For us Eastern-Europeans, a big change in the last 25 years is the EU enlargement and the Schengen zone. Before you had to wait at embassies and apply for visas to visit most of Europe, now you just need your ID card.
Right. And the average family couldn't even dream about it. Even before that, in the socialist era, literally only a few were allowed to go outside of the border, with limited destinations, money and time. I'm 33 and the first time I was abroad was in the middle 2000's. I flew the first time at age 25. No chance before. I still have family members who haven't been abroad, ever (I'm Hungarian).
@@ingi2785 Indeed, apart from waiting at foreign embassies, hoping to get visas, you had to get the permission from your own government. Foreign currency was not available as well.😕
@@asvtravellingtheworldYou are talking like of 40 yrs ago, not 25. 25 years back, people could travel freely, but the borders were still there, as Schengen area was much smaller. We would travel by bus, as both planes and trains were crazy expensive. Very few people in the East had a normal Visa or Mastercard, so we would have cash on us. A lot of different notes and coins, as there was no Euro yet. And while some people already had mobile phones (GSM was already there), the roaming prices were astronomical. You would not want to even answer the phone, yet alone call from it…
Ahh the memories. I'll never forget traveling in 2006 going to internet cafes, using MCI calling cards with 20+ digits to enter, asking every hotel front-desk person for a city map, and exchanging dollars for all the different European currencies.
My first flight 52 years ago was so different from now. Near no women other than the flight crew, no children, and men generally wore javkets and ties! Times have changed.
I had a man in the seat next to me smoke a pipe non-stop across the Atlantic in 1977. I never wanted fly again after that, but I did once smoking was banned. Now I manage to get a screaming baby behind every flight, even when I paid thousands for a first class pod, someone put a screaming baby in the pod behind me.
European here. I hit the road for the first time in 1987, with our famous "Interrail" ticket. In those days, Interrail meant that you could travel for free on the railways of all participating countries. It still exist, but it is no longer valid for all trains. The biggest difference to travel definitely came with the Internet. In the old days, you really went away from your family and friends when you went on a foreign trip. I remember that I would call my parents from overpriced public telephone booths, about twice a month, just to tell them that I was okay... Another thing from pre-Internet times: We didn't book anything in advance, but since nobody did, you could normally just pop in at a hostel, even in popular tourist destinations, and get a bed or a room for the night. Cheap air fares are obviously also something which has changed a lot. Even in the mid-1990s, I would first check the availability of night trains or coaches rather than flights if I wanted to travel between European cities.
Of course one of the biggest differences has been the internet, which made travel much cheaper by reducing “friction” in the travel industry. 25-30 years ago, arranging travel usually involved travel agents and other middlemen. Nowadays it’s mostly DIY with travel applications/sites electronically connecting travelers and travel providers or travelers interacting directly with service providers over the internet.
Having so much technology while traveling is handy but you do miss out on some of the quirky and fun aspects of travel. Like getting lost in a new city and finding places by chance. Navigating with a paper map. Learning basic travel phrases from a book or a cassette/CD. Learning about a destination from a travel book. There's something special about these things that is missing from all the tiktok and Instagram travel posts. The younger generation will miss out on these experiences.
Excellent point! I remember always arriving in a place and having to acquire a map somewhere. One of the best places I ever found while traveling was a great scenic overlook of Portland, Oregon because I made a wrong turn driving.
I love how you showed both the positive and negatives that have happened with travel in the past 30 years. I travelled out to Spain from. The United States before the shoe incident in which someone attempted to put a bomb in a shoe, I remember keeping your shoes on and being able to travel with a big old water bottle filled with water. Times have changed
I was backpacking in Europe around 2000 you could go to the louvre, coliseum, rijks museum by just waiting in line. Now it’s hours long or sold out you have to get tickets ahead of time. Some things are better now but I like the times when you could go with no itinerary and just see what you want without the crowds.
Google maps not only shows you where restaurants are, but also gives you reviews and most importantly, prices, so there is no excuse for over paying in the touristy areas.
Things have changed way-beyond recognition in my life time, but then I am a grumpy old man, but have been lucky to have been travelling all my life because, first of all my fathers job and then my job. I am now home in England to stay as it's no longer fun to travel as planes are more cramped, fellow travellers often have little or no respect for staff on the journey of the locals where they are visiting. A few trips in and around Europe cannot be ruled out.
I remember when travelers used to dress up in nice clothing when flying 😂 Being on an airplane was an event! Also still so hard to believe but people used to be allowed to smoke on airplanes. My first flight was from Boston to Orlando and I swear almost half the folks on the plane were smoking!
Brother I hear you, I can’t believe saying “30 years ago” now puts us the 90’s! I feel old. The great thing about traveling is that it shows you how people are pretty much the same wherever you go, the only real difference is geography and how they adapt to it.
What a wonderful life, seeing such amazing places from all over the world. Great achievement; and kudos to you and Jocelyn for sharing your knowledge with all of us 🌟👌✨
So true. I remember when Mapquest was the only thing that can give you turn by turn directions. Before that it was just gas station maps. Don't get me wrong, we still have to use them once in a blue moon for places that have no GPS service like out in pockets of western US or the east like the Appalachian mountains. Otherwise, I don't know how I got along without GPS.
