From the Gadling Archives: Travel smarter in 1982

by Mike Barish on

The following post was uncovered while we were researching our Travel Smarter 2012 series. Deep in our archives, we discovered this article, titled “Travel smarter in 1982,” which was published in the spring 1982 edition of “The Illustrated Gadling Quarterly.” We are republishing it here as a reminder that, though a great deal has changed in 30 years, travel is still pretty tubular. We have updated the post to include links and video when appropriate.

Travel Smarter 1982

After last year’s air traffic controllers’ strike, this year can only see improvements in the world of travel (unless, of course, stewardesses decided to start pouring less whiskey in our drinks). While the FAA is still hiring and training new air traffic controllers, Americans are returning to the road, now that gas prices are finally normalizing. And, we’re seeing some bitchin’ technology that will make life away from home more comfortable than ever before. It’s 1982 and time to travel smarter!Air Travel

Flying was a total nightmare last year. Flight schedules were dramatically affected by the air traffic controllers’ strike and the industry is still recovering. That said, there’s no need to avoid flying and it’s still a luxurious way to travel.

How else can you travel the globe in comfort while eating delicious meals and watching some of Hollywood’s brightest stars on shared screens? And, as if air travel wasn’t already convenient enough, we’re hearing rumors that a new company, Airfone Inc., is testing out air-to-ground telephone service that could become available on commercial flights as early as this year! Can you imagine calling your friends and family to tell them that you’re a mile above them? No longer will time on a plane be lost time for your business.

For those of you who aren’t fans of all of those cigarette smokers in the backs of airplanes, Muse Air, the first non-smoking airline in the United States, plans to launch this year after being delayed by last year’s strike. It will only operate in Texas (between Dallas and Houston), but its focus on comfort has us believing that it will soon be a major player in the industry.

Road Trips

With the oil embargo (and its effects on gas prices) behind us, and some people still squeamish about flying because of the strike, America is ready to reignite its love affair with road trips. 1982 should see more Americans hitting the road as gas prices hold steady rather than spiking dramatically, as they have since 1978.

If you’re looking to replace your old gas-guzzler, Chrysler has recently introduced two new “compact cars” that get much better gas mileage than most older models on the road. The Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant are both affordable, fuel-efficient and, of course, sleek. For under $6,000, you and your family can hit the road with money left over for a motel room that has HBO!

Still, with gas prices at over $1 per gallon, people are choosing their road trips wisely. One place that we’re certain will attract visitors is…

Florida

Why will Florida be so popular? Because in 1982, the future is now in the Sunshine State! This year will see the opening of Disney’s EPCOT Center and the third launch of NASA’s new space shuttle program.

EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) is a tourist attraction unlike anything that we’ve ever seen. It’s the 21st century…today!

Guests will be able to enjoy Future World, a look into, well, the future, and the World Showcase, which allows visitors to travel the globe without ever having to leave central Florida! Future World features exhibits such as the Universe of Energy sponsored by Exxon and The Land, brought to you by Kraft. Both attractions look at our environment and how humans, along with massive multinational corporations, keep the planet clean.

The World Showcase features pavilions from nine countries representing such exotic and hard-to-reach locales as Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. One of the nine pavilions is dedicated to the “American Adventure,” which you can experience right here in America! We’re hearing whispers that they will add more countries in the future. Hopefully we’ll be done exploring the Canadian pavilion by then!

Meanwhile, not too far from Orlando, NASA has begun launching their new space shuttles from Kennedy Space Center. Just last year, the Space Shuttle Columbia completed the first two missions of the program. This March, it will launch again with two astronauts on board. Tourists from around the world are expected to converge at Cape Canaveral to watch as the shuttle leaves Earth to explore the great unknown. It’s quite a sight and should be on everyone’s must-see list. It’s your chance to see the beginnings of a space program that could have us colonizing Mars in 20 years!

Technology

One of the advantages of road trips has always been the ability to listen to music along the way. With the radio and cassettes, we have music, news and entertainment everywhere our cars can take us. But what happens when we choose to fly? While in-flight movies can help pass the time, sometimes we just want to listen to our rad tunes. That’s why we’re so excited about the Sony Walkman. The portable cassette player has been around for a few years, but thanks to some competition, the price is finally right for almost any traveler.

You can now find a Walkman for around $25 or $30 and are limited only by the number of cassettes that you want to carry in your luggage. That means that you can afford one for everyone in your family, which should finally put an end to all of that whining from the kids about how bored they are on the plane or in the backseat of the car.

Get going!

There’s a bodacious year of travel ahead of us and hopefully you can take advantage of our tips and suggestions. Head over to your local travel agent, have her find you the best fares and hotels and get out there! Or, load the family into your new car and get down to Florida for a look at the future.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a hot new destination, trust us on this bonus tip: the Falkland Islands are the place to be in 1982!

Top photo of TWA Boeing 767-200 via Flickr user Deanster1983.
Second photo of 1981 Dodge Aries via Flickr user aldenjewell.

The Boca Bind: are we obligated to do travel-y stuff when we travel?

by David Farley on
People don’t walk in Boca Raton. Instead they drive their steel monoliths that pass for automobiles down the wide, palm-lined streets flanked by pink mansions. Or, in one case, they run, evidenced by the shirtless (six-packed) camelback-wearing dude burning off his mojitos from the previous night. And then there’s me: dressed for a New York autumn in a blue button-down shirt, a brown V-neck sweater and blue jeans. I’m walking back from the store to my hotel carrying a six-pack of Red Stripe and a bottle of my favorite mineral water, Aqua di Nepi, which I hadn’t seen since moving back to New York from Italy a few years ago.

