You’re making my point, not arguing against it.
I'm not arguing against it...I'm adding depth and detail.That is,back 100 years ago international travel was almost exclusively done by the rich and was quite difficult,slow and uncertain...even for the rich.
OTOH,today people like me (neither rich nor poor by today's standards) can,and *do*,travel to far off places quickly,comfortably and as a matter of routine.
I think that's the basic premise of this piece...that in many ways the "middle class" of today live noticeably (and perhaps dramatically) more comfortable,more interesting,lives than did the "rich" of 100 years ago.