1950s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

The last great seaside decade, and the first charter flights abroad.

Below: where people went in the 1950s, 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 1950s

• 1950 - Petrol came off the ration, the Festival of Britain was being built and there was no chart yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1950
• 1951 - The Festival of Britain, a Conservative return and still no singles chart. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1951
• 1952 - A new Queen, the Great Smog and the first ever singles chart in November. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1952
• 1953 - The coronation, Everest, the Matthews final and sweets off the ration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1953
• 1954 - Rationing finally ended and Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1954
• 1955 - ITV launched, rock and roll arrived and Britain got its first television adverts. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1955
• 1956 - Suez, Elvis arriving in the chart and the start of skiffle. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1956
• 1957 - You've never had it so good, the Munich disaster still to come and skiffle everywhere. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1957
• 1958 - Munich, the first motorway and Cliff Richard's 'Move It'. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1958
• 1959 - The Mini, the M1 and the last year before the sixties. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1959
• That is every 1950s year we have written up so far: 1950 to 1959.

Where people went in the 1950s

• Blackpool, Skegness, Weston-super-Mare, Bognor and Great Yarmouth, full every single summer.
• Butlin's and Pontin's camps at their absolute peak - Pontin's started in 1946 and grew fast.
• Corsica, where Vladimir Raitz's Horizon Holidays ran its first package flights in 1950.
• Spain from the mid-fifties, once Horizon added Majorca and the Costa Brava.
• Caravan sites along the Norfolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales coasts.
• Switzerland, Austria and the Rhine by coach tour, sold as the respectable way to see Europe.
• The Isle of Wight, Torquay and the English Riviera for a slightly smarter week.
• Scotland by car as roads improved, helped by the first stretches of motorway at the end of the decade.

How the holiday worked

• Two weeks' paid holiday became normal for most workers during the decade.
• Car ownership rose sharply and changed where families could go and when they could leave.
• Horizon Holidays pioneered the British package - flight, transfer, room and meals on one ticket.
• Money abroad was still limited by a strict travel allowance stamped into your passport.
• Booking was done face to face at a travel agent, or by post straight to the boarding house.
• Trains were still how most people reached the coast, with Saturday changeover queues to match.

Travel trends of the 1950s

• Self-catering caravans as the cheaper alternative to full board, and a huge growth area.
• Motorways beginning - the Preston bypass in 1958, the first stretch of the M1 in 1959.
• Seaside towns building amusement arcades, coffee bars and rock shops aimed at teenagers.
• Bank holiday traffic jams becoming a national complaint almost as soon as cars were affordable.
• The first talk of the Costas as somewhere ordinary families might one day go.
• Camping in France for the small number of families willing to drive there.

What people remember

• Rock with the name of the town running all the way through it.
• Punch and Judy, the pier, the ballroom and the end-of-the-pier show.
• Bed and breakfast signs in the window and no key if you were back after eleven.
• Rain, and a pavilion or a shelter to sit in while it passed.
• A shilling in the meter and a paddling pool on the promenade.
• The smell of vinegar, engine oil and candyfloss on the front.

Iconic trips of the 1950s

• Vladimir Raitz's first Horizon package to Corsica in 1950 - the package holiday starts here.
• The first jet airliner service, BOAC's Comet to Johannesburg, May 1952.
• A caravan at Rhyl or Hunstanton, towed behind the family's first car.
• Coach tours to Switzerland and the Italian lakes, three days each way.
• Butlin's and Pontins at their peak, with redcoats, chalets and a tannoy.

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: put the 1950s playlist on and pin up a few old postcards.
• 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 1950
• Look back to 1951
• Look back to 1952
• Look back to 1953
• Look back to 1954
• Look back to 1955
• Look back to 1956
• Look back to 1957
• Look back to 1958
• Look back to 1959
• 1950s history: events, politics and culture
• 1950s calendar: year by year
• 1950s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1950s films and directors
• 1950s books, films and TV
• 1950s books: novels and authors
• 1950s art: artists and styles
• 1950s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1950s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1950s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1950s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1950s games: board, card and video
• 1950s trivia: fun facts
• 1950s quiz: questions and answers
• 1950s party playlist
• The 1950s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1950s
• The decade before: the 1940s
• The decade after: the 1960s
• All decade guides in one place
• 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
• Playground games by region
• Clapping games and skipping rhymes
• Seaside and beach games
• Sweets that disappeared
• 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
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

Where did people go on holiday in the 1950s?

Blackpool, Skegness, Weston-super-Mare, Bognor and Great Yarmouth, full every single summer. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1950s?

Two weeks' paid holiday became normal for most workers during the decade. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1950s?

Self-catering caravans as the cheaper alternative to full board, and a huge growth area. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1950s?

Vladimir Raitz's first Horizon package to Corsica in 1950 - the package holiday starts here. 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.