There is this Anime called Spice&Wolf and the main gist of it is that a couple, a traveling merchant and his female partner, travel the world selling and buying goods here and there (well there is more to it but I am only explaining here what is necessary to understand my question). It takes place in roughly the Early Renaissance.
Now there are certain tolls, tariffs and other such things shown in the Anime but generally it seems that you are able to just go to whereveer you want and do whatever you want (as long as you keep to the local laws, of course). There are not a lot of regulations and laws restricting you from going from one country to another or selling and buying this and that. Nor do you need a permament residence where your mail is send to.
When did this stop being a thing? Of course nowdays I could still go from one city or another, but you can't just become a merchant here and now. There is tons of regulatory work to do and you still need a permamnent residence where your mail is sent to etc.
Now there are probably more things that I forgot about but I hope the gist of my question is clear. I am terrible at explaining things.
It's just the opposite-- it's only very recently that a traveler can freely travel on the roads without fear, and taxes and tariffs are generally lower than they were historically. Recall that throughout most of human history, travel was dangerous. Highwaymen on the roads, pirates on the seas . . . perhaps in anime "olden times" were peaceful, but not in the real world.
Traveling in the US, Canada or in the European Community today, is probably the easiest and safest travel, ever, in human history, in terms of bureaucratic obstacles amd danger encountered per mile.
In terms of just showing up and selling things-- as you go back in time, Kings and empires are very aggressive about tariffs. You'll find discussion of tariffs and fees for using the roads to trade in the most ancient of Mesopotamian civilizations.
There's a wonderful set of cuneiform tablets from Assyrian traders, 4000 years ago, in which they discuss smuggling some of their goods on back roads to avoid government fees and taxes on the route between the cities of Kanesh and Ashur.
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