OMG, Mark, I had a visceral flashback to shoving a plastic card into a slot on a payphone on the roadside somewhere in Ireland. We can't afford to travel as much as we would like but we definitely prioritize it, and as you said I love all of the resources we have available to us. We spend more time researching and planning a trip then we do on the ground and we love it. It's harder to find places with no tourists for sure, but it's super exciting to connect with local people in little ways and see that our curious hearts are rewarded when we are genuinely interested in their places and their lives.
I am 65 and was fortunate enough to travel with the airlines starting as a kid. I often think how funny it would be if I could go to the airport now with my mother who passed away decades ago. I remember her going on a week long trip with eight pieces of luggage minimum. Taking your shoes off for security would shock her. My Dad had the bar/cocktail luggage that had a shaker and bar tools and fasteners to hold quart bottles of vodka and martini glasses. When I was in college I remember sitting in the smoking section of the plane and you could ring the call button for a cocktail. I am grateful tickets are affordable now, I don't have the budget my parents did. It is like a bus on wings now. In fact the tourist busses in Europe have seats far more comfortable than most airplanes.
The point you made about absolutely needing a smartphone to travel nowadays, I agree with in part but it's a double-edged sword. It can lead to analysis paralysis because you're constantly checking videos, blogs, Google reviews and it just takes out the mystery of discovering that new restaurant, a lesser known museum, etc. Another thing "ruined" by technology is that before you even get to your destination you look up pictures, videos, etc. online but then when you get there it already took some of the magic away because you've already seen hundreds of pictures/videos of it at home. The worst example is those VR-tours more and more museums are offering, which I understand decreases the masses of people visiting, but again takes away the magic of actually seeing it in person. Looking at those pictures,videos, etc. also builds up a lot of expectations and then when you're actually at, say, the tower of Pisa, you're slightly disappointed because the pictures/videos you saw were (heavily) filtered and you feel "catfished".😂
I agree with your comments, I have been travelling for decades and it so much more exciting when you have no idea what will be at the end of the journey. Sometimes mind blowingly brilliant, other times not so great.
@@louisrios5546 One of the things I try to do is to find something memorably good about the disapointing places I've visited. It could be a great cup of coffee/friendliness of people! Some are so dire they make a good story though.
It also ruined personal interactions. I remember getting lost in London years ago and having a lovely old man in an antiques shop close his shop and walk me to the nearest Underground station. I doubt that would happen now.
@@MsTimelady71 The kindness of strangers is also what I miss in travelling abroad. Tourists are now seen as either a source of income or at worst destroyers of the housing market and community.
One change that's happened more recently but tends to get taken for granted is the emphasis on traveling carry-on only. I definitely understand the appeal of packing lighter while also avoiding luggage fees, but it's funny to think that even a decade ago, I never saw people fighting for space in the overhead bins.
Wishing I would check a bag but after multiple baggage delays sometimes for a whole trip of almost two weeks I avoid checking my bag unless I would be forced to. AND this was more than two decades ago. So not all of us are carryon to save baggage fees.
I will always be grateful to have traveled a lot before everyone had smartphones and Wifi was everywhere. The deep connections with other travelers and locals. The excitement of not knowing much about a place before you got there, walking around and just discovering places, people not having their hand in a phone but in the moment walking around.. It was magical. I no longer feel that magic when traveling.
I spent a year as an exchange student in Finland not far from Turku....Paimio was the town I stayed in. Visited Turku many times! Keep up the great work you do ❤️
The last 25 years most of my travels has been to USA. What has changed for me is that in the last 10 years I've tried to avoid touristy places for more rural areas with much less or no tourists.
The only way you're gonna find "hidden gems" nowadays is largely by going to countries that are a bit rough around the edges and/or harder to get into.
Unfortunately, in Canada, airfare is prohibitive with few airlines - air travel is not deregulated as in other places. For example, travel between Vancouver and Toronto is about the same as a ticket to Europe.
Domestic travel is insanely expensive in Canada. That’s why it’s not uncommon to meet Canadians who have been to 30+ countries but never to another province in the country
I’ve been traveling since the 70’s , cheap airlines and Airbnb have ruined travel 😢. People are actually going into debt just to see the latest and greatest Instagram destinations
I've flown with Ryanair to Krakow in Poland from Liverpool with my Mum before now and came back into Liverpool with Easyjet. I've also flown with easyJet from Manchester 🙂
It’s even changed massively in the last FIVE years!! We did a weekend to Lisbon with the kids about 5-6 years ago and it was a fun, chilled weekend. Inexpensive (and we used a hotel) and not overly crowded. It’s COMPLETELY the opposite now! And probably a place to avoid.
Fantastic video, Professor! As one who works in travel, #2 is such a prevalent one. Especially the more “purposed” travel with Northern Lights or Safaris for example. You will find groups of safari vans at one spot searching for game. I look forward to reflecting on this in 20 years myself. Hope my pictures turn out as awesome as yours did!!
Thank you Mark, for covering so many of the pros and cons of travel both past and present. Glad I was able to visit (as a teenager) Naples, Athens, Istanbul and Venice in the late 1960s - I was part of a school group on a Mediterranean cruise. It is great to travel and learn about cities and their people but don't think I'd cope well with the crowds that are visiting these days. Appreciate your insights on world travel, especially the "loves and hates" content. Looking forward to your next video.
Mark says there is so much more information about your destination available: all the information in the world doesn't offset the decrease in quality, delays, crouds and general negatives.
