We've delved into the archives to bring you 45 of the most colourful and endearing old school travel print ads out there. In the ads below you’ll find sexy air hostesses, exotic people from far-flung corners of the earth and lots of catchy straplines, some of which would definitely be considered sexist and xenophobic by today's standards.
Travel ads of the fifties, sixties and seventies differ greatly from those of the noughties. While modern ads rely heavily on expert photography, those of yesteryear feature gorgeous Rockwellian paintings and detailed illustrations, not to mention beautiful typography. They provide us with a glimpse into the past and an opportunity to see travel through the eyes of those that lived up to 50 years ago.
Destinations
Feast your eyes on this exotic array of holiday destinations, from ‘Mystic South Africa’ to ‘Terrific Trinidad’ and Phoenix Arizona, where it’s always ‘Sun-Tan Warm’. These days, few tourist boards would even consider releasing a print ad which doesn’t feature photographic proof of an area’s outstanding beauty.
In the fifties, sixties and even seventies, however, punters would usually only have an artist’s impression to go by. Many must have been bitterly disappointed, on arrival in Cervina, by the lack of scantily clad, perma-tanned young women cruising the slopes!
1. The Orient Is Hong Kong
Image: Hong Kong Tourist Association
2. Terrific Trinidad ... Tranquil Tobago
Image: Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Board
3. The Riviera of the Orient
Image: See Hong Kong
4. Sun-Tan Warm Phoenix
Image: Valley of the Sun Visitors Bureau
5. Cervinia, Breuil
Image: Valle D’Aosta
6. Zermatt, Switzerland
Image: Zermatt Tourist Board
7. Mystic South Africa
Image: South Africa House
8. Firenze & Venezia
Airlines
In the sixties and seventies, people found the idea of flying through the air in some new-fangled machine absolutely terrifying. In an attempt to reassure potential passengers, many airlines advertised the reliability and professionalism of their staff, as well as their sex appeal of course!
Take, for example, the Pan American ad below, with the strapline ‘It’s Good To Know Uncle Sam’s Your Skipper’, and the infinitely less subtle ‘Think Of Her As Your Mother’ ad, for American Airlines.
9. He Is a Confidence Man, Thank Goodness
Image: B.O.A.C.
10. Think Of Her As Your Mother
Image: American Airlines
11. I Am American Airlines
Image: American Airlines
12. Until This Morning ...
Image: United
13. Thrill To The Real Alaska
Image: Alaska Airlines
14. It’s Good To Know Uncle Sam’s Your Skipper
Image: Pan American
15. Amérique du Sud and Mauritius, Air France
16. Eyes That See Around The World
Image: Pan American
17. A New World In Travel
Image: TWA
18. Treasure In The Sky
Image: TWA
19. Marriage Off the Rocks
Image: Pan American
20. Fly To Where The Birds Are
Image: Eastern
21. Naturally They All Fly
Image: Northwest Orient Airlines
22. Fly To Your Advantage
Image: British Airways
Hotels
Looking through the ads below, you’ll long for the days when a ‘No Excuses Guarantee’ from the Holiday Inn actually meant something and admen weren’t too afraid to use the slogan: ‘Gay Days Under the Cuban Sun’.
I doubt, however, that in living memory anyone has received a personally drafted letter from the President of the Park Lane Hotel after borrowing a tie for their forgetful husband (see below).
23. When a Hotel is Letter Perfect
Image: The Park Lane
24. A Weekend Away
Image: Holiday Inn
25. Gay Days Under The Cuban Sun
Image: Hotel Nacional de Cuba
26. When You Spend a Night At ...
Image: Loew’s Hotel
27. Pleasin’ Dreams
Image: Holiday Inn
28. No Excuses Room Guarantee
Image: Holiday Inn
29. Your Prince Awaits You
Image: The Prince Hotel
30. Warmth is More Important Than Bigness
Image: The Valhalla Inn
31. New York, New York, It’s a Sheraton Town
Image: Sheraton Hotels
Travel Essentials
Sifting through hundreds of vintage ads, I’ve found some extremely dubious straplines. One of the most misleading amongst them, however, has got to be: “Beautiful Tan Today, Young Looking Skin Tomorrow”, taken from the Coppertone ad below.
While most choose to simply soak in the rays on arrival at their chosen holiday destination, others prefer to pre-bronze before hitting the beach. For them, there’s Spray Tan, a product many consider to be a modern invention. The Spray Tan adverts below were taken from a 1955 issue of Marie Claire.
32. Flight Proven Luggage
Image: Samsonite
33. Beautiful Tan Today, Young Looking Skin Tomorrow
Image: Coppertone
34. Secret Cover Will Beautify Legs
Image: Elizabeth Arden
35. Un Hâle Magnifique
Image: Spray Tan
Alternative Transport
Coaches are impractical and downright uncomfortable. Any advert which manages to add an air of sophistication to this most undignified mode of transport is a winner in my book. The two below certainly succeed.
Travelling by rail, on the other hand, is far more to my liking. Who wouldn’t want to bump into a tall, well-dressed young lady who whisks into town on the Union Pacific Railroad, like a ‘Smooth, Cool Breeze’.
36. West of Chicago
Image: Union Pacific Railroad
37. Like a Smooth, Cool Breeze
Image: Union Pacific Railroad
38. Switzerland
Image: Jura-Simplon Railway
39. Say When - Say Where
Image: Greyhound
40. I’m Buying This With What I Saved
Image: Trailways
41. Fly Anywhere Under The Sun
Image: Hertz
Cruising
What could be more indulgent and enchanting than a cruise? Well, these days, quite a lot actually! Most modern cruise liners are little more than a floating Butlins, complete with screaming kids, terrible food and X Factor-style entertainment.
In the sixties, the story couldn’t have been more different. Italian Line cruises, for example, combined sophistication with relaxation and the chance to catch a glimpse of some European topless sunbathing, as evidenced in the second ad below.
42. Orient Cruises
Image: Image: Source
43. Italian Line 1965
Image: Italian Line
44. Why Not Rush To Europe This Way?
Image: Italian Line
45. Sail Italian Line, Let Time Fly
Image: Italian Line
