Travel today is often about convenience, speed, and ease, but throughout history, people had to endure a variety of bizarre, dangerous, and sometimes downright weird travel practices. From elaborate rituals performed before a journey to strange methods of transportation, travel in past centuries was vastly different from the modern experience. While we now have GPS, high-speed trains, and luxury airlines, our ancestors had to navigate dangerous terrains, unknown lands, and a world full of superstition and rituals.
Here are ten strange and forgotten travel practices from history that will make you appreciate the comfort of modern travel.
The Grand Tour: An Education Through Travel
In the 17th and 18th centuries, The Grand Tour was considered a rite of passage for young European aristocrats, particularly from Britain. Lasting from several months to several years, this journey through Europe was seen as an essential part of a gentleman’s education, combining culture, history, and sophistication. Italy and France were the most common destinations, where young men (and occasionally women) would visit art galleries, museums, and ancient ruins.
What made the Grand Tour strange by today’s standards was the lavishness and peculiar rituals surrounding it. Travellers were expected to hire tutors, bodyguards, and an entourage to accompany them, ensuring they stayed safe and learned properly. Some even brought home elaborate souvenirs, including antique sculptures and rare art, to showcase their sophistication.
The Grand Tour was also notorious for indulgence. These young aristocrats, freed from the constraints of home, were known to indulge in gambling, drinking, and romantic escapades. In many ways, the Grand Tour was less about education and more about experiencing a decadent lifestyle before settling down into adulthood.
Letters of Introduction: The Social Network of the Past
In centuries past, one could not rely on booking platforms or travel apps to plan a trip. Instead, letters of introduction were used as a form of social currency for travellers. These letters, written by a trusted acquaintance or associate, served to introduce the traveller to influential people at their destination. Whether it was a diplomat, a noble family, or a respected scholar, the letter vouched for the traveller’s reputation and provided a way to gain access to the upper echelons of society.
This travel practice was especially common during the 18th and 19th centuries, where international travel was largely confined to the wealthy. The letters often came with the expectation that the host would provide the traveller with accommodations, food, and social connections. In return, the guest was expected to behave with the utmost decorum and bring gifts or offer some form of service.
While this form of social networking may seem strange today, it played a crucial role in ensuring safe and comfortable travel in an age when there were no hotels or established travel industries to rely on.
8. Travel Tokens: Early Boarding Passes
Before modern travel documents like passports and boarding passes, travellers in certain parts of the world had to carry travel tokens or other symbols of passage. In medieval times, particularly in Europe, these tokens were often issued by religious institutions or monarchs and served as permission to travel, often for pilgrimages.
The most famous example of this is the pilgrim badge, a small metal token or badge issued to pilgrims visiting religious sites like the Shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. These badges were not only proof of pilgrimage but also provided certain protections and rights while travelling. Some tokens even granted the wearer safe passage through hostile territories.
In China, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, officials and military personnel had to carry passport-like tokens known as paizi. These were often inscribed with details about the traveller’s rank, purpose of travel, and route, and they served as a guarantee of safe passage through certain regions.
While travel tokens and badges have largely fallen out of use today, they were a crucial part of travel logistics in the pre-modern world, ensuring that travellers could navigate the complex political and religious landscapes of the time.
Pilgrimages: Spiritual Journeys with Physical Hardships
Pilgrimages have been a significant aspect of religious travel for thousands of years, and while many still embark on such journeys today, the experience in the past was far more arduous and filled with strange customs. Medieval pilgrims, for example, often travelled barefoot as a sign of humility and penance. Some would wear sackcloth or carry heavy burdens to demonstrate their devotion.
The journey was perilous. Pilgrims faced the threat of disease, bandits, and treacherous weather conditions. Pilgrimage routes, such as the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain, could take months to complete, with travellers relying on the charity of local monasteries and religious orders for food and shelter.
One particularly strange aspect of pilgrimage travel in the Middle Ages was the practice of carrying pilgrim staffs, long wooden poles used for protection and walking support. Some pilgrims also carried small containers for holy water or relics collected along the way. These staffs and containers became symbols of their spiritual journey, and pilgrims would often keep them for the rest of their lives as a reminder of their sacred travels.
Sedan Chairs: Carriages for the Wealthy
Before cars and taxis, wealthy travellers relied on sedan chairs for local transportation, particularly in cities like London, Paris, and Rome. These chairs were enclosed, single-passenger vehicles carried by two or more men. The traveller would sit inside the chair, and the carriers would lift and transport them through crowded streets or across rough terrain.
Sedan chairs were often elaborately decorated, with plush interiors and painted exteriors that reflected the status of the owner. In some cities, sedan chair carriers were part of regulated guilds, and their services were a mark of prestige.
What makes this form of transportation particularly strange is that it was often used even for very short distances. Aristocrats and wealthy individuals would use sedan chairs to travel just a few streets away, avoiding the hassle of walking. In cities with narrow, winding streets, sedan chairs were the preferred mode of transportation, as they could navigate through spaces that horse-drawn carriages could not.
