Road Trip Prep

What ever did our parents do back in the 60s / 70s before cell phones and on long road trips?
They walked... I remember being on a trip with Dad... coming home and a tire went flat. He got out and put the spare on. Went another 10 mile or so and another tire blew. He had a 2nd spare, go figure. Got that one on and before we got home a 3rd tire went. He walked to buy another, walked back and put it on. Tires weren't that bad... figure they were just a bad bunch or there was something in the road. Don't know.