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?

We only went on caravan holidays to Devon, and could only afford to go in September out of season so got taken out of school for a week.

Went abroad for the first time (France) age about 12 on a school trip.

Family holidays mostly to a caravan owned by a distant relative who let my parents have it for free. Memories of playing cards and board games while listening to the rain pounding on the roof. No entertainment or anything at the caravan park.

After Dad was able to buy a small car I remember one holiday when there was me, my parents, my brother, my grandparents and my auntie all in the same car. Brother and I had sit on laps. God knows where they put all the luggage. We travelled from Suffolk to Devon and it took hours. We did stay at a B&B and thought we had really made it.

We didn't have many. We went to Spain once when I was 6 (my nan had apartments in Benidorm) We also did a week camping in Jersey (pissed down with rain) and another weekend to IoW. That was it. I used to think all my school mates were rich because they always went abroad in the school holidays. My parents were useless fuckers & couldn't be bothered. As an adult I really struggle to understand why they had me at all. I was 24 when I regularly started going away as I was earning my own money. Parents, not a fan.. 🙄

We went to the south of France a couple of times, travelled by ferry and train once and drove another time, stayed in a caravan. Did UK Hoeseason holidays when we were younger and Center Parcs a couple of times in the 90's.

Camping in Normandy twice. But I grew up in Pembrokeshire, so never felt I missed out

Never had a holiday as a kid. It wasn't something she wanted me to do.

As an adult, I haven't had the money - I finally managed 3 nights in Paris when I was 40.

The 'prioritising experiences over buying a fancy house or car' stings when you can't even prioritise a house or car because you're so broke that making the rent and bills is a huge success.

Parents split up when I was a baby and my Dad was better off financially than my Mum so went abroad with him every year. Went to Disneyland Paris, Canary Islands, Spain and Mexico. He also took me to Haven and Butlins a couple of times with my cousins which I loved. Holidays with him were much more cultured, lots of exploring and eating local cuisine etc.

Went on holiday with my Mum 3 times. Once to Salou and twice to Benalmadena. Just sitting around the pool, shoved in kids clubs within the resort a lot and basically never leaving the hotel. Boring as fuck. We only went because my Step-Dad’s parents had a time share. She forced me to go to Butlins when I was 13 and I stayed in the caravan most of the time watching TV, I did not want to be there at all at that age.

I was born in 1971. Never went abroad until I was 11. Had lovely holidays though in Cornwall twice a year (relatives had a hotel) and caravans in wales or Kent coast. Great memories. My kids have been aboard at least once a year since they were babies (23 and -18) and feel so hard done by that that couldn't to go away during Covid! Thankfully 23yr old pays for herself now - she's off to Paris with BF next week. Son is going to a luxury golf/spa retreat in Spain with his best friends dad. I have no holiday to look forward to!

But as an adult I've travelled a lot - Canada, USA, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, India, South Africa - so have my kids!

We did house swaps with other families in the U.K. as part of a Christian group my Mum was part of.
She was a single parent with very limited money, so this was a great way for us to see other parts of the country.
Occasionally we went to a gite in France, sometimes with another family.
We always had great times though.

We did go abroad, but I remember my mum circling the flights at the back of the brochure and fiddling around with rooms so we could get the free child places. A whole suitcase was dedicated to food - we very rarely ate out abroad as they would cook and we ate on the balcony. I even remember our hoard of food once being confiscated due to mad cow disease. Both my parents worked - one in a factory and one a cleaner, we were working class but still managed one foreign, one UK and one holiday in my grandparents caravan a year. I don't know how they did it; but then again, holidays abroad weren't 3k a time.

None.

We used to do eurocamp static caravan in a particular site in France. I loved it from packing the car the day before to the ferry to the actual holiday. It was just so exciting driving all that way, reading a map, stopping at petrol stations in France with fancy food in. I would love to do the same holiday with my own children one day. The site we used to go to (late 90s/early 2000s) is still open and even better than it was, there’s so much to do you could do a month there

My brother, sister and I would stay at my granny's caravan in the Scottish Borders at every available opportunity. Pretty much every weekend and all the school holidays. My mum stayed about half the school holidays and my dad stayed the odd weekend or so. Just thinking my parents had 3 weeks with no kids during the summer! My mum was a stay at home mum too!
My great aunt and uncle had a caravan on the same site so we were spoiled rotten and completely feral by the end of the holidays. It was amazing.
I never went on holiday with just my siblings, mum and dad. There was always aunts, uncles, grandparents and sometimes family friends too.

Stayed with relatives or went to butlins once. Didn't have any holiday most years. People didn't think it was an essential then. I still don't think it's an essential. No one we knew went abroad

Went on holiday in uk (usually pontins pakefield for the same 2 weeks every august until I was 9)
We have family in New Zealand so when I was 10 my parents pulled me out of school from Christmas to feb half term and we went around the world for 6 weeks to visit them (Singapore, New Zealand, Tahiti, LA).
A week in either Spain, Majorca or Tenerife every year after that until I was 16 and used to go away with friends instead (also abroad)
Travelled with the school to France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.
Since becoming an adult I have spent a year in USA, holidayed in Spain, Tenerife and Majorca.
My children (16 and 13) have been to Disneyland Paris (5 times), Florida (once), Spain (twice), Majorca (once), Tenerife (once) and multiple UK holidays. We are going to Florida again this year, travelling when younger has made me much more confident to do it alone now with my children.

We never went abroad as a family. For 8 years we had two weeks camping in Abersoch then other camping holidays in other parts of Wales or Yorkshire. Also either February half term or Easter holidays skiing in the Cairngorms. Then we got a touring caravan and went all over Scotland. Fantastic holidays. I stopped holidaying with my parents aged 16 and started Youth Hostelling; first with friends then with a walking/cycling club. The only time I went abroad before I was 20 was a school skiing trip to Austria when I was 14. When I was 20 I went to Brittany for two weeks cycle touring with two friends. My first husband worked for British Airways so we went on holiday abroad a lot, but still went Youth Hostelling too.

Caravan holidays in North Wales - rather grim

Usually Cornwall or Devon. One year we got all exotic and went to the Isle of Wight. Always in a hotel with a pink or blue sink in the room and a candlewick bedspread. Grapefruit or orange juice was a starter for your meal. They were shit but utterly fantastic. Obviously rose coloured specs but I only ever remember it being sunny! I always made a best friend who I would be in tears about leaving and then promptly forget the moment I got home.

We did cornwall self catering until I was about 10 but also occasionally cheap gites in france at Easter etc. They were always very shabby and in slightly random rural locations rather than near beaches or touristy areas. We never flew, only ever did the ferry.

Then when I was 11 my parents saved up to visit my uncle in the states - it was a huge huge deal because flights for a while family were really expensive

Butlins, caravan park in Devon and later on, Majorca. 70s/80s. Fun times.

France in the car going on a cross channel ferry. Also web to the the States a couple of times but never Florida

All I ever wanted to do was go on a package holiday to somewhere sunny. So far I've taken my
Kids to Turkey and Crete and we're doing Egypt this summer. Probs some peoples idea of hell but we do all inclusive and barely leave the hotel. When they're older I'll do more adventurous self catering ones but while they're little knowing everything's been paid for upfront is a lot easier

We didn't do much because my dad was quite tight-fisted, our trips tended to be when my dad was away in the UK on business and he only had pay for our meals and no accommodation (and could claim some of the petrol). We could have afforded to do more (and occasionally did - Tenerife, Majorca and Malta when I was 14).

I did go on some school trips to Germany though.

I can only remember Butlins once and a couple of day trips. My DGPs took me to Spain once. I always felt so left out when others were going on holiday.

My DF and I loved travelling but my DM would not go. I'm convinced that she thought any money spent on anything meant less for her and her men.

I've travelled as much as possible with my DS.

Lots of wonderful Cornish holidays with sunshine and surf and then a couple of holidays to Greece and France in my teens.