The use of sedan chairs began to decline in the late 18th century with the advent of more advanced carriages and, eventually, motor vehicles, but for centuries, they were a symbol of elite travel.
The Victorian “Fainting Room” on Trains
During the Victorian era, travel by train became increasingly popular, but it also came with its own set of peculiar customs. One of the strangest was the presence of a fainting room or ladies’ retiring room in many train stations. These rooms were designed specifically for women, who were thought to be more susceptible to fainting due to the rigours of train travel.
Victorians believed that the speed and vibration of trains could cause women to become overwhelmed or hysterical, leading to fainting spells. As a result, these rooms were furnished with fainting couches, smelling salts, and water to help revive passengers who felt unwell.
While the concept of fainting rooms may seem odd today, it reflects the rigid gender norms of the time. Women were seen as delicate and in need of special accommodations, even for something as simple as a train journey.
Fainting rooms gradually fell out of use as train travel became more common and the social attitudes towards women’s health changed, but they remain a curious footnote in the history of travel.
The Custom of Throwing Coins for Safe Passage
In many cultures, throwing coins into water for good luck or safe passage is a long-standing tradition. In ancient Rome, travellers would toss coins into the Trevi Fountain to ensure a safe return to the city. Similarly, sailors would throw coins into the sea before setting sail to appease the gods and ensure calm waters.
This practice continued into the Middle Ages, where coins were often thrown into rivers or wells before embarking on long journeys. Travellers believed that offering money to the spirits of the water would protect them from drowning or shipwreck.
In some cases, coins were thrown into the graves of deceased sailors or travellers, symbolising an offering to the afterlife. This practice was not limited to Europe. In China, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, travellers threw coins into rivers or buried them along their route to ward off evil spirits.
The tradition of throwing coins for luck is still alive today, though it’s more commonly associated with wishing wells or fountains than with travel. However, the practice has its roots in the ancient and medieval belief in the power of offerings to ensure a safe journey.
The Pilgrim Passport: Medieval Travel Documents
Long before modern passports, medieval pilgrims carried a special type of document known as a pilgrim passport or safe-conduct pass. These documents were issued by religious authorities or local rulers and granted the bearer safe passage through various territories on their way to holy sites.
The passport often contained the pilgrim’s name, destination, and the purpose of their journey, along with official seals or signatures from the issuing authority. It acted as a form of identification and proof that the pilgrim was undertaking a legitimate religious journey.
In some cases, the pilgrim passport also granted the bearer certain privileges, such as access to food and shelter at monasteries along the route. Pilgrims would often have their passports stamped at various checkpoints along their journey, much like modern travellers receive passport stamps at border crossings.
The pilgrim passport was an essential travel tool in a time when moving between different regions could be dangerous and uncertain. It helped ensure the safety of the pilgrim and provided a form of accountability to religious institutions.
The Walking Tour: Hiking in 19th-Century Europe
Today, walking tours and hiking holidays are a popular way to explore the countryside, but the concept of a walking tour as a form of travel gained popularity in the 19th century, particularly among European intellectuals and poets. Figures like William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and John Keats were known for their long, contemplative walks through the English Lake District and the Alps.
What made the walking tour different from modern hiking was its emphasis on solitude, reflection, and a deep connection with nature. These early walkers often carried minimal supplies, relying on the hospitality of local inns and villages for food and shelter.
The practice was less about physical fitness and more about experiencing the beauty of the natural world firsthand. For the Romantics, walking through the wilderness was a way to reconnect with the sublime, a concept that emphasised awe, beauty, and the grandeur of nature.
While walking tours may seem quaint today, they were an important part of the intellectual and cultural movements of the 19th century, shaping the way people thought about nature and travel.
The Ritual of Footwashing: A Symbol of Hospitality
In many cultures throughout history, the act of footwashing was a common travel ritual, symbolising hospitality and humility. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was customary for hosts to wash the feet of their guests as a sign of respect and welcome, especially after a long journey on dusty roads.
This practice was also prevalent in medieval Europe, where footwashing was associated with Christian charity. Monasteries and religious institutions often offered foot washing services to pilgrims, as it was considered a humble act of service and a way to honour the weary traveller.
In the Middle East, footwashing remains a traditional practice in some regions, where it is seen as a gesture of purification and hospitality. The ritual can still be observed in certain religious ceremonies, particularly in Christianity, where it symbolises humility and service.
While the custom of foot-washing has largely disappeared from modern travel, it remains an important symbol in religious and cultural traditions, reflecting the values of hospitality, humility, and respect for the traveller.
Travel has always been about more than just reaching a destination—it’s about the rituals, customs, and traditions that surround the journey itself. From strange transportation methods like sedan chairs to ancient practices of footwashing, these forgotten travel customs offer a fascinating glimpse into how people moved through the world in the past. While modern travel is undoubtedly more convenient, these historical practices remind us that the journey, not just the destination, has always been a central part of the travel experience.
