1930s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

Paid holidays arrive, Butlin's opens, and the seaside becomes an institution.

Below: where people went in the 1930s, how the holiday actually worked, what changed during the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.

Useful for a reminiscence session, a themed party, or working out what someone's holidays looked like when they were young.

Years covered in the 1930s

• 1930 - The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930
• 1931 - The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931
• 1932 - Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932
• 1933 - Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933
• 1934 - Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934
• 1935 - The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935
• 1936 - Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936
• 1937 - The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937
• 1938 - Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938
• 1939 - Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939
• That is every 1930s year we have written up so far: 1930 to 1939.

Where people went in the 1930s

• Skegness, where Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp in 1936, followed by Clacton in 1938.
• Blackpool, Rhyl, Bournemouth, Clacton and Weston-super-Mare at their peak.
• The Lake District and the Peak District for walkers - the Kinder Scout mass trespass was in 1932.
• Youth hostels all over the country after the YHA was founded in 1930.
• Snowdonia and the Yorkshire Dales for cycling and hiking clubs on a weekend.
• The Norfolk Broads, where hiring a boat became an established family holiday.
• Ocean liners to New York for anyone who could afford it - Queen Mary entered service in 1936.
• Cornwall and Devon, newly reachable on the Great Western's Cornish Riviera Express.

How the holiday worked

• The Holidays with Pay Act 1938 gave millions of workers a paid week for the first time.
• Train and coach still did nearly all the carrying, with excursion fares aimed squarely at day trippers.
• Full board at a boarding house, or a chalet at a camp with all meals and entertainment included.
• Saving up through the year in a works holiday club, paid out the week before you left.
• Railway companies advertised heavily with posters that are now collectors' items.
• Abroad meant a boat train and a ferry; flying was for the very rich and nobody else.

Travel trends of the 1930s

• Holiday camps - meals, entertainment and childcare all in, for roughly a week's wage.
• Hiking, cycling and the outdoors as a genuine mass hobby rather than a middle-class one.
• Lidos built in almost every town of any size, many of them still standing.
• Camping and caravanning becoming something ordinary families did rather than a novelty.
• The seaside promenade, the ballroom and the pier as the main attractions, rain or shine.
• The first organised coach tours to Europe for people who would never have crossed the Channel otherwise.

What people remember

• Redcoats, knobbly knees competitions and the tannoy waking you up in the morning.
• A week's full board that cost about a week's wage, and felt like a small fortune.
• Sunburn, with no sun cream worth the name to put on it.
• The same fortnight, the same resort, every single year, and nobody minded.
• Dance bands in the ballroom and everyone dressed properly for the evening.
• Trams along the front and a walk to the end of the pier and back.

Iconic trips of the 1930s

• Billy Butlin's first holiday camp at Skegness, opened Easter 1936.
• The Orient Express to Istanbul, at its most glamorous just before the war.
• Imperial Airways flying boats to Africa and India - days in the air, hotels overnight.
• The Kinder Scout mass trespass, April 1932, which opened the moors to walkers.
• A cheap day return to Brighton, the Southern Railway's electrified best seller.

How to use this

• Reminiscence: ask where they went, who drove and what went wrong - the disasters get the best stories.
• Quiz round: read a destination and ask for the decade.
• Themed party: old postcards and a map do more than any decoration.
• Present: a print of the place they honeymooned beats a generic card.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Old holiday photos are the best prompt for a reminiscence session - better than any list.
• Ask about the journey, not the destination; that is where the stories are.
• Dates matter: check when someone actually went, not when the destination was fashionable.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1930
• Look back to 1931
• Look back to 1932
• Look back to 1933
• Look back to 1934
• Look back to 1935
• Look back to 1936
• Look back to 1937
• Look back to 1938
• Look back to 1939
• 1930s history: events, politics and culture
• 1930s calendar: year by year
• 1930s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1930s films and directors
• 1930s books, films and TV
• 1930s books: novels and authors
• 1930s art: artists and styles
• 1930s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1930s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1930s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1930s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1930s games: board, card and video
• 1930s trivia: fun facts
• 1930s quiz: questions and answers
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The decade before: the 1920s
• The decade after: the 1940s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Traditional British party games
• Seaside and beach games
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

Where did people go on holiday in the 1930s?

Skegness, where Billy Butlin opened his first holiday camp in 1936, followed by Clacton in 1938. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1930s?

The Holidays with Pay Act 1938 gave millions of workers a paid week for the first time. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1930s?

Holiday camps - meals, entertainment and childcare all in, for roughly a week's wage. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1930s?

Billy Butlin's first holiday camp at Skegness, opened Easter 1936. The iconic trips section above lists the journeys of the decade, with dates.

Do you sell holidays?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.