There were a few low cost airlines in 1980. Our first overseas trip was on Laker Airways from New York to Gatwick. No reservations were possible. Show up at the ticket counter when the next day's flight went on sale. Something called People Express operated in the Northeast U.S.; I took it between Buffalo and Newark (but not LaGuardia) for $19 or $29. International travel meant stocking up on maps and brochures at the various countries' tourism bureaus in New York. Getting off the train in a city, you would go to the local tourism office to find a B&B or hotel. We also carried American Express travelers cheques, which enabled us to receive mail at AmEx offices throughout Europe. The internet provides so much information in advance, and enables you to book transportation and accommodations, showing places on Google Street View, etc., but it does take away the mystique and surprises about new places.
Wish we had crossed path during my 40 years of flying for a legeacy carrier on how travel (and airlines) have changed. If you get up to Naperville.....I enjoy your work and efforts. So glad you have covered "overtourism" and the dark side instead of the usual 'rah-rah' other content creaters do. Keep up the good work Mark.
THIS! Used to be you could find true "hidden gems" either by accident along the way, or with real effort. Now, (no) thanks to the Internet, those gems have all been "unhidden" by articles, videos, and (especially) social media. I love your videos, Mark, but you get my point.
25 years ago, mostly business people were flying. Now, it's mostly tourists and kids, especially on class excursions. When I was in middle school, the furthest we went on class trips was to the theater or for a hike, but now middle schoolers travel to the other side of the world for their class excursions: Paris, NYC, etc.
I can not say that flights became cheaper in general. Back in 1994 I paid about 1000 German Marks, wich is about $500 for a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to San Francisco, USA. Back in the day traveling offered more adventure, sometimes. You were less prepared, it was more exciting and full of new and unique experiences.
I first came to Spain in 1986 - almost no English spoken, 90%of British tourist stuck to the coast. In 1987 I travelled to Salamanca via Madrid and I think I was the first Brit my pension family in Madrid had ever met. They were so nice. As you said their are pros and cons for the changes over the last 30 / 40 years although I do get irritated by people who try to speak to me in bad English when my Spanish is more than ok
I was in Spain one summer exchange in 1970 and no one spoke any English. A few spoke French as tourism on the Alicante coast. Still under Franco and very safe and primitive in small towns. Wine was a cheap as coke or bottled water. They loved Americans. I have been back 40 years later and not the quaint laid back life there any more.
Everything you said is true. In China a few years ago, I was surprised by how many could speak at least a little English. Yes there are more tourist and more crowded places, however as Rick Steves says, travel opens your mind and challenges your perception of the world and other people. After living abroad for most of my life, I have a much different perspective of my homeland.
I really appreciate your channel. It's always great information and you deliver it with heart. Thanks for making all our vacations better and inspiring the exploration bug! 🙏
For us, people from former USSR, it is unbelievable change. We used to be behind the Iron Curtain, in Warsaw Pact, under the Communist Party and KGB rule. Now we are in NATO and EU, and we can freely travel, work, study anywhere we want. Unbelievable.
I want to travel back in time and have enough money to go to all the big places before they were overrun with so many tourists. My goodness hyper hyper hyper enthusiasm...WOW!!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!
One important thing that improved about travel in 90s is that there are no more smoking zones on planes and trains 🚭 At least in the countries I've been to. That used to be so disgusting 🤢
I started solo travelling in the early nineteen eighties. Have a lot of stories, but what is most different is of course communication. I was studying Arabic in Amman (1989 to 1991), Jordan. When I wanted to phone my parents people nowadays would call it a project. First I had to walk from my flat to the shared taxi station (around 1½km). Then take the shared taxi to the town centre. Then walk around a little kilometre to the main post office. Then waiting in a queue. Then telling the employee the number I want to call. Three minutes for five Jordanian Dinar, incredible around may be 10€ or 12$ in todays money (and for one Dinar I could have half a chicken with salad and a Pepsi). The waiting - depending of how many people were there - 10min to 30min until my call was ready. And then the way home again. You had to be patient that time.
Mark, I feel like I have met you before! Did you go to a Sandals resort in September/Oct 2003? I spoke there with a guy who was a real foodie and he sounded and looked a lot like you. I have a really good memory for faces!
IMO traveling has gone downhill since the 2000s. Rise of cameraphones blocking views and people posing everywhere. And lack of interactions. On trains, in hotels or just sitting in restaurants folks were just more friendly and made conversation. With smartphones-everyone is looking down instead of looking around and interacting with each other. Lucky I was able to travel back then.
I was just in Iceland and the amount of overtourism there is sad to see... (yes I know its ironic coming from a tourist) I can't imagine places like Italy or Japan which are being bombarded by tourists...
Great video Mark. Tech really has made things easier. In fall 2021, I researched and booked an entire trip to Northern Italy (airfare, schefule, lodging, trains) in a few hours only 3 weeks before travel. Of course, that was coming out of the pandemic, so only 3 weeks ahead would not work well now.
I love traveling to Europe but hate the crowds. I think the new trend may be trying to find the off season places. I'm considering visiting places in the winter because there are less crowds but also a completely different scene when there's snow.
