Fodor's Women in Europe Book - Circa 1953
 

While I was clearing out my cousin's house after his recent death at age 92, I came across a book called "Women Travelers in Europe" edited by Eugene Fodor. I have the 1953 edition, but it was originally published in the 1930's.

What is interesting is how the book covers some of the same topics that are discussed on this forum today, including what to wear and how to act. The book talks about using black or beige as a base color for your outfits which you can then accesorize with color. They highly recommend flat shoes for all of the walking you'll be doing. Of course, there was some comment about how "nice" girls don't wear trousers when travelling. It also tells of trading "nylons" with the local girls, how not to be picked up by gold-digging foreign men, since all American gals are assumed to have money, and what the best shopping bargains are in each country you're visiting.

There is some slant on the post-WWII era in Europe, saying that places like Germany are still recovering, telling the reader how to act if you're invited to a cocktail party for a Marshall Plan administrator or presented to the King at a ball, and reminding the reader that a week's salary for her is probably a month or more salary for her European friends.

At the end of the book, there's an added article about the new Queen of England, who is to be coronated later in the year. It talks about where the best spots are to watch the parade and how to dress if you're possibly invited.

All in all, a very interesting book in many contexts.

How interesting, Fairfax! What a find and what a treasure to hang on to. Thanks for sharing.

What a great book!! Do you imagine to be able to attend the King's Ball?

It's was funny, because they were referring to the King of England, and I had to double-check when the book was published. Then I saw the addendum in the back about QEII.

I did love the "all black" advice, although the recommended linen shifts, twin-sets and skirts. I think tweedy suits were suggested for England, though. And they told the reader to remember a hat box!

Fairfax: Apparently some things never change, i.e. black and beige clothes for travel. I very much enjoyed reading your post, remembering some things that occurred during my lifetime. Although I was not able to travel in those years, it was fun to hear about advice for those who did.

What an interesting post! Thanks for sharing, fairfax.

Great post fairfax. I love finding those old books - but is is scary when you actually remember some of the things mentioned - -

A lot of the recommendations for 1953 are still good today - well, maybe not the hat box.

I have a Europe on $5 per day from the early 70's and a Motoring Through the British Isles from the mid-50's.

But my favorite is Complete Hints an Tips for Automobilists published in London in 1912. It is sort of like an AAA travel / driving guide. It has maps of major touring areas in the UK, roadside inns, tips on where to get tyres repaired, and "the ailments of Motorists and how to avoid them".

"The mustard bath is in every respect a perfect cure for the 'on edge' sensation experienced by many, being an antidote to the effects of cold and a sedative after the strain of continued vibration."

"Some of the fair sex might, however, remember that the large 'windcatcher' type of hat is quite out of place in an open car whilst touring, and with its multitudinous hatpins and tight motor veil, is a frequent cause of headache."

In the back of the book are adverts for touring companies, cars, and travel clothing. There is a full page ad for the Burberry - "reliable weatherproof for rainy days, a light dust-coat for close or dusty days, and a warm overcoat for cold winds". It is a long man's cape-type garment with a tight collar and cuffs.

The Belsize is advertised for £210 complete w/ lamps and horn or £235 for the 4-seater.

I love old travel books. My father collects old Baedecker's guides, and i have a late 1800's guide to London. I think this interest came from a travel journal one of my great-great+++ grandfathers kept of his Grand Tour of Europe in the early 1800's, which my mother transcribed.

These older guides are great reads.
One of the travel books we enjoy most is "Follow Me!" by Jean Baer...European travel advice for the early 1960s single gal. Several sections devoted to meeting men abroad and which characteristics will attact which nationality (if you fancy a Dutchman, you are to "sport a shiny skin and talk about cooking" and forget any serious romance with a man from Ireland: "in Dublin, the slang for courtship is 'lines' and the lines are long"). Lots of clothing advice, some silly, some useful (a list of how much items of clothing weigh). A goofy, time capsule look at women's travel just before Helen Gurley Brown and the Cosmo Girl.
We also have an old Life Magazine guide to Paris, one of the best Paris guides I've ever read. One tidbit: back when it was written (1950s) a single 10-minute transatlantic phone call cost as much as a night at the Ritz Hotel!

These are a riot! I've always thought that travel books were obsolete and ready for the trash can after a few years. But now I want to hang onto them and give someone a laugh years from now!

I think I might start collecting old travel books, now that I've heard about yours. What a hoot!

Thanks for bringing back some good memories! Our family was lucky enough to be traveling in Europe in the 1950s & 60s, and it really was another time . . .

My mother has a story about changing diapers on the radiator of an elegant castle restaurant somewhere in Germany -- long before disposable diapers or even the convenient changing tables in restrooms.

She has another story about me dropping a glove from my little five-year-old hand to try to gain the attention of the cute bellhop at the Munich Bayerischerhof.

I also remember the routine task of accounting for 11 suitcases (for four folks!!) every time we moved on in our journey. In London, my father had to hire a separate taxi for the luggage!

And, yes, Mom did travel with a hatbox. Once. She says it was among the dumbest things she ever did.

Times have indeed changed. Paper pants????
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