The times they are a changin'

On a train, the conductor came through and literally punched your ticket. Today, they scan your ticket in an app on your phone.

You arrived in a new country and converted cash or cashed a traveler’s cheque at a Bureau de Change. Today, you can pay with an app on your phone or use a credit card and go virtually cashless.

I remember the ubiquitous money changing facilities, crossing a border and changing currency from the old country to the new, hauling around all those coins!

My most recent trips to Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, England (all post-covid), I have used credit card only.

Fun post.

I do remember some of the entertainment on long hauls - craning my neck to see an overhead screen with the movie - not my personal selection of movies, TVs, games, music on the setback in front of me.

We remember cashing our American Express checks in Berlin to pay our hotel room. Actually using US currency getting 3.5 marks per dollar.

I used to bring 7-8 paperback books with me to read (that was my in-flight entertainment), then would leave them behind in common areas when I was done. Sometimes I would run out and would have to find a book store with English books. They were always much more expensive back then. Having a Kindle opened up a whole new world of books (and left a lot of free space in my luggage).

I never used a travel agent. I would either call or write a letter to the hotel asking for a reservation.

Those paper maps, oy! I still remember trying to find my way across the Yorkshire moors with one, and getting lost. But it was fun back then. For some reason, I didn't mind being lost so much. I seem to be focused more on saving time the older I get.

I used to only book the first night of my trip. And I never used a travel agent. I would either call or write a letter to the hotel asking for a reservation. The biggest thing, of course, is that now I make all my lodging reservations way ahead of time. No more winging it from town to town, and going to the local TIC to see the list of hotels that have rooms. I do miss that—a lot.

• Travellers cheques. I just found 3 unused $50 cheques in American currency in my Mom's stuff. I took them to the bank that issued them but because they were from the 90's they couldn't do anything about them. I eventually tracked down a company in England that is responsible for reimbursing unused cheques and am awaiting the reimbursement.
• E readers. I certainly don't miss bringing paper books with me anymore.
• Airline Apps for booking flights and checking in.
• Any travel app from hotels, car rentals.
• I still like a small paper map with me when I'm exploring, but they're hard to find. We used to pick one up at a car rental place or at a TI, but most don't offer them anymore. At best you can scan a QR code or take a photo of one taped to the counter.

You left out basic communication, before, you went and bought calling cards then found a pay phone.

If someone needed to get a hold of you, they could email, but you had to go to a cybercafe to log on and read it.

Before that, snail mail, tales of people picking up letters at American Express offices, hotels you planned on staying at.

How about.....borders. In the days before Schengen, lots of border crossings and border guards.

Calling home. I used to buy a Phone card and have to get the operator to place the call. Today, internet calling via wifi.

Stamps in your passport. Postcards. 40 years ago: no security! English was not as widely spoken. TWA and Pan Am and Eastern and US Airways.

On my first visit in 1970, we'd go to the post office where an operator would make the phone call home for us. We'd wait a few minutes and then they'd route the call into a phone booth. I also got a telegraph telling me my niece was born--and she's now 53 years old.

Some of the grocery stores were not self serve. The clerk would go out and bring your order.

I now use Google Maps to find hotels and restaurants--and I learn the neighborhoods and city streets before I arrive.

Everyone everywhere uses smart phones--but me. When I retired, I retired from talking on the phone. Anyone I talk to is with me on the trip anyway. I do keep up with news and emails from home on a small computer terminal, however.

We can now make travel plans on the fly with a laptop. Many use smartphones. Long term reservations are not required all the time.

Compared to a few decades ago, when the outsides of iconic buildings were mostly stained black, things have been cleaned up. So that’s what that church looked like when it was new! The exteriors seem to be staying cleaner, too.

Even the clock faces on Big Ben’s restored Elizabeth Tower show the original blue numbers and hash marks, not what were thought for so long to be black.

Wheels! Suitcases used to be carried by hand, or possibly with a shoulder strap. A convertible bag had tuck-away backpack straps for another toting option. Now, there are undoubtedly folks who’ve never owned a suitcase that did t have wheels. Even “suitcase” is probably an outdated term - you have either a spinner or a roller. Yes, there are still duffels and actual backpacks.

But the real wheel innovation, for better and maybe mostly worse, is the electric scooter phenomenon in cities. Rental stand-up electric scooters seem to be silently zipping everywhere, on streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian plazas. Sometimes they’re parked in newly designated spaces, and sometimes dumped on a sidewalk, blocking everyone’s way.