I live in Scandinavia, but am from Spain and attempt to snowbird as much as possible (no kids). Folk I know still ask about my summer vacations despite me usually saying that I take them offseason. This year is an autumn SE Asia trip which gives me 5 weeks of extra warm weather. Aside of that, Summer in Spain (and most of the beloved Europe) is HOT. Add the crowds, and things being expensive due to high season. Climate change also makes the shoulder season much more mild. Used to travel to Asia as a kid in the late 90s-00s. Proportionally it seems, discussing low cost, that 2012-19 was the best for long haul low cost and nowadays those 500€ round trip fares EU-Asia are long gone. Within Europe it's the low cost, but as of summer '24, it seems the LLCs (Ryanair) are seeing decreased profits so might be forced to lower pricing. Of course, 2022-24 is marked by inflation and 202-21 by COVID. I still did travel, just back home, during the Pandemic and looking back to it it was eerie with the liminal emptiness of travel infrastructure.
In the 90s people were very fashionable when travelling - especially on cruises. Nowadays, people dress on cruises as if they're going to the grocery store.
The phone cards for international calls. My parents used it all the time to call family in Italy 😂. Security is also a huge change. Before 2001 I feel that air travel was much more relaxed. But maybe I'm just being nostalgic.
There's been a leveling. Back in the day (pre-2000) international travel was challenging. Travel infrastructures were archaic and there was wild variation in accomodations, sanitation, transportation systems, etc. For information you relied on a "Let's Go" guidebook. But with all that effort came higher highs. The joy of discovering places and people rarely visited. The sense of being a traveler, not a tourist. Everything is easier today, but in exchange, much of the adventure has been lost.
For me the biggest game changer has been the smartphone. Most wouldn't even consider going on a trip today without one. Having everything (gps/camera/mail/phone/entertainment) in one compact device is remarkable, and is a huge enabler of travel.
But also inhibitor as before people interacted with each other and strangers. Now everyone just does selfies and moves on looking down at their phones.
True !!! Every aspect you brought up is amazing ! When you remember that to call someone overseas, you had to go to a telefone booth … your getting old ! 😂😂 Take care !
I totally relate to the “hidden gems” point you made. It feels like because of tourism and travel content vibrant cities have become solely reliant on the tourist season and as a result have become very globalized. For example places like Hallstatt and Rothenburg used to be actual stunning places filled with mainly local travelers and filled with local-run accommodation but because of the democratization of travel they just cater to the masses and the charm is lost. I still try to experience local culture by renting a car and stopping in random towns and villages.
I'm going to need teleportation to come to fruition. I was just talking with someone from Ohio going to NYC for the first and overwhelmed because she didn't know about Google maps and making lists. I explained how to do it and how it gives transportation options so now she can group things and not crisscross the city. We were saying how back in the day, you'd have to grab a paper map and circle and highlight everything. Thank God for tech!
I remember when flights had smoking sections, and at the beginning of the flight they'd announce which movie would be playing on projectors throughout the cabin. Onward and upward!
Your last point, that you have to have a mobile phone, rings more true with every passing. year. I still don't have a mobile phone, but have travelled to every country in Europe the past ten years, and I've seen things getting more and more reliant upon it. Especially after covid. I still manage without it, but it gets more difficult with each trip.
I don't think tourists are worse then once upon a time . I think all of humanity is worse or different anyway. A lot is your attitude. Maybe make a video how travel has changed for the better.
90s mark wolters had surfer dude vibes
I wonder what rock band he played in. =)
he could have been on a magazine cover back in the day
😂
For us Eastern-Europeans, a big change in the last 25 years is the EU enlargement and the Schengen zone. Before you had to wait at embassies and apply for visas to visit most of Europe, now you just need your ID card.
Right. And the average family couldn't even dream about it. Even before that, in the socialist era, literally only a few were allowed to go outside of the border, with limited destinations, money and time. I'm 33 and the first time I was abroad was in the middle 2000's. I flew the first time at age 25. No chance before. I still have family members who haven't been abroad, ever (I'm Hungarian).
@@ingi2785 Indeed, apart from waiting at foreign embassies, hoping to get visas, you had to get the permission from your own government. Foreign currency was not available as well.😕
@@asvtravellingtheworldYou are talking like of 40 yrs ago, not 25. 25 years back, people could travel freely, but the borders were still there, as Schengen area was much smaller. We would travel by bus, as both planes and trains were crazy expensive. Very few people in the East had a normal Visa or Mastercard, so we would have cash on us. A lot of different notes and coins, as there was no Euro yet. And while some people already had mobile phones (GSM was already there), the roaming prices were astronomical. You would not want to even answer the phone, yet alone call from it…
I remember the airlines being friendlier pre 9-11 and bags flying free.
The whole airport experience declined after 9-11, at least in the US.
@@badczech6681thank the TSA for that they basically treat everyone like terrorists until proven otherwise
The biggest change from the '90s is that we now have Wolters World.
I remember walking into AAA to have them plan my trip on paper and then getting Traveler’s Checks.
same here :)
Ahh the memories. I'll never forget traveling in 2006 going to internet cafes, using MCI calling cards with 20+ digits to enter, asking every hotel front-desk person for a city map, and exchanging dollars for all the different European currencies.
@@derronstravels21 didn't the switch to the Euro happen in 1999?
@@blakemorris2328 Correct.
@@derronstravels21did each country using euro’s have their own version of euros?
@@louisn1368 Don't think so
@@blakemorris2328 inconvenient truth haha!
Mark with hair is a 90s icon that we never had
My first flight 52 years ago was so different from now. Near no women other than the flight crew, no children, and men generally wore javkets and ties! Times have changed.
I remember as child choking on the cigarette smoke
@@NoSugarThanksme too lol but I was young and smokers for me were at the most southern end of the plane (as if smoke doesn’t travel)
I had a man in the seat next to me smoke a pipe non-stop across the Atlantic in 1977. I never wanted fly again after that, but I did once smoking was banned. Now I manage to get a screaming baby behind every flight, even when I paid thousands for a first class pod, someone put a screaming baby in the pod behind me.
