How Far Do People Travel

[nuke11]

How far do they travel from their homes / settlements in their lifetime?

I know it wasn't unusual for people to not travel outside of the county they lived in let alone the state, but since the idea of a state doesn't really exist anymore in most cases.

To the next settlement, town, 10, 25, 50, 100 Km's away?

Then how do they travel? Foot, horse, wagon, stage, boat, vehicle?

Then I guess the next question would be why would they need to travel?

[RandyT0001]

Average speeds were about 4-5 km per hour by foot, horse or wagon. The choice of foot, horse or wagon depended on wealth and necessary carrying capacity required to conduct the business that was the purpose of the travel (reporting a crime to the sheriff, buying a few small packages, or buying lots of lumber, etc.). Of course, horses and wagons can travel slightly faster, maybe 5-7km per hour. A person would travel about six-seven hours during the shorter winter days and up to about nine hours during longer summer days. Travel times were adjusted so that one could spend a few hours in town to conduct business. One would travel half the total time, about 16-22km into town, conduct business, then travel the 16-22km back home within a day. This defined the size of counties in England and the US until the advent of the railroad and automobile in the 19th century. County seats were usually located at the center of the county. Because of this county seats tended to be the bigger towns. Counties were about 30 to 45 kilometers across with some adjustments made for terrain. Few people left the county into which they were born.

Traders could also move from one county seat to the next one within about a day's travel.

[cosmicfish]

Then I guess the next question would be why would they need to travel?
I think that's actually the first question. Migrants, professional travelers, and occasional travelers are all going to have different modes of transport, loads they are hauling, and areas through which they are travelling, among other things.

My wife the historical archaeologist ballparked someone on horseback with a light load on dirt roads as covering 10-20 miles a day, typical of a circuit judge in the 1800's. Pioneers on the Oregon Trail covered about 10-12 miles a day with heavily-laden horse or ox-drawn wagons. A person on foot, carrying a decent load on their back can actually cover 25 miles a day for weeks on end... if they are in good shape, which most are not. 10 miles a day for most people on foot will be tough.

[kato13]

I was always told that as the US started to settle the west, a days travel was generally 40 miles by horseback.

That is why Chicago has 3 rings of major suburbs at 40, 80 and 120 miles respectively.

Edit
On thinking about it our incredibly flat landscape might skew those numbers upward.

[stormlion1]

Terrain plays a heavy part. East Coast most roads are were wagon trails from the 1700's put them. Why some roads meaner so heavily and a direct route isn't always direct. Give it 150 years and most roads will be gone and full of growth. There is a old ammunition factory from World War 1 near me, almost a 100 years old and the original roads are just gone completely filled up with tree growth and swamps. Only walls and foundations remain barely visible. Belcoville I think its called.

[cosmicfish]

You might travel twice as fast as your average speed on good, flat roads. Travel through the mountains or other difficult terrain could easily halve that. Regardless, travel is going to be much slower than we take for granted today.

[ArmySGT.]

Before the railroad, the average person died within 50 miles of the place they were born.

[stormlion1]

Before the railroad, the average person died within 50 miles of the place they were born.

I wonder what the horse population will look like in the Morrow Project world? Will we see herds of them in the west again? Small herds in the east were wilds ones have gone wild? A few decades of letting them run wild and there should be horses everywhere. Enough to help aid population movement a bit if they can be caught and a good source for Morrow teams to replace there vehicles if they were damaged or destroyed.

[rob]

It has been said that the people in Middle Ages Europe had never traveled further than 20 miles from their house. That said, I think that more than 20km would be a fair assumption except for specialist groups like Gypsy Truckers, Mailmen, Emdees, etc. who are wanders by nature. In my campaign, most locals don't travel more than a day or two (20-40km) travel from home, spending most time TRYING to survive with farming, hunting/gathering, etc. Not being stupid or ignorant, these locals would have some knowledge of nearby areas, with that knowledge being a general type knowledge versus specific knowledge. Just my few pennies worth.

[ArmySGT.]

I agree that for the most part, simple townsfolk in villages up to the population of Chicago has not really ventured more than 20 miles. However, there are some incentives for local travel.... a wife being one... So off to the county fair, trade livestock, eat some sweet cakes, meet a girl. Idyllic.

[stormlion1]

There will be some cross traffic between towns and settlements. Within a few generations everyone will be related to everyone else so travel will become a requirement. Plus honestly I just don't see the world turning all medieval with people clinging to tiny hamlets. There will be people who say live in what had been PA finding a old book or talking to that traveling Doctor who will want to see Ohio or Nevada because there's opportunity there.

[RandyT0001]

There will be some cross traffic between towns and settlements. Within a few generations everyone will be related to everyone else so travel will become a requirement. Plus honestly I just don't see the world turning all medieval with people clinging to tiny hamlets. There will be people who say live in what had been PA finding a old book or talking to that traveling Doctor who will want to see Ohio or Nevada because there's opportunity there.

Exchanging young males about every two to four years to work in apprentice positions introduces new genetic material. These apprentices become part of the community and often marry a local female. Some apprentices go to each neighboring community that is friendly.

[rob]

I agree that for the most part, simple townsfolk in villages up to the population of Chicago has not really ventured more than 20 miles. However, there are some incentives for local travel.... a wife being one... So off to the county fair, trade livestock, eat some sweet cakes, meet a girl. Idyllic.

In my campaign, the composite team has finally done that where they set up 'camp'. The near by villages sent people to help out with a 'barn raising' of a regional medical clinic that will handle most issues, teach wandering EMDEES through the composite team's doctor. A regional council is being set up at the village with that has a monthly farmers market. Some villages have animals, some have a very minor metal working ability, etc. All this is to be established by trade, possible apprentices and the like. But there have been encounters with Bikers, Cannibals, and what ever else I feel like throwing their way.

[Matt W]

It depends on where people live and how they make their living. It doesn't need high technology

If they live on the coast , or near a major river, they might travel hundreds of miles. For example, some Vikings managed to cross the Atlantic and their cousins (the Russ) used rivers to travel from Scandinavia to Byzantium.

[mikeo80]

There will be some cross traffic between towns and settlements. Within a few generations everyone will be related to everyone else so travel will become a requirement. Plus honestly I just don't see the world turning all medieval with people clinging to tiny hamlets. There will be people who say live in what had been PA finding a old book or talking to that traveling Doctor who will want to see Ohio or Nevada because there's opportunity there.

I respectfully disagree as far as medieval. Medieval is a VERY sustainable for a few reasons.

1) Warlord (or whatever you call him/her) has access to the best weapons and defenses. Castles were built to control trade routes either on water or land.
2) The merchants have a known area of safety. THe better the trading, the more products will filter in.
3) The farmers have a known place to sell or trade their produce/cattle/swine/etc. The castle also gives a place of security in times of trouble.

This model of economics worked for 500-700 years. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the nation state.

My $0.02

Mike