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Travelling and tourism are prominent topics in the Chung Collection. The collection contains more than 10,000 archival items, including documents, photographs, books, and other artifacts. Many of these materials relate to travel through the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and offer fascinating glimpses into British Columbia’s history. They reveal traces of the province’s early commercial and industrial development, as well as stories of immigration and settlement in Canada. They also highlight the growth of leisure travel, especially the experience of exploring Canada by train or journeying across the world by cruise ship.

Browsing through these vintage pamphlets is like stepping back in time. They not only show the pricing and travel packages offered during that period, but also capture the excitement and romance of crossing a continent by rail or sailing to distant destinations. At the same time, the imagery and descriptions in these pamphlets reveal how people once imagined and represented different parts of the world, offering insight into the historical perspectives and cultural biases of the time.

This blog post highlights a selection of international travel promotional materials from the Chung Collection. Enjoy!

Please note that the Chung Collection may contain outdated or harmful language, stereotypes, descriptions, or imagery that reflect the perspectives of their time. Please read with historical awareness.

A Peiping sojourn

This promotional pamphlet from around the 1920s introduces Peiping, a former romanized name for Beijing, China. Its pages bring the city to life with descriptions of everyday street scenes and local traditions, from weddings and funerals to lively festivals, fairs, and markets. The pamphlet also highlights theatre performances, food, and a variety of places that visitors might explore. Together, this pamphlet offer a fascinating glimpse of how the city was presented to travelers nearly a century ago.

Here’s how it describes Peiping as a destination full of remarkable places to visit:

“If one stays in Japan, each city has its charm, its own special object of interest, but to really see Japan means traveling from one end of the island to the other, to the north – and then there is still the return. In Peiping and near Peiping are situated all the places of interest – the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs – so many intriguing spots that all description are dull as compared with the actuality.” 

This page describes Chinese New Year and related religious traditions.

S/S Empress of France Mediterranean cruise de luxe : Istanbul March 1931, few notes on points visited during the excursion

This 1931 pamphlet describes a shore excursion to Istanbul during a Mediterranean cruise on the Empress of France. It offers a brief introduction to the city’s history and highlights several remarkable sites that tourists could visit while in Istanbul. You might even find inspiration for your next cultural trip to explore the prehistorical marvels of the cradle of human civilisation!

Page introducing the Tchinili Kiosk and the Tower of Galata.

Fly Canadian Pacific Italy tours

This 1964 pamphlet advertises Canadian Pacific Airlines tours in Italy. It includes detailed information on the daily schedule and tour costs. At the time, a 15-day tour of Italy from Rome to Sicily cost about 400 Canadian dollars for a single room, with hotels and meals included.

Southern Italy 15-day tour, 1964

Special excursions to Hungary : holy year 1930

This 1930 pamphlet advertises 48 attractive escorted tours to Europe and back. It features a variety of itineraries to Hungary, with routes passing through many European countries. Every detail of these excursions was planned, from transportation to sightseeing. Take a look through the pamphlet and explore what these tour packages had to offer. Browse the price lists, discover the destinations, and imagine the experience of traveling across Europe almost a century ago!

Individual tourist third cabin round-trip fares, 1930

To Australia and New Zealand by the Canadian Pacific route

This 1932 booklet advertises travel to Australia and New Zealand, and train and ship travel with the Canadian Pacific. Take a look through its pages and imagine embarking on a vintage journey across the Pacific. Travelers could board the quadruple-screw motor-ship “Aorangi” or the triple-screw steamship “Niagara” in Vancouver or Victoria and set sail toward the South Pacific. Along the way, the voyage included stops in the tropical destinations of Honolulu and the Fiji Islands. From there, passengers could continue on to New Zealand or Australia to explore beautiful cities and dramatic natural landscapes.

An information page describing the geography and culture of New Zealand.

Explore the Chung Collection, one of the largest research collections on the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, featuring documents, maps, publications, photographs, and artifacts that illustrate CPR’s construction, steamship services, travel, and more.

Read more blog posts about Canadian Pacific Railway travel:

VINTAGE TRAVEL PAMPHLETS FROM THE CHUNG COLLECTION (2024)

WORLD TOUR IN THE EARLY 1930S: THE EMPRESS OF BRITAIN WORLD CRUISE (2022)

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR CANADIAN PACIFIC STEAMSHIPS: PART I (2019)

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR CANADIAN PACIFIC STEAMSHIPS: PART II (2019)

TRAVELLING WITH THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY (2018)

WORLD TRAVEL PHOTO ALBUM (2017)

REMEMBERING THE EMPRESS (2014)

CRUISING THROUGH A COLLECTION (2013)

TRAVELING IN STYLE (2012)

Others

OBJECTS OF THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY

EIGHT BUSINESS LESSONS FROM THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY