Where did people travel to in the 1920s?

1920s Travel: Where Did People Go for Vacations?

When asking where did people travel to in the 1920s, many people sought freedom during the roaring twenties by embarking on road trips or taking luxury trains to major landmarks. Understanding these travel patterns helps reveal how infrastructure improvements and new vehicle accessibility changed leisure habits. Explore the popular destinations and transit methods that defined the history of early tourism.

Where did people travel to in the 1920s?

Travel in the 1920s was defined by a massive shift from elite, slow-paced luxury to a broader, faster kind of mobility for the middle class. While the wealthy still crossed oceans on steamships, regular families were busy packing their Fords for the very first road trips to seaside resorts and national parks, which became prime 1920s travel destinations. There was one specific forbidden destination that became a massive hit due to a single US law - and I will reveal why that changed the travel industry forever in the sections below.

When asking where did people travel to in the 1920s, this rapid growth meant that for the first time, a significant portion of American households had the means to escape the city. ^[2]

The Allure of the Boardwalk and the Nickel Empire

Atlantic City, New Jersey, emerged as one of the most popular vacation spots in the roaring 20s, drawing an estimated 16 million visitors annually in the 1930s. ^[3]

In my experience researching this era, the reality of these beaches was much more chaotic than the polished photos suggest. I initially thought these resorts were serene getaways. They were not. They were loud, crowded, and smelled strongly of saltwater taffy and heavy wool swimwear. The congestion was intense.

If you wanted a spot on the sand at Atlantic City on a July weekend, you had to fight for every square inch. Rarely has a destination been so victimized by its own success. This overcrowding, a notable chapter in the history of tourism 1920s, eventually drove wealthier travelers further south to Florida or across the ocean to the French Riviera, where cities like Nice and Lido Beach were becoming the new standard for the Jazz Age elite.

Dusty Roads and the Rise of Tin Can Tourists

The 1920s witnessed the birth of the Great American Road Trip, led by a group of adventurous campers known as Tin Can Tourists. These travelers packed their Ford Model Ts with tents and stoves, heading south toward Florida or west toward the newly accessible National Parks. In 1924, a brand new Model T cost just 260 dollars,^[4] making car ownership a reality for the average worker. As infrastructure improved, so did the urge to wander. People were no longer tied to train schedules; they were free to stop wherever they could pitch a tent, illustrating how did people travel in the 1920s.

Wait for it - the conditions were brutal for these tin can tourists 1920s. These early road trips were a test of endurance rather than a vacation. Most roads outside of major cities were unpaved, turning into mud pits during rain or clouds of choking dust in the sun. I have spent time looking at journals from these travelers, and the frustration was real. They dealt with flat tires every 50 miles and engines that overheated on the slightest incline. Yet, the sense of freedom was intoxicating.

National Park attendance surged from 1 million visitors in 1920 to over 3 million by 1929. Destinations like Yellowstone and Niagara Falls became household names as families braved the primitive highways to see the natural wonders of the continent.

International Escapism: Paris, London, and the Havana Boom

For those with deeper pockets, the 1920s offered a chance to escape to Europe or the Caribbean, often driven by the desire to flee the restrictions of Prohibition. Paris was the ultimate cultural magnet for the Lost Generation, where travelers visited cafes to catch a glimpse of writers and artists. But remember the forbidden destination I mentioned earlier? That was Havana, Cuba.

Because the US had banned alcohol, Havana became the premier playground for Americans looking for a drink and a good time. Travel to the Caribbean and Mexico skyrocketed as people sought out the tropical lifestyle that was suddenly in fashion.

While the wealthy used luxury steamships, the decade also saw the very beginning of commercial flight. It was incredibly rare and expensive - and terrifying for most.

Only about 6,000 passengers flew on commercial airlines in 1926.^[6] By 1929, that number had grown to 170,000, but it was still a tiny fraction of total travel. Most people still relied on the reliable steamship or the cross-country train. The Fleche d Or (Golden Arrow) train from London to Paris became an icon of this era, proving that while cars were the future, rail still held the crown for style and speed over long distances.

Choosing a Way to Wander in the 1920s

The Family Automobile (Model T)

• Regional trips to lakes, beaches, or auto-camping in National Parks

• High - over 60% of households could afford one by 1929

• Low - open-air cabins, no AC, and constant mechanical failures

Luxury Steamship

• Transatlantic voyages to Paris or London, and Caribbean cruises

• Low - reserved for the upper class and successful professionals

• High - multi-course meals, grand ballrooms, and private cabins

The Passenger Rail

• Cross-country journeys or travel between major urban centers

• Moderate - the standard way for middle-class long-distance travel

• Moderate to High - reliable schedules and sleeper cars for overnight trips

The Miller Family's Dusty Detour: A 1925 Reality Check

Jan Miller, a first-generation immigrant working in Chicago, saved for two years to take his family on a 'modern' road trip to the Wisconsin Dells in 1925. He imagined a smooth drive like the ones in the glossy Ford advertisements.

The reality hit them just 30 miles outside the city. A sudden summer downpour turned the dirt highway into a thick soup of clay. Their Model T got stuck three times, and Jan had to pay a local farmer 2 dollars - a significant sum then - to pull them out with a team of horses.

After two days of shivering in a damp tent and eating canned beans, the family almost turned back. But when the sun finally came out and they reached the cliffs of the Dells, Jan realized the trip wasn't about the destination, but the fact that they could go at all.

The trip took four days for a distance a modern car covers in three hours. However, the boost in Jan's local status as a 'car owner' and the memories of that first lake swim made the 5 flat tires worth every minute of frustration.