Good morning. It's Saturday, Aug. 2, and we're bringing you the latest Society & Culture newsletter. Every week, we provide fascinating deep dives into the worlds of art, music, literature, film, food, sports, entertainment, and more.
This week, we're covering vacationing, the cultural concept that allows us to take a break from working and head out to the beach, the woods, or somewhere else far, far away from our normal lives. Hopefully, you're reading it in the middle of your own!
First time reading? Sign up here to join us every week. Feel free to send any feedback, questions, or suggestions to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
—Kevin Kearney, 1440 Society & Culture Section Editor |
|
|
Vacation, All I Ever Wanted |
|
Background
Vacationing is a break from work that typically involves travel. The first known appearance of the word in English is in the 14th century in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” (Read more about the word’s etymology and evolution.)
Although leisure has long been considered an integral part of a healthy society, the modern vacation—especially in America—is a relatively recent phenomenon shaped by technological advances and societal changes.
An Elite Experience
Historians trace the vacation back to at least ancient Greece, where many people traveled to festivals and athletic events, including the Olympic Games.
When the weather grew too hot in ancient Rome, the city’s elite traveled to coastal spots like the Gulf of Naples, where they ate oysters, drank wine, and bathed in thermal pools. (See estimates for a trip from Rome to Naples in antiquity.)
In the 16th century, young English aristocrats began taking “Grand Tours” of Europe. Accompanying tutors provided lessons in the continent’s architecture, art, history, and literature. A Grand Tour wasn’t just for classical education, though. It was also an opportunity for the young men to indulge in vices away from the watchful eyes of their parents.
By the mid-1800s, Thomas Cook was taking Britons with disposable income on tours of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the US, often packaging together transportation, lodging, and food, effectively creating the modern travel agent. Cook also pioneered travel writing, with “Travellers Handbooks” offering tourists tips for visiting various countries. (See one of the Cook handbooks.)
The Rise of Americana
The American vacation developed as the country expanded its railroad infrastructure in the late 1800s, with businessmen positioning coastal enclaves like Coney Island and Atlantic City as affordable respites from the country’s urban centers.
Religious groups that feared leisure’s association with sinfulness constructed resorts in destinations like Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where alcohol was outlawed. Following William HH Murray’s utopian portrayal of the Adirondacks, more rustic retreats began sprouting, too.
The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act guaranteed time off for workers, offering the opportunity for more vacations. At the same time, automobiles had become more affordable, turning the car from an upper-crust luxury into a middle-class standby and allowing workers to take their vacations farther from home.
By the 1950s, that combination, plus an expanding interstate network of highways, had created the modern American road trip, an option that became especially popular for those looking to visit the still-young National Park System.
Work/Life Balance
As long-distance commercial flights became more common in the 1980s, international travel expanded, allowing people to vacation in every imaginable corner of the world—as long as they could afford the cost.
For many people, that’s become more difficult: A 2024 report found that the average vacation for one person costs around $2,000, with many Americans saying they’re willing to take on debt for summer travel. |
|
|
|
The True Cost Of Cheap Night Guards |
|
At first glance, a $20 boil-and-bite guard might seem like a bargain. But over six months, replacing one every month costs $120—and that’s without accounting for discomfort or a poor fit that can shift your teeth. Add another $2,000 for an alignment treatment to fix the damage.
Compare that to a Remi night guard: one custom-fit guard that lasts, protects your teeth, and saves you thousands. Remi makes the same quality night guards as a dental office, but for 80% less. Plus, they have a 45-Night Perfect Fit guarantee, so you can try them risk-free.
