The road trip has long been a favorite way to travel
Look Back at the History of Automobile Touring
Ever since people were first able to buy an automobile, they took off to explore roads unknown.
Can you imagine what it must’ve been like touring the USA in a Model-T Ford in the 1900s? Air conditioning wasn’t put in the first autos until the 1960s. Engines were not supercharged for speed so what might take a day or two today, took many more days built into the itinerary rolling along at 40mph.
We’ve come a long way in making technological advancements sustainable for automobile touring
The 1960s saw a lot of Americans take their annual vacation in the family station wagon. Mom, Dad, the kids (and maybe the dog), all eagerly sought to explore the US National Park System. It was an affordable way to get out there and see the land. Camping was a favorite pastime too, as it was easy to haul a trailer attached to the car. In fact, camping in the US National Parks was so popular, the US Forest Service started putting out pamphlets on how to treat this untrodden land. Throw away your trash, don’t feed the bears, and be mindful of your environment. Later this went to become the “Leave No Trace” campaign.
By the 1980s, people were looking at airplane traveling as an alternative to the family car annual vacation. That’s because jet travel was becoming more affordable than before, giving rise to weekend trips in addition to an annual vacation.
Whether cars, trains, or planes, the choices are vast on how a leisure traveler can choose to travel. We now have electric and hybrid vehicles to get us around, saving us the cost of fuel. The problem is that there are not always enough charging stations out on the open highway or in small towns. Still, it’s a viable alternative in a time when we are seeing gasoline prices rise exorbitantly.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have low emissions, and are made using sustainable processes. They are not priced out of reach for the ordinary person, and maintain their quality year after year. Besides automobiles, there are now electric trucks and motorcycles making it an attractive budget-friendly alternative to get around locally.
Will using a personal vehicle remain a favorite way of touring in the future?
Vehicles built with long range batteries allow you to go hundreds of miles on one charge. Will that someday become thousands of miles instead of hundreds? Will vehicles of the future use alternative sustainable fuel similar to jet airplanes switching over?
Where do we go from here?
Some are already using alternative fuel methods and the future looks bright as newer technologies keep paving the way for a sustainable traveling future. Check out Polestar the latest electric vehicle demonstrating they are; “Changing the automotive landscape while keeping the environment a priority.” One day we may even have flying cars.