Anything I forgot?

Remember the days when the tourist didn't outnumber the locals?

When I was 15 I travelled to Brittany on my own from Belgium. I wanted to sail, my parents wanted me to practice my French. The ticket clerk at the local train station had spend half an hour with maps and distance tables to calculate the nr. of km I was going to travel in Belgium, where I was going to cross the border, and how many kms I would do in France. That then determined the price. We paid, and received a handwritten ticket.
The station didn't have the complete timetables for France. So I know what Corail I could take at Montparnasse (after changing stations in Paris) but did not know when the local that would take me to Paimpol would run. Things went fine. I arrived, looked for a phone booth, popped in the few French Franks my parents had given me, and phone home to say I had arrived. The next day I exchanged my travellers' cheques, and then spend two weeks on a sailing boat, without engine or electricity... (This was long before GPS as well...)
That was my first international trip alone.
The next year I repeated it, with my two years' younger brother tagging along. On the train we heard that the local to Paimpol wasn't running, and got the suggestion to get off at st. Brieuc, hike down to the Gare Routière, and take the bus there. And so we got there. Phone home, and went sailing. Two weeks later on the way back two 15yo Belgian girls tagged along with us.

So yes, parents would let their teenagers do things like that then. I had to think about that when my niece (my brother's oldest daughter) came to visit us. She was traveling through Germany, and we all know how that goes nowadays. So I saw that the ICE to Basel was delayed, send here a message, and got a "I know, and I have already worked out my alternatives" back. Kids are amazing.

Never worried about pickpockets in the '70's.

Packing light, what was that nonsense?

Actually airline meals tasted a whole lot better on transatlantic flights.

Less tourists, so you felt a special treatment from locals. You were as interesting to them as they were to you. Nowadays, you are just one of so many.

Other than a major city, no reservations as you travelled along.

No lines!!!

Envelopes of different cash - My Dad was posted to Brussels in the mid-70's. They had envelopes of Belgium Francs, French Francs, Swiss Francs, Italian Lire, Dutch Guilder, German Marks, British Pounds. When I went to visit I just dipped into the appropriate envelope before I set out and brought some whatevers back with me on return, lol.

Also carried around a gizmo that helped you figure out the money conversion although at that time it was 4 Belgium francs to a dollar so pretty easy to do in your head.

And yes, those passport control guys at the border on the trains!

Laughing at maps....I had an Atlas I took with us to drive around the English countryside!

Rocking up to the TI in the train station to get a place for the night...always an experience. I also went to the nearby University library to look at a London phone book and wrote down names of hotels in the postal zone I wanted (SW3, hahha), then wrote letters to check for rates.

Hovercraft for crossing the channel!

Airplane tickets, remember the days of multi carbon copy tickets when each leg was included in a package including the return trip? For every leg, the top ticket was torn off.

I spent a semester in Rome my sophomore year of college. The one time I called home I had to make an appointment with the international operator. I made the appointment for midnight to make sure that someone was home when I called.

More room on board most airplanes!
Some less than full flights in days gone by, where you could lie down across a row of four empty seats….heaven.

Amazing food on some flights.
When I moved to South Africa from the UK in 1978, I still remember the Air Hostess on South African Airways ( no more of those either, now) offering me a steak for breakfast on the long flight, and how would I like it cooked!!
In Economy no less.

Turning up at places with no reservations and getting rooms.

Great thread, thankyou.

Berlitz phrase books.

Tissue-paper-thin airmail letters.

People dressed-up to fly.

Europe on $5 a Day.

Mardee, I always packed paperbacks too, duplicates bought from a $1 outlet. Still have a stack of those from pre-Kindle days, guess I should donate those . . .

Almost 55 years ago, I walked into the Scrovegni chapel with the other art history students on our bus tour and we spent all the time there we wanted, which was quite a while.

5 years ago, I had to book a reserved time, arrive early, sit in a dehumidifying room for 15 minutes and watch a video, and then be in the chapel for 15 minutes before being herded out. I did then book another visit, a double one for the next evening, and I am glad they are taking more care with precious works of art, but still, 55 years ago was a better experience.

I don't even want to write about the Sistine chapel 55 years ago vs 10 years ago......

