Figure 1.--Here two Hippie-oriented families took their summer vacation together in 1967. They were from Mill Valley, Califoenia. Four adults and six children (aged 1 to 11), went to Chicago in a converted post office van. |
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The family summer vacation is today a well established The family vacation is a relatively modern phenomenon. It is an artifact of the industrial revolution and people living in cities. Before the industrial revolution people neither took vacations or were given leave so they could take vacations. And transportation systems were not only expensive, but did nor allow families to travel to and from vacation spots. Wealthy people of course could travel in styule to wherver they wanted, any time of the year. Average people, even the comfortable middle class, could not. This began to change in the late-19th century. Labor unions began pushing for paid vacations and companies began offering them to workers. The wealth generated by the industrial revolution provided workers for the first time in history, the ability to lead comfortable lives. And the family vacation became one of the new amenities offered by expanding industrial economies. At the same time, the railroads provided an economical way for the family to reach distant locations. Henry Ford's Model-T Ford offered inexpensive automobiles to workers so that if they chose, the family could take off in the automobile. Motels sprung up all over the country to provide low-cost accomodation top families on the move. In the prosperous post-World War II era, most American families took off in the family car during the summer. Dad usually got 2 weeks off, mom didn't work, and the kids were on summer vacation from school. Driving was an important part of the whole experience and this gave birt to the motor home. There was plenty to do and see. Some families liked the great outdoors and seenery. Others liked historical sites. Rural people headed for the big cities. City people headed for the countryside. Easteners headed west. Westerners headed east. Those in the middle had a choice. Visting the grandparents was also a popular family activity. The first vacatuonsI recall as a boy was going back to Indiana to visit the grandparents on the family farm and the aunts, uncles, and cousins. Disney and others created a whole new phonemon--the destination park.
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