Today, New York to Los Angeles on a budget means squeezing yourself into a cramped, smelly, and delayed middle seat on a major carrier. But traveling was different back in the day. 

Airlines focused on luxury and legroom over squeezing every last dollar out of customers, and road trips meant taking in gorgeous American scenery while experiencing local people and food. 

The golden days of travel are gone, but we can still remember them in photos. Here are 20 pics that show what travel looked like in the 1970s.