I do not think anyone has yet mentioned not having to worry about 3 oz toiletries for carry-on.

........and, it was so much easier to telephone airlines and get quick (satisfying) customer service.....or from an agent in a red sports coat (indicating manager level) at the airport.

I used to travel a lot on business then, and I remember getting on-the-spot complimentary upgrades often, just because the regular gate agent recognized me as a frequent traveler. Would not count on "that" nowadays.

"Rocking up to the TI in the train station to get a place for the night.."

Yes, you could do that. Sleeping cars were then mostly operated by either Wagon Lits or Mitropa, and had signs outside if they had vacancies. As a student I was going to Prague on a whim one day. Bought a ticket (TCV ticket, good for 2 months!) and then at the station just looked for a berth. The car to Prague was full, but there was one to Dresden that still had a spot, so I just go on that one, paid the fee, and changed to a seating car in Dresden...

And now the opposite....yesterday in Vilnius, I could not get a cell signal so data didn't work. I had a full day planned of sightseeing but was relying on Google Maps to get me there.

I took a seat on a park bench, tried to change cell providers, rebooted the phone....no luck.

I didn't want to walk too far because I would have no idea where I was or where to go. I contemplated going back to my hotel, getting on wifi, and installing an esim

But without data, I couldn't figure out which bus to take. Nor could I call for a Bolt/Free Now/Uber.

Luckily, within a couple of blocks I picked up a signal and could continue on with my day.

We didn't have these problems years ago. You'd get out the map, look for a landmark or street name, and go where you wanted to go.

you could have just flagged down a good 'ol taxi sans all those App rides.

Not here......you have to find a taxi stand.

And I don't know what hotels you stay in but very few I've stayed in have those tear away maps. Some don't even have maps anymore.

Maps & printed explanations in museums. Now everything seems to have a QR code.

Even in major cities, English wasn’t widely spoken.

Porters to help with luggage.

Luggage sets. I remember my grandparents buying me a set for high school graduation. The huge suitcase with no wheels was difficult to carry, but also so exciting.

I remember when our kids were very young and I would visit my parents. My dad was able to get on the plane with me to get the kids settled in, and then he went home.

Checking bags curbside at the airport.

Buying foreign currency at the bank before leaving for the trip. I don't take any with me now, unless it is leftover from a past trip.

Picking up mail at American Express offices. And writing back on aerograms.

You all have had much more extensive travel experience early in life than I did. Essentially all my international travel has been in the past 15 years, and many of the "old time travel" charms you talk about predate my experience.

My first trip to Europe was in 1985, and I didn't return until 2011. But I do remember the critical importance of our travel agent back in 1985, as he put together a complete itinerary including rental car, hotels, and airline and train tickets. All that is easily handled on our own these days, even with my age-addled brain. It's addled enough that all I remember from that first trip is the destinations and local experiences. Well, that and the smoking section on Austrian Airlines being all seats on the right side of the plane.

Another thread reminded me of the days when you could buy life insurance for your flights from little kiosks at the airport. Something like $10,000 for $10. The last time I saw one of those was in the late '80s when I bought a policy on a whim, naming my new girlfriend as the beneficiary. She did not consider it a romantic gesture.

Technology is supposed to add to your day, not make you totally dependant on it

A late teen - early twenties member of a tour group once asked "How did people ever travel without phones for maps and things?" The concensus of the 60+ year olds was "Very well"

Although the most recent surge of solar flares didn't have much of an effect, who knows what the next one will do. Guess the only ones who'll know where to go will be the old hands who know how to use paper maps and use dead reckoning.

Railpasses used to be convenient and a good value. Now they tend to be more expensive than point to pont tickets and inconvenient since you often need to make reservations.

I remember traveling without reservations. On arrival at the train station, you’d head to the payphone and call the listings in your ”Let’s Go” or ”Rick Steves” or ”Frommers” guide. Alternatively, you’d head to the TI and they’d book you somewhere for the night. Now I always make reservations.

I do love having googlemaps readily available on my phone. In the past, I remember relying on guidebooks to tell you what bus stop to get off at and then trying to figure out how to get to your hotel/museum/etc. Now I just open up googlemaps on the bus and follow along as I ride.

