The other day I was flipping through channels when I landed on MTV Classic just as they’d begun a marathon of the first season of Road Rules. I was in high school when Season One originally aired in 1995, so I was more than happy to take a trip down memory lane on a lazy Sunday.

Everybody likes to think the era in which they grew up was the best of times, and I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. That said, re-watching Season One of Road Rules gave me some fantastic flashbacks to what I consider to be better times. Here are five ways in which the adventures of Kit, Mark, Los, Allison and Shelly made me long for the ‘90s.

They Used Disposable Cameras

After completing a particularly wild task involving alligators, I noticed Los took out a disposable camera to capture the moment. When I thought about this, it really represented what photographs used to be about. Photos were taken to preserve a memory.

Today, with every cell phone taking a million shots, and selfie culture reigning supreme, photos are less about preserving memories, and more about bragging on social media.

Sure, the old way required you to finish a roll of film and get it developed, but there’s still something really nice about the concept of preserving a memory on a personal level, rather than taking photos in hopes of getting “likes.”

There Were No Cell Phones

Speaking of selfie culture, it didn’t exist in 1995 thanks to the fact that nobody this side of Zack Morris had a cell phone, and even he couldn’t possibly have imagined they’d one day take pictures. Because of this lack of technology, the quintet in the RV actually conversed with each other; learned about each other and went out and created their own fun.

People Treated Each Other Better

I know what you’re thinking — wasn’t conflict a key element of Road Rules?

Yes, that’s absolutely true, but the arguments they had in the early years weren't like the kind we now see on a daily basis on Facebook, and in the comments sections of websites, where people say things with absolutely no regard for who they’re talking to. There was, dare I say it, a maturity to the conflicts on Road Rules, even the one between Los and Shelly.

No one was ever on the precipice of setting everything on fire, which is how people act on Facebook with nearly every status update, and comment.

They Used Maps

In 1995 GPS technology wasn’t available to the public. Instead, we used these magical things called maps. We had paper maps, and, in the case of the Road Rules gang, they also had a map program on their bulky laptop. It didn’t give them directions, it simply gave them a bunch of searchable maps.

While they ended up lost more than a few times, they always made it to their destination. As a bonus, because they were mapping the journey themselves, rather than letting a robotic voice tell them where to drive, they arrived with some actual knowledge of their surroundings.

I’m not denying GPS technology is great, and I’ll be the first to admit I like having my GPS when I’m driving alone, but perhaps we’ve become so obsessed with the destination that we’ve forgotten how enjoyable the journey can be, especially when it’s shared with friends.

Clothes Were All About Comfort

Maybe it’s because of my close proximity to a number of hipster havens (I’m looking at you, Brooklyn), but while watching Season One of Road Rules I couldn’t help but notice the clothes being worn were all about comfort, and not about an attempt to look cool, or show off. Jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, oftentimes of the baggy variety, ruled the day.

No one felt the need to have $250 jeans that come pre-ripped and are so skin tight you can’t fit a wallet in any of the pockets. Guess what, people still looked attractive! Imagine that.