If you are interested learning the history of making hajj through the centuries, you might want to begin with this article which discusses how the pre-Islamic rituals conducted at the Kaaba were eliminated by Quranic injunctions.
One of the most famous hajjis, whose travels took decades and whose journey ultimately covered thousands of miles is Ibn Battuta. Ibn Battuta’s travels both exceeded and pre-dated those of Marco Polo. The story of his hajj is here. A six-part history of his travels begins here.
A short article about the hardships of travel, particularly by caravan is here.
A visual comparison of hajj in 1953 and hajj in modern times in this video on IslamicTube.net