Cruise ships are now huge, and can (and increasingly, do) carry thousands of daytripping passengers to popular destinations. In only the past couple of years, I’ve found Websites that list the daily schedules for a port, what boat is coming from which cruise line, arrival and departure times, and how many passengers it carries. Some days showed three big ships at one time. That’s a lot of extra people in sometimes small communities at one time!

We encountered a large crowd from a cruise ship in Hania, Crete in 2019, mobs in the Cinque Terre in 2021, and a noticeable, but not overwhelming bunch of cruise passengers in towns in Norway last fall. The trend will, seemingly continue.

Though not tech related…The most basic, I think…flying was actually enjoyable instead of the chore it has become. Someone could see you off on your trip at the gate instead of having to bid you 'bon voyage' before security, or, even worse, the street outside the airport. And coming home was nice as well. Remember when a friend or loved one could meet you at the gate to welcome you home with hugs and kisses? Planes had reasonably sized interiors with reasonably spaced seats. People weren't battling for overhead bin space. Everyone seemed so much happier to actually be flying.

Back in the 1960’s and 70’s, terrorists (was that a term back then?) hijacked flights to Cuba. Other incidents continued, including at the Munich Olympics and, of course, 9/11. There is, thankfully, much less of that going on now, but security measures have made travel for non-terrorists more of an ordeal than flying generally used to be.

OTOH, there are reports of a lot more unruly passengers on planes these days. Not highjackers, just jerks.

The most basic, I think…flying was actually enjoyable instead of the chore it has become.

Flying, for me, has become much more enjoyable rather than less. It's because now I can afford to fly business class, in which I have priority boarding, lie-flat beds and a nonstop parade of food and drink while aloft. Not to mention Global Entry and biometric passports that make departure and arrival administration so much smoother.

Like in other endeavors, everyone's experience is different.

No smoking on planes. What a major improvement!!!

When I was backpacking in Europe in 1983, I was switching countries every 3-5 days. Each time I rolled into a new country, I would have to find the American Express office to convert my traveler's checks into the local currency. I don't miss the lineups and the commissions. And sometimes I had to wait for an hour at the office in order to arrange a collect overseas call back home.

The US and Canadian version of the American Express travelers checks were almost indistinguishable except for a tiny little notation "Canadian Dollars". Sometimes, the clerk failed to notice the difference and I would get an exchange rate based on the much higher US currency. With a budget of about $20 a day, that would be a nice little bonus.

Apple pay or Google pay! Works in Albania, N. Macedonia and Kosovo without a problem. Before commencing our current trip, I read the Apple Support article regarding Apple Pay and the countries that supported it. Those 3 countries were on not on the list. From our experience in the last few weeks in those countries, it works quite well.

Of those three I can speak only to Albania, and only the capital. I just spent six days in Tirana and remember finding only three places that accepted credit cards: my 4-star hotel, one restaurant and a medium-sized (by center-city European standards) supermarket. Although I didn't try using Google Pay, all but one of the terminals were tap-capable, so I don't doubt that Google Pay would work. But I was unable to use a credit card for taxis, inter-city buses, a mid-priced restaurant and three museums. My hotel here in Berat was listed as accepting credit cards on booking.com but does not. Folks visiting Albania should expect to need cash frequently unless all decisions are predicated upon whether the hotel/restaurant/ shop/tour provider accepts plastic--and even then transportation will be an issue.

I know not too many Americans travel to Albania for pleasure, but I don't want people to be left with the impression there are no payment issues here. Unless you pre-pay everything or frequent only high-end hotels and their restaurants and stay in one city, you must either risk carrying a lot of cash (euros are easily exchanged at a very good rate, at least in Tirana, and exchanging dollars shouldn't be too costly) or pay painful ATM fees. I withdrew about $200 worth of lek and paid $7 (3.5%); I checked on what a $300 withdrawal would cost, and it was $10.50, still 3.5%. The fee percentage may be higher on smaller withdrawals. Lest there be any confusion, I conducted the entire transaction in lek.

Many places will accept euros at the rate of 1 euro for 100 lek, which is beyond reasonable with the official conversion rate around 100.3 - 100.4 lek, so if you have cash, you'll often be able to use it without bothering with an exchange bureau. My loss on the conversion rate at the Tirana exchange I used was less than 0.5 %; it was higher at the airport, of course.

Your last goodbye and first hello would be right at the gate next to the walkway to the door of the plane.

Good one Avi. It’s hard to even remember that now.