What do you miss most about old school traveling?

[Lord Manhammer]

I don’t mind airports but the flight scares me. Well it’s the fear of it not flying that scares me. Some airports are pretty cool. I got stuck in Amsterdam for several hours and they had a muserum a casino and interesting shops. The also have these small luggage trolleys that I wish other airports would add.

I understand your fear. But Schiphol in Amsterdam is a very cool airport. My travel routes usually have me connecting through there and I enjoy it. It's also nice to see the shops with the tulips.

 

[ttintagel]

I still have very fond memorized of an overnight flight from New York City to London on British Airways in the spring of 2001. The plane was only half full, so even in the cheapest seats we got to stretch out and be super comfortable. They gave us each a bag with slippers, blanket, eye mask, and toothbrush when we boarded. It was like an airborne slumber party. They kept periodically coming around with snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non), and the Asian vegetarian meal was as good as anything similar I've had in a restaurant.

 

[barkley]

car trips in the back of the station wagon with the seats folded down and a bunch of pillows..

my parent's old station wagon had just the right dimension in the back such that a crib mattress could be centered in it with all the luggage fitting around the sides. my 2 oldest brothers would take the bench seat behind the front while my next in age to me brother would curl up with me in the back. it was always the same route from northern to southern california with the obligatory stop in bakersfield to fill up with gas and either be treated to hot choclate or cold sodas (depending on the time of year/weather). i never traveled by air with any of my siblings or parents-all travel was done by car. airline travel was exclusivly for a family emergency that necessitated immediate arrival-so us kids would be left at home while mom or dad traveled to a family funeral.

 

[tony67]

I’ve pumped gas out of state, having someone else do it is preferable to me. For whatever reason, I don’t like having to get gas even when I don’t leave my car.

So I am the exact opposite as is my wife - our town has an ordnance that you cant pump your own gas - same as NJ.
We always go to the next town over that has self service - it quicker and its also slightly less money - but other wise we are waiting on the attendant to come out and then fill it and then come out again and remove it and charge us and ... I find it a PITA

When I drive through NJ I also make sure I have a full tank as I don't want to deal with it.

 

[amcnj]

I really miss being able to go to the gate with someone and wait with them. There was that cool moment when you hugged that person and they went down the gangway toward the plane. I come from a traveling family and have been traveling internationally since I was 2 so it was so exciting time when I got to go the airport to either go somewhere or drop off/pick up someone. I usually got to get a Cinnabon and loved watching all of the interesting people. And I can honestly say that even to this day, I LOVE flying. Yes TSA and all of that are part of the world we live in, but exploring airports all over the world is FUN! I'm the dude who is walking through the terminal with a smile on my face and just looking around. My wife has a similar background and is the same way. I just don't understand why people look so miserable in airports!

Well I guess I am a bit older, but have similar memories of when I was a child going onto the ship to see my grandmother off for a return visit to the “old country”. Air travel was not a common event when I was young.

 

[loves to dive]

We definitely would. Not that kids in the actual hotel bother me at all, but I would stay there mainly for the pool/hot tub area. Even though all the hot tubs have signs saying children need to be accompanied by an adult, no one does and it stinks to be trying to relax in the hot tub while kids are running in and out like it's a swimming pool.

I remember getting green stamps at the local shop - but never doing anything with them

There was a redemption center about 30 min. from where we lived. It was always a big deal when Mama had enough books to go get something. Every dish we owned came from them and most of our small appliances like the toaster. All our glasses came from free from the gas station, I think you got one when you filled up. Seriously, we never bought a glass or a dish the entire time I was growing up, the other glasses we had came from places like McDonalds or A&W root beer drive throughs.

 

[loves to dive]

my parent's old station wagon had just the right dimension in the back such that a crib mattress could be centered in it with all the luggage fitting around the sides. my 2 oldest brothers would take the bench seat behind the front while my next in age to me brother would curl up with me in the back. it was always the same route from northern to southern california with the obligatory stop in bakersfield to fill up with gas and either be treated to hot choclate or cold sodas (depending on the time of year/weather). i never traveled by air with any of my siblings or parents-all travel was done by car. airline travel was exclusivly for a family emergency that necessitated immediate arrival-so us kids would be left at home while mom or dad traveled to a family funeral.

We had six kids (5 boys and me the only girl and the youngest) and every once in a while had a station wagon. Ours always had 3 rows and I always had to sit in the one that faced backwards. If we didn't have a station wagon when I was little, I would curl up on the back shelf under the window like a cat. We would have one brother up front with Mama and Daddy, 4 other brothers in the back seat and me curled up under the window. We would go for a drive every Sunday and stop somewhere for a picnic and the boys would get the football out and play.

 

[hellmer]

"Fill 'er up with ethyl!"

Ethyl is tetra-ethyl lead which the Ethyl Corporation poisoned us with while knowing it was an extreme neurotoxin. Lead was known to be a neurotoxin back in ancient Rome when the plumbed population suffered from lead poisoning from the lead piping. The Ethyl Corporation was not going to let their profits be hampered by public health and pump the atmosphere with massive quantities of their IQ lowering poison.

 

[disney212]

Sky Caps still exist at airports! I know Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG) has them.

I pass them all the time when I drop off/pick up my dh at the airport when he gets my curbside service (he loves that over airport employee parking, which I get 100%!)

I use them at CVG for every flight!

 

[China Expat]

Not having to pay to select a seat, pay for a bag, and then pay for a preferred seat. Easily adds $400 to a United ticket

 

[sam_gordon]

Full meals on flights, even in economy. I remember getting pancakes (or was it waffles) on one flight from FLL(?) to ATL.

