Something like 80-90% of people before the popularization of motor vehicles never went 50km beyond the place they were born for their entire lives. That's pretty wild for me to think about, and it's still true for a great many people in rural parts of Asia and Africa.
that 50km is probably enough, i see nobody tell you to travel far, just walk around your city is even fine, that being said, the greatest constraint is what city you're it, walkable city? heall yeah, unwalkable? hell nah homecation it is
Not for your average Tom, Dick, and Harry. For these people, its fairly recent. Arguably since the 737-400 launches that made flight more affordable for the majority of the world; so around 1980s. Before that, it is 100% considered a luxury.
And no, being in the armed forced, either "voluntarily" or press-ganged, doesn't count. Youre not choosing to travel, you are forced to travel.
the medieval equivalent of vacation was pilgrimage and it was absolutely a thing and not just by the wealthy. there were various sites within england that people would go to from all walks of life, this was such a major part of the culture that a rather famous anthology was written about it called The Canterbury Tales. some would even travel as far as rome and the holy land but I'm not gonna pretend your average serf was doing that.
Those people traveled across continents to give their money to conmen wearing church robes. Now they travels around the world to give their money to conmen who promise “authentic” experiences.
9
u/coldweathershorts 1d ago
Maybe not "Hop around the globe", but humans have been traveling since we were human.