacation while on vacation.

I don't miss people smoking on airplanes and I don't miss carrying Traveler Checks.

I do miss being off the grid.  

The wife and I are destined to go on a vacation or two this summer. Perhaps I can convince her (and, convince myself) to not wear a watch and to not check our email every hour.

It's time to do less scrolling and a lot more living. 

Think I can still get a Trip-tik?