European here. I hit the road for the first time in 1987, with our famous "Interrail" ticket. In those days, Interrail meant that you could travel for free on the railways of all participating countries. It still exist, but it is no longer valid for all trains.
The biggest difference to travel definitely came with the Internet. In the old days, you really went away from your family and friends when you went on a foreign trip. I remember that I would call my parents from overpriced public telephone booths, about twice a month, just to tell them that I was okay... Another thing from pre-Internet times: We didn't book anything in advance, but since nobody did, you could normally just pop in at a hostel, even in popular tourist destinations, and get a bed or a room for the night.
Cheap air fares are obviously also something which has changed a lot. Even in the mid-1990s, I would first check the availability of night trains or coaches rather than flights if I wanted to travel between European cities.
I hit the road in 1970 and travelled round the world without prebooking a thing - those days are over!
Of course one of the biggest differences has been the internet, which made travel much cheaper by reducing “friction” in the travel industry. 25-30 years ago, arranging travel usually involved travel agents and other middlemen. Nowadays it’s mostly DIY with travel applications/sites electronically connecting travelers and travel providers or travelers interacting directly with service providers over the internet.
@@MaxPower-11 Yes, those travel agents knew all the cryptic commands to enter into their SABRE computer systems.
Having so much technology while traveling is handy but you do miss out on some of the quirky and fun aspects of travel. Like getting lost in a new city and finding places by chance. Navigating with a paper map. Learning basic travel phrases from a book or a cassette/CD. Learning about a destination from a travel book. There's something special about these things that is missing from all the tiktok and Instagram travel posts. The younger generation will miss out on these experiences.
Excellent point! I remember always arriving in a place and having to acquire a map somewhere. One of the best places I ever found while traveling was a great scenic overlook of Portland, Oregon because I made a wrong turn driving.
I love how you showed both the positive and negatives that have happened with travel in the past 30 years. I travelled out to Spain from. The United States before the shoe incident in which someone attempted to put a bomb in a shoe, I remember keeping your shoes on and being able to travel with a big old water bottle filled with water. Times have changed
I was backpacking in Europe around 2000 you could go to the louvre, coliseum, rijks museum by just waiting in line. Now it’s hours long or sold out you have to get tickets ahead of time.
Some things are better now but I like the times when you could go with no itinerary and just see what you want without the crowds.
Both 9-11 and Covid have had a big impact on my travels
Why? Did the 1988 Pan Am Lockerbie bombing and the 2003 SARS outbreak affect your 1990s and 2000s travels at all? Don’t be hysterical.
Lockerbie plane almost hit me while I was driving.
@@duffman9 As it turned out, the Americans and the British finally avenged the Pan Am bombing 23 years later. People have long memories. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧
The ease of access to your bank, and Google maps have been the two biggest changes to me.
and Google Translate!
Google maps not only shows you where restaurants are, but also gives you reviews and most importantly, prices, so there is no excuse for over paying in the touristy areas.
Things have changed way-beyond recognition in my life time, but then I am a grumpy old man, but have been lucky to have been travelling all my life because, first of all my fathers job and then my job. I am now home in England to stay as it's no longer fun to travel as planes are more cramped, fellow travellers often have little or no respect for staff on the journey of the locals where they are visiting. A few trips in and around Europe cannot be ruled out.
Yep. Air rage was never a thing before the internet. Now everyone has an attitude on the plane.
I remember when travelers used to dress up in nice clothing when flying 😂 Being on an airplane was an event! Also still so hard to believe but people used to be allowed to smoke on airplanes. My first flight was from Boston to Orlando and I swear almost half the folks on the plane were smoking!
Security at airports and other public places is much stricter these days than in the past, I believe.
Great video! Kiitoksia paljon.
Brother I hear you, I can’t believe saying “30 years ago” now puts us the 90’s! I feel old.
The great thing about traveling is that it shows you how people are pretty much the same wherever you go, the only real difference is geography and how they adapt to it.
Hey Teach! Good to see that Wolters World is still kicking!
What a wonderful life, seeing such amazing places from all over the world. Great achievement; and kudos to you and Jocelyn for sharing your knowledge with all of us 🌟👌✨
So true. I remember when Mapquest was the only thing that can give you turn by turn directions. Before that it was just gas station maps. Don't get me wrong, we still have to use them once in a blue moon for places that have no GPS service like out in pockets of western US or the east like the Appalachian mountains. Otherwise, I don't know how I got along without GPS.
Yes, I learned my lesson to not go without a paper map driving through New Mexico, USA!
OMG, Mark, I had a visceral flashback to shoving a plastic card into a slot on a payphone on the roadside somewhere in Ireland. We can't afford to travel as much as we would like but we definitely prioritize it, and as you said I love all of the resources we have available to us. We spend more time researching and planning a trip then we do on the ground and we love it. It's harder to find places with no tourists for sure, but it's super exciting to connect with local people in little ways and see that our curious hearts are rewarded when we are genuinely interested in their places and their lives.
