The jet set were wealthy socialites who traveled the world to party and relax in the 1950s, using commercial airliners to reach destinations such as New York, London, and Paris. Paparazzi emerged to photograph them, and the term evolved to describe those who traveled on private jets. As air travel became more affordable, the jet set became known for owning their own jet aircraft and vacationing in private locations.
The jet setter is a term coined to describe the socialites of the mid-1950s who, with the invention of commercial airliners, would travel around the world to party, relax, and entertain. The term jet set was used by an entertainment journalist to describe the travel and lavish lifestyles of these wealthy and wealthy high society figures. The jet set’s original travel destinations were New York City in the United States, London, England, and Paris, France. As the 1960s wore on, destinations were increased to include Los Angeles, California in the United States, the French Riviera and the Greek islands. The term eventually evolved to describe wealthy people who traveled for pleasure aboard their own private jets.
The speed of the newly invented jet aircraft gave birth to a new way of life for those who could afford it. Early air travel was expensive and only for the rich and famous, for the most part. World War II was starting to fade from memory and the world’s elite were once again starting to enjoy a pampered lifestyle. The generation that had endured war and sacrifice was beginning to flaunt their status by boarding a jet plane and traveling from New York to Paris simply to dine or attend a party.
Even the paparazzi were spawned by the jet set age. These nomadic photographers were starting to wait on the streets for an attempt to photograph the wealthy as they left a restaurant or party. Newspapers and tabloids were quick to buy the photos to attach them to a story about a socialite’s whereabouts. This eventually became a thriving business as photos of rich people accompanied by someone other than their spouse started making headlines in entertainment news around the world. Later, American country music singers began including lyrics comparing the jet set to the Chevrolet set, as the distinction between the haves and have-nots began to emerge in popular culture.
As air travel became more affordable, jet set etiquette began to take on another form. In the 1970s and 1980s, the jet set became known as the socialites who owned their own jet aircraft. Small private airports have started popping up in the Bahamas and other tropical paradise spots to allow the new jet-setting society to vacation and play in private locations. The desire to own full-size jet aircraft began to be traded for ownership and learning to fly smaller corporate-type jets.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
