Postcard:Crossman House, Thousand Islands, N.Y.

Travelers often collected postcards of the inns and hotels they visited. At hotels, such as the one pictured here, guests enjoyed tranquil landscapes, quaint towns, and fresh air. Staying at a hotel was one of the main attractions of a trip, as it offered vacationers an escape from daily life but with all the comforts of home and sometimes even more.