I am 65 and was fortunate enough to travel with the airlines starting as a kid. I often think how funny it would be if I could go to the airport now with my mother who passed away decades ago. I remember her going on a week long trip with eight pieces of luggage minimum. Taking your shoes off for security would shock her. My Dad had the bar/cocktail luggage that had a shaker and bar tools and fasteners to hold quart bottles of vodka and martini glasses. When I was in college I remember sitting in the smoking section of the plane and you could ring the call button for a cocktail. I am grateful tickets are affordable now, I don't have the budget my parents did. It is like a bus on wings now. In fact the tourist busses in Europe have seats far more comfortable than most airplanes.
I love how you keep making such interesting and relevant content, thank you so much!
The other negatives of more travel: trash and pollution.
absolutely
The point you made about absolutely needing a smartphone to travel nowadays, I agree with in part but it's a double-edged sword.
It can lead to analysis paralysis because you're constantly checking videos, blogs, Google reviews and it just takes out the mystery of discovering that new restaurant, a lesser known museum, etc.
Another thing "ruined" by technology is that before you even get to your destination you look up pictures, videos, etc. online but then when you get there it already took some of the magic away because you've already seen hundreds of pictures/videos of it at home. The worst example is those VR-tours more and more museums are offering, which I understand decreases the masses of people visiting, but again takes away the magic of actually seeing it in person.
Looking at those pictures,videos, etc. also builds up a lot of expectations and then when you're actually at, say, the tower of Pisa, you're slightly disappointed because the pictures/videos you saw were (heavily) filtered and you feel "catfished".😂
I agree with your comments, I have been travelling for decades and it so much more exciting when you have no idea what will be at the end of the journey. Sometimes mind blowingly brilliant, other times not so great.
I agree, but I think the Tower of Pisa is kind of disappointing regardless.
@@louisrios5546 One of the things I try to do is to find something memorably good about the disapointing places I've visited. It could be a great cup of coffee/friendliness of people! Some are so dire they make a good story though.
It also ruined personal interactions. I remember getting lost in London years ago and having a lovely old man in an antiques shop close his shop and walk me to the nearest Underground station. I doubt that would happen now.
@@MsTimelady71 The kindness of strangers is also what I miss in travelling abroad. Tourists are now seen as either a source of income or at worst destroyers of the housing market and community.
Mark, I can't imagine planning international travel without your videos. Thanks!!! Hope to see you somewhere 👍
One change that's happened more recently but tends to get taken for granted is the emphasis on traveling carry-on only. I definitely understand the appeal of packing lighter while also avoiding luggage fees, but it's funny to think that even a decade ago, I never saw people fighting for space in the overhead bins.
Wishing I would check a bag but after multiple baggage delays sometimes for a whole trip of almost two weeks I avoid checking my bag unless I would be forced to. AND this was more than two decades ago. So not all of us are carryon to save baggage fees.
I will always be grateful to have traveled a lot before everyone had smartphones and Wifi was everywhere. The deep connections with other travelers and locals. The excitement of not knowing much about a place before you got there, walking around and just discovering places, people not having their hand in a phone but in the moment walking around.. It was magical. I no longer feel that magic when traveling.
I spent a year as an exchange student in Finland not far from Turku....Paimio was the town I stayed in. Visited Turku many times! Keep up the great work you do ❤️
The last 25 years most of my travels has been to USA. What has changed for me is that in the last 10 years I've tried to avoid touristy places for more rural areas with much less or no tourists.
Great video as always, Mark!
oh man i still fondly remember those days of before budget travel and over tourism. places just seemed more exotic back then
The only way you're gonna find "hidden gems" nowadays is largely by going to countries that are a bit rough around the edges and/or harder to get into.
Unfortunately, in Canada, airfare is prohibitive with few airlines - air travel is not deregulated as in other places. For example, travel between Vancouver and Toronto is about the same as a ticket to Europe.
It's also about the same distance as flying from Toronto to Europe, so it makes sense to me
Domestic travel is insanely expensive in Canada. That’s why it’s not uncommon to meet Canadians who have been to 30+ countries but never to another province in the country
First up from Norwich, UK. Thanks for helpful summary!👍🏻👍🏻
It's less fun, somehow. Less of an adventure or a journey. 20 years ago, going to places like Bydgoszcz in Poland was really something. :)
The concept of travel is much better than the actual travel.
That’s true with most things in life
I remember who my mom’s college roommate went to Denmark for the weekend in the 70s. That was a huge flex.
I’ve been traveling since the 70’s , cheap airlines and Airbnb have ruined travel 😢. People are actually going into debt just to see the latest and greatest Instagram destinations
I've flown with Ryanair to Krakow in Poland from Liverpool with my Mum before now and came back into Liverpool with Easyjet. I've also flown with easyJet from Manchester 🙂
It’s even changed massively in the last FIVE years!! We did a weekend to Lisbon with the kids about 5-6 years ago and it was a fun, chilled weekend. Inexpensive (and we used a hotel) and not overly crowded. It’s COMPLETELY the opposite now! And probably a place to avoid.
Your videos inspired me to start traveling the world… especially as I got ready to study abroad in Spain in 2019!
Fantastic video, Professor! As one who works in travel, #2 is such a prevalent one. Especially the more “purposed” travel with Northern Lights or Safaris for example. You will find groups of safari vans at one spot searching for game.
I look forward to reflecting on this in 20 years myself. Hope my pictures turn out as awesome as yours did!!
Thank you Mark, for covering so many of the pros and cons of travel both past and present.
Glad I was able to visit (as a teenager) Naples, Athens, Istanbul and Venice in the late 1960s - I was part of a school group on a Mediterranean cruise.
