Monday, June 21, 2010

Around the World with Savoir Faire

Remember when around the world trips were practically de rigeur for anyone in the know? Whether by train, plane or ship, one travelled in style without the hustle and bustle and the general blah of travel these days.




Airlines, hotels and shipping companies would take your luggage and paste or attach a brightly coloured label on to it signifying where your luggage was going or where it had been. Nowadays we get a computer generated tag with a bar code which looks just as exciting as a receipt from a supermarket.











Hotel labels remained on a suitcase as a testament to where we had been, much to the envy of our friends. Years later vintage luggage would turn up at a variety of flea Markets and second hand stores plastered with labels and one could only wonder of the travels the original owners had had.







Labels were mini artworks created to convey the exotic and the luxury of travel. One was proud of the assortment and variety of labels on ones luggage. So bring back the label, so that even if we are not somewhere exotic, we can look at our luggage and plan our next trip.


4 comments:

  1. Ahh.. David these are awesome !! I adore these collection. WOWWWW I mean really WOWW! XXX

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  2. Nevin, I also love them! Those were the days!

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  3. Bring back the label, indeed !
    Love this collection - great graphics in each and every one ... .
    I have but two labels in my own little personal box of travel ephemera : cabin baggage from a
    QE II voyage and a tag from my one and only
    Concorde trip.
    Ancient history - the 80's .

    I've always loved picking up vintage luggage
    with well worn labels - you might enjoy this
    lavishly labeled:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/missjjj/217130264/

    and another with a Queen Mary label:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/missjjj/3082239131/

    Thanks for sharing this lovely moment of
    another place / another time -

    Jjj

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  4. Jill, A trip on the Concorde! Oh you lucky thing!That was always a dream of mine, but alas too late.

    I have alays collected luggage tags from about age 4 and have 100's from personal trips.

    LOve youtr Flickr photos!

    ReplyDelete

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