Travel was 90s charming and curious, more tolerant. It was a time before smartphones and online maps when travelers got around with guidebooks, postcards, and sheer instinct. What appeared ordinary at the time now feels nostalgic and even a bit shocking today. From paper tickets to disposable cameras, these 15 travel habits of the ‘90s would certainly turn heads if they were to return from extinction today.
Collecting Paper Tickets
Before check ins went digital, there was something tactile about holding a paper ticket. Images were neatly stowed away in folders or wallets by traveling daredevils to be saved as souvenirs of their grand adventure. Every ticket had a memory associated with it, frequently preserved as a keepsake after the journey. Today, when our phones do literally everything else for us, presenting an old school printed boarding pass would seem hilariously sedate and calming in airport lines.
Using Physical Maps
In the 1990s, a giant paper map was half the fun. Travelers traced routes with their fingers, sometimes turning them upside down to avoid getting lost. If you were lost and had to ask someone for directions, that was fine, even entertaining. Now that GPS has done all the work, the least likely person to sum up a crumpled map across themselves in the middle of a city, and you would expect people to stop and smile.
Sending Postcards Home
Postcards were the Instagram posts of the 90s. Travelers spent time finding the perfect one, writing short heartfelt notes, and mailing them to friends. Each card took days to arrive, but carried real emotion. In today’s instant messaging world, sending a handwritten postcard would feel thoughtful, rare, and charmingly personal, a little slower but a lot more meaningful.
Carrying Big Guidebooks
Every serious traveler in the 90s packed a heavy Lonely Planet or Frommer’s guide. The pages were filled with tips, addresses, and small pencil marked maps. They gave travelers comfort before the internet existed in pockets. Today, pulling out a thick travel guide in a café would draw curious glances and maybe even admiration for the effort.
Using Disposable Cameras
The joy of disposable cameras was in not knowing how photos would turn out. You had to wait days to see them developed, and sometimes half were blurry or dark, but they felt real. Each picture told a story. In an age of filters and endless retakes, clicking just 27 shots on film would feel refreshingly honest and beautifully straightforward.
Wearing Fanny Packs Proudly
In the 90s, fanny packs were the ultimate hands free travel essential. Tourists wore them confidently around the waist, filled with passports, snacks, and cash. They vanished for years but have made a stylish comeback now. What once screamed “tourist” has turned trendy again, mixing nostalgia and practicality with a modern streetwear twist.
Writing in Travel Journals
Before travel blogs and vlogs, people carried notebooks to record their journeys. They wrote about the weather, food, and people they met. Pages often held pressed flowers or ticket stubs. Today, journaling feels like an art of patience. Watching someone write instead of scrolling while sipping coffee abroad would feel calm, deep, and refreshingly mindful.
Booking Through Travel Agents
In the 90s, planning a trip meant visiting a local travel agent. Brochures, phone calls, and printed itineraries made the process exciting. Agents knew secret deals and handled everything with care. Now, booking happens with a few taps, but that personal touch is gone. Visiting an agent today would feel like traveling back in time in the best way.
Wearing Matching Family Outfits
Families who traveled together often wore matching T-shirts, printed with slogans or the dates of their trip. It was part fun, part safety, and all love. Airports and theme parks were awash in colorful family groups posing for pictures. That old school coordination would turn heads today, symbolizing unadulterated togetherness in a culture obsessed with individualism.
Using Traveler’s Cheques
Traveler’s cheques once felt like magic money. Safe and replaceable, they were a trusted way to carry cash abroad. People would proudly sign and exchange them at banks or hotels. Now, in a tap to pay world, pulling out a traveler’s cheque would turn heads for sure, reminding everyone of simpler, slower, yet secure travel days.
Renting Camcorders for Trips
Recording family vacations with a bulky camcorder on the shoulder was a ’90s classic. The grainy footage, shaky zooms, and family commentary felt priceless. Watching those tapes today brings instant smiles. With phones now doing it all, seeing someone film with an old camcorder would look both hilarious and heartwarming.
Wearing Disposable Rain Ponchos
90s travelers swore by crinkly plastic ponchos that fit into tiny pouches. They looked awkward but saved many from sudden rainstorms. Families and tourists would stroll through cities looking like colorful balloons. Today, pulling one out instead of a sleek rain jacket would make anyone laugh, but also smile at its simple practicality.
Rolling Huge Suitcases Without Wheels
Before smooth spinner wheels, travelers had to drag or lift heavy luggage through airports. It was noisy, slow, and sweaty, yet somehow part of the adventure. Those who traveled light were heroes. Now, with ergonomic suitcases everywhere, seeing someone carry an old hard shell trunk would turn heads in surprise and admiration.
Listening to Walkmans on Flights
Nothing felt cooler than slipping on headphones and pressing play on a Walkman during a long flight. Making custom mix tapes for travel was a ritual filled with excitement. You had to choose every song carefully. Today’s playlists are instant, but that slow anticipation is gone. Seeing someone rewind a cassette mid flight would look boldly vintage.
Buying Souvenirs for Everyone
90s travelers loved souvenir shopping. Fridge magnets, keychains, and snow globes filled bags for friends back home. It wasn’t about money; it was about thoughtfulness. Today, people share digital memories instead of trinkets. Buying and wrapping small keepsakes for loved ones would feel sweetly old fashioned, bringing back the warmth of giving after a journey.