It is great to travel and learn about cities and their people but don't think I'd cope well with the crowds that are visiting these days.
Appreciate your insights on world travel, especially the "loves and hates" content.
Looking forward to your next video.
Mark says there is so much more information about your destination available: all the information in the world doesn't offset the decrease in quality, delays, crouds and general negatives.
Airline sales used to require a Saturday night stay.
There were a few low cost airlines in 1980. Our first overseas trip was on Laker Airways from New York to Gatwick. No reservations were possible. Show up at the ticket counter when the next day's flight went on sale. Something called People Express operated in the Northeast U.S.; I took it between Buffalo and Newark (but not LaGuardia) for $19 or $29.
International travel meant stocking up on maps and brochures at the various countries' tourism bureaus in New York. Getting off the train in a city, you would go to the local tourism office to find a B&B or hotel. We also carried American Express travelers cheques, which enabled us to receive mail at AmEx offices throughout Europe.
The internet provides so much information in advance, and enables you to book transportation and accommodations, showing places on Google Street View, etc., but it does take away the mystique and surprises about new places.
I legit don't know how I used to travel 15 years ago... Smart phones, unlimited data and wifi changed the game!
Good to see you made it to Sydney Australia. Would love to hear your thoughts on the land Down Under.
Wish we had crossed path during my 40 years of flying for a legeacy carrier on how travel (and airlines) have changed. If you get up to Naperville.....I enjoy your work and efforts. So glad you have covered "overtourism" and the dark side instead of the usual 'rah-rah' other content creaters do. Keep up the good work Mark.
Go to that unique place where no one else goes: home.
Sounds like a plan 😀
THIS! Used to be you could find true "hidden gems" either by accident along the way, or with real effort. Now, (no) thanks to the Internet, those gems have all been "unhidden" by articles, videos, and (especially) social media. I love your videos, Mark, but you get my point.
25 years ago, mostly business people were flying. Now, it's mostly tourists and kids, especially on class excursions. When I was in middle school, the furthest we went on class trips was to the theater or for a hike, but now middle schoolers travel to the other side of the world for their class excursions: Paris, NYC, etc.
I can not say that flights became cheaper in general. Back in 1994 I paid about 1000 German Marks, wich is about $500 for a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to San Francisco, USA. Back in the day traveling offered more adventure, sometimes. You were less prepared, it was more exciting and full of new and unique experiences.
In the 90s, I was one of probably 2 foreigners on the subway in Sapporo, Japan. Learning Japanese was a must in Hokkaido!
I first came to Spain in 1986 - almost no English spoken, 90%of British tourist stuck to the coast. In 1987 I travelled to Salamanca via Madrid and I think I was the first Brit my pension family in Madrid had ever met. They were so nice. As you said their are pros and cons for the changes over the last 30 / 40 years although I do get irritated by people who try to speak to me in bad English when my Spanish is more than ok
I was in Spain one summer exchange in 1970 and no one spoke any English. A few spoke French as tourism on the Alicante coast. Still under Franco and very safe and primitive in small towns. Wine was a cheap as coke or bottled water. They loved Americans. I have been back 40 years later and not the quaint laid back life there any more.
Very impressive analysis of how travel has evolved to where we are today. Excellent!
Everything you said is true. In China a few years ago, I was surprised by how many could speak at least a little English. Yes there are more tourist and more crowded places, however as Rick Steves says, travel opens your mind and challenges your perception of the world and other people. After living abroad for most of my life, I have a much different perspective of my homeland.
I really appreciate your channel. It's always great information and you deliver it with heart. Thanks for making all our vacations better and inspiring the exploration bug! 🙏
Always love the vids!
What about TSA? I remember traveling as a kid in the 80s and 90s with no tsa or security at the airports
I find hidden gems everywhere I travel, when I ask locals about their lives and families.
I’m Canadian and we don’t get cheap flights like that, they are cheaper than they used to be but still very expensive for anything international
For us, people from former USSR, it is unbelievable change. We used to be behind the Iron Curtain, in Warsaw Pact, under the Communist Party and KGB rule. Now we are in NATO and EU, and we can freely travel, work, study anywhere we want. Unbelievable.
Having to book at some museums is a change. Great for cultural travel for visiting places thoughtfully. The world has changed,,,
I want to travel back in time and have enough money to go to all the big places before they were overrun with so many tourists. My goodness hyper hyper hyper enthusiasm...WOW!!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!
Mark, I too have seen much change in travel since the time I went on a school trip to Paris in 1975. Just imagine the changes in the next 50 yrs.
One important thing that improved about travel in 90s is that there are no more smoking zones on planes and trains 🚭 At least in the countries I've been to. That used to be so disgusting 🤢
Learned how to make croissants and pain au chocolate in Paris❤❤
I started solo travelling in the early nineteen eighties. Have a lot of stories, but what is most different is of course communication.
I was studying Arabic in Amman (1989 to 1991), Jordan. When I wanted to phone my parents people nowadays would call it a project.
First I had to walk from my flat to the shared taxi station (around 1½km). Then take the shared taxi to the town centre. Then walk around a little kilometre to the main post office. Then waiting in a queue. Then telling the employee the number I want to call. Three minutes for five Jordanian Dinar, incredible around may be 10€ or 12$ in todays money (and for one Dinar I could have half a chicken with salad and a Pepsi).
The waiting - depending of how many people were there - 10min to 30min until my call was ready. And then the way home again. You had to be patient that time.
