What holidays did you go on as a child?

[Holidaydream]

Just curious really. We never went to France or Spain etc or further afield when I was little, we would go and stay with relatives in fun cities or lovely parts of the countryside which I adored, and have wonderful memories. But at the same time I remember poring over travel brochures wishing we could go abroad as well!

Where did your family go on holidays when you were young? Did it instil a sense of adventure? Do you take your own kids back to some of your favourite places now?

When I was very little we went to my Grandparents static caravan in Bridlington several times a year then until about 14 we had a touring caravan and stayed all over the country in it. From about 14 my parents decided I didn't want to go on holiday with them anymore (I never indicated that in anyway) then they started to holiday abroad and leave me at home.

I'm 62. I went to Mablethorpe (the nearest seaside place to us) in a chalet, a few times. Other holidays were spent at my Granny's house in Barnes, London. It seemed really posh to us, as she had a garden, a bathroom, and lots of green spaces around.

Uk holidays only. Rented a house for a week by the beach.

Only ever Donegal. It's class.

We used to go to Butlins at Skegness or Filey. This was back in the 70s and early 80s. Me & my sister loved it; especially the fun fairs!

I suppose kids nowadays go on holidays much further afield.

In the 1950s, two weeks in Teignmouth in Devon. First week with my sister and DF's parents and second week with our parents. They used to send a huge trunk down by train in advance which would be waiting for us on arrival. We all travelled by steam train.

Stayed with relatives. They were barely holidays at all really. It was mostly my parents talking to whatever relatives we were staying with and us kids being told to "play in the garden".

I first went abroad aged 21 and then lived and travelled in several different countries so went from one extreme to the other lol.

I went to Greece as a toddler then after my parents divorced when I was 5 I just went to various friends of my mum's holiday homes but more than once.

One was a farmhouse in East Sussex, near Bodiam Castle. It was great but quite run down and full of spiders and dust. We seemed to spend most of our time either at a stream nearby or were taken to the seaside (Camber Sands and Hastings) by DM.

The other place was a friend's holiday bungalow in Ferring. Again we played in a stream/river that led to the sea or in countryside nearby. I made friends with a little girl whose parents holidayed in a static caravan. We went I think to Littlehampton.

Bradford-on-Avon (before it got posh) a friend of DM's moved to a farmhouse there and we stayed in an adjoining building or camped. Spent time on the river, messing around, making friends with older kids. Day trips to Bath and various places - White Horse, Marlborough, Glastonbury etc.

Cornwall - great uncle had a house on a cliff (in a cliff?), we camped near there.

Camping a lot - near Pett Level. Staying at family friends house when they went away in St Leonards. Staying at my aunt's holiday cottage in Dymchurch as teenagers.

A couple of trips to Normandy and Brittany in France. A 3 week holiday to Ireland where I caught gastro enteritis from a friend of uncle's in Bray, spent a week in Sligo General Hospital on a drip and in isolation and lost a stone in weight at age 11, all the while my step-grandma not wanting to call the doctor (money!).

I suppose they did instil senses of adventure but we were 70s/80s kids so were allowed to do a lot anyway by ourselves regardless of the dangers.

No kids so haven't returned to any places (but have returned by myself or with partner/friends). I did go to Dymchurch with a friend and her 2 kids to see where we used to go, it hadn't changed a bit, lost in time.

Once to a campsite, it was so near to our house we popped home when we all got soaking wet due to the awful weather. We did also have a few days in the Isle of Wight one year and my grandma took us to Scotland once on the train. Now I have to make the most of every holiday, no sitting by the pool, I think I drive my family mad as I have to make the most of it.

1970s and 80s we drove (7 of us in a five seat car), to self catering in Torquay, Tenby, Weymouth, Ilfracombe, Truro.

I went to Spain with my friends at 18 and couldn't believe the sunshine.

My DM kept trying to send me and DB to PGL holiday camps to get rid of us...?! but we always refused to go and said we'd run away if we were sent there! I'm not particularly active anyway so the thought of doing the stuff they wanted - assault courses, archery, abseiling - broke me out in a cold sweat - even as a child.

