In the 21st Century, traveling is just as common as going to the grocery store. In fact, we can book our entire travel itinerary while waiting in line at the grocery store if the line’s long enough. But what about travel in the 1980s, was it really that different from modern-day? One thing we don’t see as often today is the classic road trip with stops at RV parks along the way, where families would spend the night in their campers, making the journey just as fun as the destination.
In one word, yes. The way we travel is seamless when done properly (apart from lines at the airport. Those can go away anytime.) Here are the top things we don’t miss about travel in the 1980s – and one we wish we still had.
1. Smoking on Airplanes
I remember my first flight. My grandmother had passed away and my family had to make an emergency flight from Northern Maine to Ohio in December. After the wings were de-iced, we hit the sky and all was well. I was six years old, so I received a golden wing pin, coloring books, crayons, and a few other tidbits.
While those were fun, the smoke-filled cabin was not. Both of my parents were smokers, so I had the middle seat with each side of me filled with unhealthy air. Thankfully, airlines banned smoking in 1988.
2. Paper Flight, Train, and Bus Tickets
Paper airline tickets were cool if you wanted to keep them as a scrapbook item. Other than that, it was a constant, “Do I still have my ticket?” worry until the flight attendant took it.
These days, we are all about scanning QR codes on our phones. It’s not only convenient, it’s saving a ton of paper.
3. We Had to Buy a Guidebook for Travel Information
It’s effortless to hop on the internet and search for travel content, sample itineraries, and tips these days. For travel in the 1980s, we needed to hit the bookstore’s travel section and buy guide after guide to devour. While I still love a good travel book, (Heck, I even wrote one called Secret Pittsburgh), I love reading about travel online just as much.
4. No Online Ticket Booking
If we wanted to book a light in the 1980s, we had to head to a travel agent like AAA or visit the airport and book it there. Sure, there was something fun about booking a vacation with a reputable agent, but I really love booking travel for myself online.
5. Paper Maps
Remember the days of your mother and father, sitting in the front seat of the car, trying to decipher a paper map? Or even better, your parent searched the map at home before you left and drew the course of your travel with a marker?
I’ll take GPS any day over paper maps, thank you. Even if it feels nostalgic scouring the huge map while looking for your next RV resort, GPS is so much easier! If you’re unsure about hitting dead spots when driving, you can download local maps so you’ll have the information handy no matter what the signal strength.
6. No Trunk Space
In the early 1980s, my family and I took a road trip from (again) Northern Maine to Ohio to visit relatives. It was a long, three-day trek and over 1,000 miles in length (1,042 if I’m being precise), and because there were four of us in the car, my father purchased a car-top carrier with a lid to put our luggage on because of a lack of trunk space. One morning, he forgot to buckle the top and it blew off as we were driving down the road, but that’s another story.
Today, our cars, trucks, and SUVs have plenty of cargo space, so no rack needed unless we pack heavy.
7. Very Little Air Conditioning in Cars
Again with my own road trip tales, but my family didn’t have air conditioning in our cars until the early 1990s. Not to write that it didn’t exist, my father chose not to have it. By the 1990s, it was a standard convenience and certainly made our road trips easier on us all.
8. Roll Down Car Windows
How easy is it these days to flip a switch for a second and our vehicle’s windows glide down with ease? In the 1980s, car windows were the doll-down style, so if you wanted a lot of fresh air you had to work for it, especially if you were small.
9. Lower Gas Mileage
Gone are the days of all cars being gas guzzlers, happily, For 2024, the average vehicle (not electric or hybrid) gets around 33 MPG.
In the 1980s, leaded gasoline was still around (it was 1983 when the EPA really cracked down on it.) For reference, in 1975 the average MPG in a vehicle was 13.5. By the mid-1980s, we’d improved to the mid 20s.
10. Luggage that Didn’t Roll
My first trip to Walt Disney World was in the early 1990s and we were still using carry-only luggage. I remember heaving the suitcases into and out of the car at the airport and then carrying them to the counter. It was not fun.
Not only did those massive suitcases strain our backs, but they were heavy before we even packed them. For those that want travel nostalgia, you can still find higher-end brands that look similar to old-school suitcases. We’ll pass, thank you.
11. No Seat Belts Needed
Long gone are the days of whimsically hopping into your car, turning on the gas, and driving away. Since 1986, we’ve had one extra step: mandatory seat belts. As kids in the back seat of our parents’ car, we can no longer flail about and try to balance on the seat while our father is swerving through windy curves.
And the One Travel Thing We Wished They’d Kept from the 1980s…
Full meals on flights in coach, no matter how long. I’m sorry, I can’t abide with 12 peanuts in a small bag and three sips of soda. In the 1980s (and up to the 2010s, for that matter), full meals on domestic flights were still prominent.