I miss my local telephone box ☹️
Mark, I feel like I have met you before! Did you go to a Sandals resort in September/Oct 2003?
I spoke there with a guy who was a real foodie and he sounded and looked a lot like you. I have a really good memory for faces!
IMO traveling has gone downhill since the 2000s. Rise of cameraphones blocking views and people posing everywhere. And lack of interactions. On trains, in hotels or just sitting in restaurants folks were just more friendly and made conversation. With smartphones-everyone is looking down instead of looking around and interacting with each other. Lucky I was able to travel back then.
I was just in Iceland and the amount of overtourism there is sad to see... (yes I know its ironic coming from a tourist) I can't imagine places like Italy or Japan which are being bombarded by tourists...
Hey Mark! Love your videos. When’s the next time you’re coming to Northeast Ohio?
Great video Mark. Tech really has made things easier. In fall 2021, I researched and booked an entire trip to Northern Italy (airfare, schefule, lodging, trains) in a few hours only 3 weeks before travel. Of course, that was coming out of the pandemic, so only 3 weeks ahead would not work well now.
I love traveling to Europe but hate the crowds. I think the new trend may be trying to find the off season places. I'm considering visiting places in the winter because there are less crowds but also a completely different scene when there's snow.
I live in Scandinavia, but am from Spain and attempt to snowbird as much as possible (no kids). Folk I know still ask about my summer vacations despite me usually saying that I take them offseason. This year is an autumn SE Asia trip which gives me 5 weeks of extra warm weather.
Aside of that, Summer in Spain (and most of the beloved Europe) is HOT. Add the crowds, and things being expensive due to high season. Climate change also makes the shoulder season much more mild.
Used to travel to Asia as a kid in the late 90s-00s. Proportionally it seems, discussing low cost, that 2012-19 was the best for long haul low cost and nowadays those 500€ round trip fares EU-Asia are long gone. Within Europe it's the low cost, but as of summer '24, it seems the LLCs (Ryanair) are seeing decreased profits so might be forced to lower pricing. Of course, 2022-24 is marked by inflation and 202-21 by COVID. I still did travel, just back home, during the Pandemic and looking back to it it was eerie with the liminal emptiness of travel infrastructure.
Over crowding is a big problem. Airbnb is also at fault
In the 90s people were very fashionable when travelling - especially on cruises. Nowadays, people dress on cruises as if they're going to the grocery store.
The phone cards for international calls. My parents used it all the time to call family in Italy 😂.
Security is also a huge change. Before 2001 I feel that air travel was much more relaxed. But maybe I'm just being nostalgic.
The food just keeps getting better
There's been a leveling. Back in the day (pre-2000) international travel was challenging. Travel infrastructures were archaic and there was wild variation in accomodations, sanitation, transportation systems, etc. For information you relied on a "Let's Go" guidebook. But with all that effort came higher highs. The joy of discovering places and people rarely visited. The sense of being a traveler, not a tourist. Everything is easier today, but in exchange, much of the adventure has been lost.
It's not the stress level of being in cramped tourist spots ... let's be real, people/society is more vitriolic in general these days.
For me the biggest game changer has been the smartphone. Most wouldn't even consider going on a trip today without one. Having everything (gps/camera/mail/phone/entertainment) in one compact device is remarkable, and is a huge enabler of travel.
But also inhibitor as before people interacted with each other and strangers. Now everyone just does selfies and moves on looking down at their phones.
“Bus with wings” or you could say… AirBus
Thank you for all of your work!
I recall being stationed in W.Germany in the mid eighties putting 15-20 Deutsche Marks in the pay phone just to call home.
True !!! Every aspect you brought up is amazing ! When you remember that to call someone overseas, you had to go to a telefone booth … your getting old ! 😂😂 Take care !
I was an exchange student in Tübingen, Germany for 1992-1993 academic year. Fun times.
I totally relate to the “hidden gems” point you made. It feels like because of tourism and travel content vibrant cities have become solely reliant on the tourist season and as a result have become very globalized. For example places like Hallstatt and Rothenburg used to be actual stunning places filled with mainly local travelers and filled with local-run accommodation but because of the democratization of travel they just cater to the masses and the charm is lost. I still try to experience local culture by renting a car and stopping in random towns and villages.
I'm going to need teleportation to come to fruition.
I was just talking with someone from Ohio going to NYC for the first and overwhelmed because she didn't know about Google maps and making lists. I explained how to do it and how it gives transportation options so now she can group things and not crisscross the city. We were saying how back in the day, you'd have to grab a paper map and circle and highlight everything. Thank God for tech!
I remember when flights had smoking sections, and at the beginning of the flight they'd announce which movie would be playing on projectors throughout the cabin. Onward and upward!
One thing i've noticed is the homogenization of people and cultures as technology has evolved. Everywhere you go everybody is looking at their phone.
I remember going to Europe in the 70s..we dressed up
Your last point, that you have to have a mobile phone, rings more true with every passing. year. I still don't have a mobile phone, but have travelled to every country in Europe the past ten years, and I've seen things getting more and more reliant upon it. Especially after covid. I still manage without it, but it gets more difficult with each trip.
I don't think tourists are worse then once upon a time . I think all of humanity is worse or different anyway. A lot is your attitude. Maybe make a video how travel has changed for the better.
No time like now. Also the tourist infrastructure is so much better in so many places now
Needing to be able to read a map.
I set next to my mom in a car reading the map to figure our if we were going the right way.