Whether retired in a city or semi-retired on a farm, Niagara County residents, starting as early as the late 1800s, would travel to Florida in the fall and return in the spring. While that doesn't seem like much of a feat today in the age of jumbo jet travel and interstate highways, you might not have thought retired turn-of-the-twentieth-century people would've even considered traveling to Florida regularly. But, according to numerous newspaper accounts, they often traveled to Florida for the winter every year.

So, how did people then affordably, conveniently, and relatively quickly travel a thousand or more miles to Florida? Before WWII, the interstate highway system hadn't been built yet. Even though AAA was started in 1902, long-distance travel by car was difficult and slow since the roads were often poor and cars weren't terribly fast or reliable. By the 1940s, road travel had certainly improved, but roads weren't really good until after WWII. Also, even though the Erie Canal was nearby, travel to Florida by boat would have been exceedingly time-consuming. And commercial airplane travel was around as early as the mid-1920s (the Buffalo International Airport was built in 1926), but planes then were relatively small, routes were limited, and fares were expensive.

After practically ruling out cars, boats, and airplanes, train travel was the only transportation mode left. Railroads have been around since the early 1800s. By 1850, the Eastern US had railroad lines connecting most major cities. A traveler could board a train in Buffalo and ride to NY City or Cleveland, and then board another train to Jacksonville, FL, or even Tampa, FL. Passenger train travel during the 1880s generally cost two or three cents per mile. So the 1200-mile trip to Florida would have cost roughly $24 to $36, in today's prices, from $620 to $930, taking about 2 or 3 days with overnight travel in sleeper cars. While maybe not cheap, at the time, train travel was faster, more convenient, and more attractive than the alternatives. Train stations from 1880 to 1940 in large cities looked like airports today, with many people arriving and departing every day, every hour. Once interstate highways were built after WWII, cars became faster and more reliable, and commercial airplanes became larger and faster with cheaper fares and more routes, railroad travel faded but is still viable for various types of commerce.

Disingers from remote locations, like those from Seneca County and Fayette, NY, such as Lyman Disinger, regularly attended the Disinger family reunions in the beginning years. Traveling by horse and buggy or wagon, the 100-mile trip from Fayette would have taken 8-10 hours at best. So it would likely have been a 3-day trip for them. In 1901, car and airplane travel weren't yet practical. But trains were relatively fast and convenient, if not cheap. A train trip from Fayette to Niagara County would have taken about 2 hours. So they could have left in the morning and been in Niagara County before noon for the reunion. After the reunion, depending on the train schedules, they took a train back home the same night or the next morning. At 2 to 3 cents per mile, the trip would have cost them $2 to $3 one way, or about $75 to $100 today. Perhaps it was a little pricey for a farmer, but some willingly paid for several years of reunions. Such was the attraction of a train trip and reunion with friends and family. New York Central Railroad occasionally offered discounts and specials, which might have helped.