1940s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

No holidays during the war, then the seaside again as soon as it was allowed.

Below: where people went in the 1940s, 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 1940s

• 1940 - Rationing, Dunkirk, Churchill and the Blitz - the year everything changed. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1940
• 1941 - The Blitz continued, clothes went on the ration and America entered the war. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1941
• 1942 - The Beveridge Report, soap on the ration and the first American troops arriving. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1942
• 1943 - The tide turned, the Dambusters flew and the country got used to going without. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1943
• 1944 - D-Day, the V-1s and the Education Act that changed school for everyone. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1944
• 1945 - VE Day, VJ Day, a landslide election and street parties on bomb-damaged roads. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1945
• 1946 - Television came back, bread went on the ration and the family allowance started. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1946
• 1947 - The worst winter in memory, a royal wedding and Indian independence. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1947
• 1948 - The NHS began, the Olympics came to London and the Windrush docked at Tilbury. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1948
• 1949 - Clothes rationing ended, the pound was devalued and the decade closed on austerity. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1949
• That is every 1940s year we have written up so far: 1940 to 1949.

Where people went in the 1940s

• Nowhere much between 1939 and 1945 - beaches were mined, wired off and closed to the public.
• Holidays at Home schemes, which ran concerts, sports and funfairs in local parks instead.
• From 1945 the resorts reopened and were immediately packed beyond capacity.
• Butlin's camps returned to holiday use after serving as naval and army bases.
• Blackpool, which had come through the war better than most and boomed afterwards.
• The new National Parks areas - the Peak District was designated first, in 1951, after the 1949 Act.
• Very little foreign travel, held back by currency limits, rationing and a shortage of ships.
• Day trips by works coach to the nearest stretch of coast, which for many was the whole holiday.

How the holiday worked

• Petrol rationing kept private cars largely off the road until 1950.
• Trains were crowded, slow, unheated and full of servicemen and kit.
• A strict travel allowance limited how much money could be taken out of the country.
• Boarding houses still ran on the landlady's timetable, with meals at set hours and no exceptions.
• Food rationing meant many places asked guests to hand over ration coupons on arrival.
• Booking was done by letter, weeks in advance, and confirmed by postcard.

Travel trends of the 1940s

• Pent-up demand - record crowds at the coast in the late forties, with people sleeping in waiting rooms.
• The first package-holiday experiments right at the end of the decade.
• Camping cheap and popular precisely because everything else was scarce.
• The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 opening up the hills for good.
• Cycling holidays at their absolute peak while petrol was still rationed.
• Works outings and chapel trips doing the organising for people who had never booked anything.

What people remember

• Barbed wire, concrete blocks and pill boxes still on beaches for years afterwards.
• A week away that genuinely felt like an enormous luxury after six years of war.
• Coach trips organised by the works, the union or the chapel.
• Making do with a day at the nearest bit of coast and calling it the holiday.
• Queueing for everything - the boarding house, the beach, the bus and the fish and chips.
• Demob suits and utility clothing on the promenade.

Iconic trips of the 1940s

• Evacuation, September 1939 - for a lot of children, their first journey out of the city.
• A week at Butlin's again from 1946, once the camps came back from military use.
• The Windrush arriving at Tilbury, June 1948.
• Youth hostelling and cycling holidays, the only affordable way to go far.
• Honeymoons in Torquay, Llandudno or the Lakes, booked by letter and paid in cash.

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 1940
• Look back to 1941
• Look back to 1942
• Look back to 1943
• Look back to 1944
• Look back to 1945
• Look back to 1946
• Look back to 1947
• Look back to 1948
• Look back to 1949
• 1940s history: events, politics and culture
• 1940s calendar: year by year
• 1940s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1940s films and directors
• 1940s books, films and TV
• 1940s books: novels and authors
• 1940s art: artists and styles
• 1940s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1940s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1940s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1940s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1940s games: board, card and video
• 1940s trivia: fun facts
• 1940s quiz: questions and answers
• The 1940s: the whole decade
• The decade before: the 1930s
• The decade after: the 1950s
• 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
• Wartime and 1950s party games
• Traditional British party games
• Pen and paper games
• Card games your nan taught you
• 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
• Birthday cards for kids
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

Where did people go on holiday in the 1940s?

Nowhere much between 1939 and 1945 - beaches were mined, wired off and closed to the public. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1940s?

Petrol rationing kept private cars largely off the road until 1950. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1940s?

Pent-up demand - record crowds at the coast in the late forties, with people sleeping in waiting rooms. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1940s?

Evacuation, September 1939 - for a lot of children, their first journey out of the city. 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.