 

[mousefan73]

I miss being able to carry a bottle of wine or water in my carry-on. I miss not having to take my shoes off. I miss have random conversations with people - people nowadays are in their cell phone bubble.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I miss have random conversations with people - people nowadays are in their cell phone bubble.

I have random conversations with people all the time while traveling (at the airport and other places) and while out and about but if you're talking on the plane itself that's the one place that I don't want to spend my several hour flight doing. I like to read, listen to music or watch a movie or tv show plus cat nap. Back in the day I'd bring library books with me nowadays I have my kindle which is great because I didn't like disturbing other people by putting on the overhead light to read. Some people are way too loud on planes when they are talking to each other, I get it the engine noise and all but it can be highly disturbing to other passengers.

 

[tony67]

Not having to pay to select a seat, pay for a bag, and then pay for a preferred seat. Easily adds $400 to a United ticket

Yeah pretty nuts.

I miss sky caps no doubt.
I also miss being able to go to the gate with people and have a few drinks before their flight.
Carrying a bottle of alcohol on the plane with you - selection and price at Duty free is not always all that great.
There were many thing I used to be able to have in my carry on that I cant any longer - for example a corkscrew I picked up in Venice was confiscated passing through the UK after having flown with it from Austria top the UK.

I also miss free drinks on flights to Europe - there are several airlines that charge for drinks on US\EU flights - and its not cheap - its like $8-10.

Really bad food on flights to Europe - it was never great but it was usually edible.
They also usually gave you eggs and meat for breakfast.
Now the meal is pretty much Spaghetti O's and the breakfast is a scone if you are lucky.

Jet Blue has also gotten rid of hot meals on their flights to Europe - but I think there cold stuff is still better than the hot meals you get on say Aer Lingus. I look forward to trying Jet Blue to Europe at some point.

 

[tony67]

I have random conversations with people all the time while traveling (at the airport and other places) and while out and about but if you're talking on the plane itself that's the one place that I don't want to spend my several hour flight doing. I like to read, listen to music or watch a movie or tv show plus cat nap. Back in the day I'd bring library books with me nowadays I have my kindle which is great because I didn't like disturbing other people by putting on the overhead light to read. Some people are way too loud on planes when they are talking to each other, I get it the engine noise and all but it can be highly disturbing to other passengers.

Yeah - I find no shortage of people to talk to at the bars and restaurants in the Airport - many are looking at their phones and those are the people that don't want to chat so you leave them alone.

Younger generations are not comfortable with it - my kid is always embarrassed that I'll just strike up a conversation with some random person about almost anything. He and his friends just don't have that "skill" - there are even videos on youtube about how to go into a bar by yourself and strike up a conversation - I've watched a few just for the amusement.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah - I find no shortage of people to talk to at the bars and restaurants in the Airport - many are looking at their phones and those are the people that don't want to chat so you leave them alone.

Younger generations are not comfortable with it - my kid is always embarrassed that I'll just strike up a conversation with some random person about almost anything. He and his friends just don't have that "skill" - there are even videos on youtube about how to go into a bar by yourself and strike up a conversation - I've watched a few just for the amusement.

I hope you're talking about Gen Z as far as younger generation lol

Some of it I find is regional if talking about the U.S. (and cultural if talking international) I'm from the Midwest and generally we're known as being friendly, helpful and open to random conversations.

 

[tony67]

I hope you're talking about Gen Z as far as younger generation lol

Some of it I find is regional if talking about the U.S. (and cultural if talking international) I'm from the Midwest and generally we're known as being friendly, helpful and open to random conversations.

Yeah Z and probably Alpha - they pretty much grew up on line.
Still probably some millennials as well - but not all.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah Z and probably Alpha - they pretty much grew up on line.
Still probably some millennials as well - but not all.

Maybe but the youngest are late 20s so if so it'd be more like the youngest of the youngest Millennials (or it falls into more the regional).

That said so help me if someone knocks on my door and my phone hasn't been on anything but silent or vibrate (unless I'm specifically expecting something and known I need to be able to hear it without being by my phone) in many years; all that time in the past searching for just the right ring tone only for me to never want my phone to make a sound these days. But striking up conversations with strangers? Easy peasy.

 

[tony67]

Maybe but the youngest are late 20s so if so it'd be more like the youngest of the youngest Millennials (or it falls into more the regional).

That said so help me if someone knocks on my door and my phone hasn't been on anything but silent or vibrate (unless I'm specifically expecting something and known I need to be able to hear it without being by my phone) in many years; all that time in the past searching for just the right ring tone only for me to never want my phone to make a sound these days. But striking up conversations with strangers? Easy peasy.

Yeah being on a coast is very different.

As for the phone thing - yeah I don't want to hear it ring even if someone is at my door - its probably the solar panel guy who is ignoring my no soliciting sign claiming he's not actually selling anything - just providing information I don't want or need.
I use a smart watch that vibrates so I am aware of it - so no need of any ringer.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They also usually gave you eggs and meat for breakfast.

I'm okay with this because there's a lot more varied diets these days and considerations of that plus my husband doesn't eat eggs. Although a common one of yogurt is not one he eats either. My meal on my flight home from Tokyo last weekend was labeled Halal for example. The Air France flight we had last year Chicago to Paris (where we connected there to get to Venice) the breakfast was yogurt, muffin, bread, jam and butter and coffee but that was also the second meal. The first meal (speaking towards your wine comment) you could order wine if you wanted no additional charge, it wasn't the mini-est of bottles but wasn't a full large bottle of wine either.

I think domestic carriers that fly international are normally not the ones to have more food although British Airways (who we flew home last year from Athens with a connection in Heathrow) has been cost cutting their meals from not carrying enough meals for the amount of passengers on board intentionally doing so to cutting out a breakfast or a meal entirely for flights after a certain time of day.