How Travel has Changed

Mark & Jenn on the Great Wall of China, Jan. 2001

We both graduated high school in the second half of the 1980s.

While many of our peers did travel regularly, most of that travel included trips to the beach during the summer, with an occasional study abroad trip to England or France. Jennifer took one of those during high school, but Mark waited until College and took a rather unusual study abroad trip through what was then still the Soviet Union, Mongolia, China, and Hong Kong (then still a territory of Great Britian).

The photo above is from a trip we made back to China in 2001. The photos below were taken in Mongolia during June of 1987.

View from a train traveling through Mongolia, June, 1987

Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, June 1987

One of the biggest changes since 1987 is access. This afternoon as an experiment, we checked Orbitz for airfares from Raleigh-Durham International to Ulaan Baatar. We expected to see nothing. We got a flight on Air China that anyone could book online.

Another difference today is price.

Mark’s entire trip around the world in 1987 was well under $5,000. Today, a flight to Mongolia was around $2,500 on Orbitz (please talk to a travel advisor before even considering booking a flight to Mongolia!).

Yes, travel today is more accessible than it has even been. But, is it a better experience?

Not always.

We know so many folks who go away only to need another vacation to recover from the vacation that they just took. With every destination at our fingertips it is so easy to try and see and do everything wherever we go.

Resist the urge. Relax. Slow down. Search for, and find, leisure.

You’ll be glad you did.

Southern Girl Travel, LLC is a full-service travel agency that is part of the Travel Quest network. We bring you all the resources of a multi-billion dollar group of travel professionals while giving you the attention that only a family business can.

Our goal is to help you relax and get back in touch with leisure.

Our site, southerngirltravel.com, is designed to be a resource for those planning that relaxing getaway. So, please read all you can and don’t hesitate to contact us to book that trip or simply to ask a question or two. We look forward to hearing from you.