Just how fast has transport become?

No matter how long your next flight is, even with delays, it will be nothing compared with what people living 100 years ago went through.

The below map, which comes from An Atlas of Economic Geography, published in 1914, was created by John Bartholomew, a descendant of an Edinburgh map-making family. Starting in Europe in the dark-pink section, it details how long you can expect your journey to another location to be: up to five days if your destination is within the dark pink area, up to 10 days as you head into the light pink section, up to 20 days for destinations in orange. Green, light blue and mid blue are 30, 40 and over 40 days respectively.

Today, the longest flight in the world – between Dubai and Panama City – will take you about 17 hours and 35 minutes. That might seem like a long time to be stuck in your seat, but consider the on-demand movies, climate control and complimentary drinks. Compared with 1914, perhaps things don’t look so bad.

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Author: Donald Armbrecht is a freelance writer and social media producer.

Image: A British Airways Boeing 747 takes off from Heathrow Airport in west London. REUTERS/Toby Melville