We used to go to Devon in May or October half term to visit a relative and 2 weeks UK cheapo self catering in the summer.im sure places were no where near as heavily vetted as they are these days - I remember being desperate to go to a cottage or chalet with a video so we didn't miss neighbours, but those ones were always out of our parents budget!
Me and Dsis share lots of hilarious stories of the awful accommodation that we stayed in. As kids its didn't bother us at all but as an adult I look back and think it probably wasn't that enjoyable for my parents. My mum used to spend the first day cleaning and my dad would be calling the holiday company trying to sort out some drama or fault that had occurred.
Now we generally go camping/caravan in France or UK or holiday cottage in the UK. But we usually only go for a week, sometimes 10 days as DH is self employed and cant take longer off work. I sometimes take DC away for a few days or a week at half term. We had a 2 week holiday booked in 2020 but covid put paid to that!

Jersey, from the late 70s onwards. Flying was a big adventure for us as young kids. We also went to Butlins in the mid 80s, loved it.

Oh - we camped a lot - my DM got a Fiat Camper Van when I was 9 and that was a revelation as you could have a tent attached to it - but more importantly you could sleep inside as opposed to a tent.

Greek holiday was a lovely hotel somewhere. But I was 2.

In the 70s, we would go to Pontins or a caravan park. Loved it!

We went to our Nan's caravan most weekends/holidays. Twice we went to nothing as my Dad had a week thing there. Once I went in a trip to France with the school. I was 24 when I went on a C plane for the first time.

In contrast my kids have been away abroad 2-3 times a year. Mostly Europe and Africa . Wet have our favourite easy "go to" spots that we revisit occasionally. Corfu. Tunisia. I love exploring new places. So do they.

@CallMeMabel

Only ever Donegal. It's class.

@CallMeMabel - due to me catching gastroenteritis I missed going to Donegal to see an uncle - heard the beaches are lovely there though!

My uncle was in the Garda in Killybegs.

B and Bs in Scarborough, Weymouth, Isle of Wight.
Have lots of very happy memories.

We had a week in Wales and a week in Scotland whilst in primary school and then two trips to a gite in France whilst I was at secondary school. I also went on a French exchange.
A typical year for my DC is skiing, 10 days in a villa in France/Spain/Portugal in the summer plus a week in Cornwall and then a couple of nights somewhere in the U.K. every half term.
The grass is always greener though - DC2 in particular is desperate to go camping and asked Father Christmas for a tent.

My dad used to work for the railways and used to get cheap/free travel passes, so we travelled around Europe by train – France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia (It was the USSR then), Spain and Morocco (yes I know it is in Africa )

We also did a lot of camping holidays in the UK and Ireland.

Grew up on a Scottish island. Never went on holiday.

When I was 15 we went on a school "industrial tour of Scotland" sponsored by an oil company, so our whole class got to go for 3 days for free.

I saw forests of trees and huge cities... mind.blown.

Canaries/Balearics for a fortnight in summer holidays.

Generally a caravan at the coast somewhere one half term.

Maybe a week in the sun during Easter.

Various city break weekends to European cities but also NYC, Toronto, Dubai.

Disney-world and Disneyland a few times.

My parents love to travel and so do I. So my DC have been lucky to travel a lot too.

We don't have expensive cars or a big house as I prioritise travel and experiences like theatre, days out, museums over spending on other things. But still realise how lucky we are to have the choice.

We used to go to holiday camps ( not Butlins) or other self catering places sometimes with my grandparents, aunt and cousins.

For my 50th wedding anniversary my children have bought a week for Dh and me at Gunton Hall in Suffolk which I remember going to for several years with my parents and people they made friends with there.

The holiday camp is now owned by Warners so it will be very different now but I loved the surrounding area and went swimming in the North Sea ( it was freezing).

I'm 59, we went to Majorca, Tunisia and Yugoslavia in the 60's. After that we went to France every year until I was old enough to be left at home. We also went to Cornwall and Norfolk.

@hangrylady

Always in the UK. I remember once my dad booked somewhere not realising it was only about 20 mins from our house. My Nan was with us so he drove around for an hour so it seemed like it was further away