Yeah travel agencies is how you did it. Let someone else tell you where you should take your vacations or whatever. Show you pictures of the destinations. Places would offer travel agents huge discounts for their own personal travel to their locations who in return would refer people to go there. It was a huge sham. I had 2 friends who were travel agents in the mid 90's and remmeber them always going to cool places cheap.
The thing that gets me is how we ever got around without navigation. You had maps when you traveled by car. It's a miracle people ever got to where they were going half the time. I still get lost around dallas sometimes unless I plug in an address. If you were lost you stopped and asked for directions from a stranger. Sometimes they would tell you wrong. People just wandering around aimously.
Hahaha yeah I remember the days before GPS and nav were commonplace. Buying paper maps from the gas station each new state you entered...unless you were smart enough to have an atlas in your car.
Funny story, I was driving to the in-law's cabin in UP michigan back when I was married. We stopped off and got one of those big fold-out paper maps of the UP when we crossed in.
The ex was driving, and while she wasn't paying attention I ripped a hole in the middle of the map and stuck my dick through it. Then I was like "honey I think we were supposed to turn left back in Escanaba" and pointed at the map. She looked over to see Bonerville Michigan staring back at her. She laughed so hard she almost swerved off the road.