People have short memories, and they’re historically ignorant as a rule – especially here in America. This whole idea of “seeing the world” has only been feasible for the middle class since the 1950s, when the first really successful commercial airlines came into existence. Prior to this, roaming Europe or China or wherever to “expand one’s horizons” was the occupation of the rich elite, and meant spending a whole lot of time on a ship at sea. In fact, one theory of the term “posh” is that it originally stood for “port out, starboard home,” which was allegedly stamped on the tickets of seafaring folk.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/posh

Regardless of this, it is a fact that for the bulk of human history, most ordinary people, save for traditional nomads, never traveled beyond thirty miles from their place of birth, because it meant WALKING. Literally, a walkabout.

Funny how so many take routine intercontinental travel for granted, considering that it’s founded on a non-renewable resource and has only been feasible for fifty-odd years. For many (the poor) it has never been feasible, and never will be. This is how the term “jet-set” was born – in reference to people who had enough disposable income to jet around the globe.

And with rising fuel-prices, it may just once again become an elite occupation.

Money, it’s a hit.
Don’t give me that do-goody-good bullshit.
I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set,
And I think I need a Learjet.

Heh. That makes me feel all warm and tingly. Sure, I’d love to ‘walkabout’ the world and expand my horizons from podunk B’ham–but when I can afford the airfare, I’ll let you know. My trust fund never kicked in.