Don’t let “cheap” end up costing you more. Choose Remi for comfort, durability, and long-term savings. Learn more about Remi and save 50% off your order (no code needed). |
|
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The 50 weirdest roadside attractions |
A summer road trip isn’t complete without stopping at a few bizarre roadside attractions. This list collects the strangest from every state, including a martini-drinking pink elephant in Indiana, a potato hotel in Idaho, and a giant tire in Michigan. See the list here. |
|
|
How 'The White Lotus' is changing travel |
“The White Lotus” may satirize international tourism, but that hasn’t stopped international tourists from recreating the show on their vacations. In fact, pop culture, in general, has a massive impact on tourism. A 2024 study from Expedia Group found that two-thirds of tourists said movies and TV influence where and how they travel. Read about it here. |
|
|
Why Europeans have such long summer vacations |
Europeans average nearly double the amount of time off as their American counterparts. Why is that? This explainer walks through the scholarly research on the history of European labor’s push for time off, interestingly highlighting how both left- and right-wing political groups argued vacation could benefit their causes. Check it out here. |
|
|
The first coast-to-coast road trip |
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Jackson took a $50 wager that he could drive from San Francisco to New York. Soon after, Jackson and his mechanic set out on the cross-country voyage without a map. They arrived in New York 63 days later after an odyssey of missed turns, acquired bulldogs, and blown tires. Read about it here. |
|
|
The story behind the iconic Airstream trailer |
Wally Byam invented the Airstream in the late 1920s, but the trailer really took off following World War II. This history of the futuristic camper details its early, passionate followers who sometimes traveled in caravans to assemble in far-flung places like the Pyramids at Giza. Read it here. |
|
|
Why tourist hotspots are shunning tourists |
Locals in Barcelona sprayed tourists with water guns; protesters in Mexico City demanded politicians work against gentrification. Despite the economic boost tourism provides, protesters believe tourism has contributed to housing shortages and rising costs. This BBC report unpacks what that means for the future of vacationing. Watch it here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beyond our weekly deep dives, we love finding great takes on the culture currently shaping our lives. Here are some of the best reactions, profiles, and think pieces we encountered this week.
> For the Back Street Kids
Pitchfork | John Darnielle. The obituaries for Ozzy Osbourne have rightfully focused on his place in rock history, but Darnielle, singer and songwriter for indie-folk act the Mountain Goats, specifically explores why so many generations have identified with Osbourne's singular wail. (Read)
> The Rise, Fall, and Return of Gary Fisketjon
Substack | Ash Carter. Fisketjon is one of the most renowned editors in American literature, responsible for groundbreaking work from Raymond Carver, Cormac McCarthy, and Donna Tartt, just to name a few. But in 2019, he was fired with little explanation. This piece unpacks that episode, as well as his enduring legacy. (Read)
> People Are Wearing Nightgowns Anywhere but To Bed
CNN | Leah Dolan. The trend has exploded on social media, though Dolan notes that there's a long history of reappropriating nightwear for the daytime. Most interestingly, she theorizes that the current iteration is an outgrowth of our changing social norms. (Read)
> Millennial Movie Nostalgia Is Officially Out of Control
Inside Hook | Bonnie Stiernberg. "Happy Gilmore 2" and "Freakier Friday" are just the latest movies cashing in on millennials' warm memories. Stiernberg is not optimistic about what this kind of generational recycling means for the film industry, arguing that nostalgia is preventing the creation of new classics. (Read)
> Puzzled
The American Scholar | Susannah Pratt. Pratt's ostensibly writing about her love of jigsaw puzzles, though the piece is also about the many distractions (and tendencies) that try to pull her from the task at hand. It's a thoughtful meditation on attention and contentment in an age of near-constant stimulation. (Read) |
|
|
|
Are You Sabotaging the Quality of Your Sleep? |
|
Please support our sponsors! |
|
|
|
New in 1440 Society & Culture |
|
|
|
The first coast-to-coast road trip in 1903 cost about $260,000 in today's money. |
|
|
Why 1440? The printing press was invented around the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses and changing the course of history. More facts: In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. We’re here to make each one count. |
|
1440 Media 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 Chicago, IL 60654
Copyright © 2025, 1440 Media, All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.png)
