Navigating the World Using Only Historical Methods

Before GPS, smartphones, and online bookings, explorers charted unknown lands with nothing but paper maps, compasses, and sheer determination. If you’ve ever wanted to experience travel the old-fashioned way, here’s how to embrace the spirit of 19th-century explorers on your next journey.

1. Use Traditional Navigation

Modern travelers rely on Google Maps, but 19th-century explorers depended on compasses, sextants, and the stars.

• Learn basic celestial navigation by identifying key constellations like Orion or the North Star.
• Use a magnetic compass to track your direction.
• Rely on paper maps instead of digital ones, marking key locations as you travel.

2. Travel by Traditional Means

Explorers didn’t board commercial flights or ride in air-conditioned buses. Instead, they traveled by horseback, sailing ship, or foot.

• Try long-distance walking or trekking like early explorers.
• Experience sailing on historic-style ships instead of modern ferries.
• Ride by train on historic rail routes to capture the feel of 19th-century overland travel.

3. Pack Like an Explorer

Forget rolling suitcases and ultralight backpacks—19th-century travelers carried only the essentials.

• Use a leather satchel or canvas backpack instead of modern luggage.
• Pack a journal, field notes, and a quill or fountain pen instead of a phone.
• Bring a spyglass (telescope) for scouting landscapes.
• Use oil lanterns or candles instead of flashlights.

4. Navigate Without the Internet

Modern travelers rely on translation apps, currency converters, and online guides, but historical explorers depended on phrasebooks, hand signals, and intuition.

• Learn basic phrases in the local language before your trip.
• Use a printed guidebook instead of searching online.
• Keep a notebook for sketches and observations instead of snapping photos.

5. Eat Like an Explorer

Explorers couldn’t stop at restaurants—they foraged, hunted, and traded for food.

• Try cooking with basic tools like cast iron pans over an open fire.
• Sample dried meats, hardtack, and preserved fruits, just like historical travelers.
• Visit local markets and barter for food when possible.

6. Stay in Historic Lodgings

Instead of hotels, 19th-century travelers slept in tents, inns, monasteries, and homesteads.

• Camp under the stars or use a traditional canvas tent.
• Stay in historic guesthouses, caravansaries, or countryside lodges.
• Try a homestay with local families to experience traditional hospitality.

7. Record Your Journey in an Explorer’s Journal

Every great explorer documented their travels in a journal. Follow their example:

• Keep handwritten notes instead of digital ones.
• Sketch maps, landscapes, and cultural observations.
• Write daily reflections, describing challenges, discoveries, and encounters.

8. Approach Travel with a Sense of Discovery

The spirit of exploration is about curiosity, adaptability, and resilience. Instead of following well-trodden tourist routes, seek out:

• Remote villages or unmarked trails.
• Traditional cultures with minimal outside influence.
• Personal challenges, like crossing a region without using modern technology.

Is It Worth It?

Traveling like a 19th-century explorer is more than a novelty—it’s a way to disconnect, engage deeply with the world, and experience travel as a true adventure. Whether you try it for a day or an entire trip, it offers a fresh perspective on the art of exploration.