I’m also trying to make some sense of this town, a place I dropped into unexpectedly for a few days last week. Here are some things I had just dug up about Boca Raton, Florida: this city of 75,000 is the “spam capital of the world”; it has a long history of being associated with confidence tricks (i.e. the work performed by confidence men or, as they’re commonly referred to, “con men”); and according to some U.S. federal indictments a few years ago, the Gambino family still operates here.

I wasn’t really sure why I was in this seaside, south Floridian town associated with wealthy geriatrics and cyber criminals (and wealthy, geriatric cyber criminals). When I told friends I was going there, I was often asked if I was attending a bat mitzvah. This was an impromptu trip, booked with frequent flier miles, and one in which I had a lot of downtime. Besides the beach, there are not many attractions in Boca. The National Cartoon Museum is supposed to be here. There are a lot of upscale restaurants. And something called the Sports Immortals Museum.

For a while, walking beside me on my way back to the hotel, a novelty: probably the only fat man in the entire town. “It’s nice to see someone else walking these streets,” I said as I passed him.


“Someone’s got to do it,” he said and then laughed.

But do they? I thought. And am I obligated to do something travel-y when I travel? I feel the pressure; I’m a traveler. I’m a travel writer. Is it okay to just sit in my hotel all day long, get some work done, read a little, watch old people struggle to do yoga on local cable access TV and await dinner and drinks in the evening? Or do I have to get the most of this place, even if it is a place I’m not wildly sold on? I wasn’t planning on doing any of the local things: hit an early-bird special, take oxycontin, enjoy a game of bocce, nap in the afternoon or pass away in my sleep.

Because I usually go somewhere in the world just for eating (and writing about it), I thought I’d give it a try. The previous day I had met with my friend and fellow travel writer Tom Swick, a longtime Ft. Lauderdale native. Fish sandwiches, he told me, were about as local as you could get in terms of food. So I got in a cab and directed the Haitian driver to a place across town, just a few miles away. The cab driver, though, had no idea how to get out of my hotel parking lot. He was struggling with the GPS, trying to put in the address of a restaurant just down the road. I sat there in quiet frustration, as we were stalled on the side of the road, the driver still trying and failing to type in the address, and the taxi meter going up and up and up. Yep, I should have just stayed in my hotel. Just another day in one of the most sedately, strange places in America. I got out of the cab and walked back to my hotel. I had a couple bottles of Red Stripe left and they would do just fine.

Luxury spring break options for the budget traveler

by Jessica Festa on

Do you wish you could afford to relax on a beach in the Caribbean with private butler service, or watch the sunset from the veranda of a luxury villa this spring? Thanks to Jetsetter Home‘s spring break sale, now you can.

Jetsetter Homes boasts properties all over the world, and during select dates this spring, some of their most affluent properties will be on sale. The private villas are each hand-selected, visited, and approved by Jetsetter travel correspondents, so you know the recommendations you’re getting are coming from a travel professional.

There is no fee to signup – simply go to the website and register for free.

To get some affordable, last minute vacation ideas for spring break, check out the gallery below.

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National Parks Foundation picks 5 most romantic park getaways

by Kraig Becker on

Valentine’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to incorporate a little romance into your life, especially if it happens to involve travel as well. Earlier this week, the National Parks Foundation selected their five most romantic national park escapes, and they are so good, they’re practically guaranteed to score you points with your significant other.

The five romantic getaways include watching the sunset at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California; paddling together through Florida‘s Everglades National Park; taking a scenic wagon ride in Oxon Cove Park, Maryland; going birding along the Padre Island National Seashore in Texas; and strolling along the beach in the Virgin Islands National Park.

What I like about this list is that it incorporates a little something for everyone. Active couples can paddle, hike or even snorkle, while those looking for a bit more relaxed experience have several options as well. These parks are scenic, and somewhat lesser known, but most definitely romantic all year round. I’ve personally been to several of the places on the list, and can attest to how wonderful they are – both as a couples escape and as an adventure travel destination.

So, if you missed the mark on Valentine’s Day, or are already planning ahead for next year, this is a great list to give you some ideas. Of course, if you’re a hopeless romantic at heart, why wait? Start planning your romantic national park getaway now.

“Historic” Hooters now reopened, complete with company museum

by Chris Gray Faust on

Who knew that a Hooters restaurant could be considered “historic?” But that’s exactly how the company, famed for its guy-centric combo of bosomy waitresses and spicy chicken wings, is billing the reopening of its original location in Clearwater, Fla.

The Hooters Management Corp. empire, which spans 44 states, 27 countries and once encompassed an airline, began as a beach bar concept on Clearwater’s Gulf to Bay Blvd in October 1983 (yes, that means that next year we might see tight 30-year commemorative tank tops).

The original location shut down for a remodel last November and has relaunched with 7,000 square feet and 35 HD-flat screen TVs. Besides the ability to see a sports game from most vantage points, the restaurant now has a MuSEEum chronicling its history. Memorabilia in the muSEEum range from postcards from the Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas – soon to be on the auction block – to a chicken costume that the founders once wore to drive in business.

Travel writer Chris Gray Faust writes about Value Luxury vacations on her website, Chris Around The World.