[Governor Dinwiddie]

When I was young, and without a credit card, I used Greyhound and Trailways. That is the way it is done. Flying somewhere was a luxury reserved for the well-to-do.

It is still a luxury if you have no money. Pack those tamales into an outbound dog.

[Michael.SF.]

Yup. I was ten in 1963, when my dad took me, for the first time, to the Greyhound terminal in downtown LA for a solo trip to Salinas (300 miles) to see my grandparents. He always gave me a fiver for lunch money and tipped the driver the same amount to keep an eye on me. Only problem I ever had was not having a quarter to use the pay toilet.

I could not imagine a parent doing the same today.

[Graybeard58]

The late great FReeper Dale Reed, who had plenty of cash but didn’t want or have a credit or debit card, told me about getting air line tickets for his wife and himself paying by check through a travel agency.

When they reached their destination, they tried every car rental place and not a single one would rent them a car unless he had a credit card. Not even when he offered to pay the price of the car, in cash, as a deposit.