1960s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

The package holiday takes off and Spain replaces Skegness.

Below: where people went in the 1960s, 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 1960s

• 1960 - Coronation Street began, national service ended and the sixties had not started yet. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1960
• 1961 - The Beatles started playing the Cavern and Yuri Gagarin went into space. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1961
• 1962 - Love Me Do, the first James Bond film and the Cuban missile crisis. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1962
• 1963 - The big freeze, Beatlemania, Doctor Who and the assassination of President Kennedy. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1963
• 1964 - Top of the Pops, pirate radio, mods and rockers, and BBC Two. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1964
• 1965 - Churchill's funeral, the 70mph limit and the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1965
• 1966 - England won the World Cup, and then Aberfan happened in October. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1966
• 1967 - Sgt. Pepper, Radio 1, colour television and the summer of love. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1967
• 1968 - Manchester United in Europe, Dad's Army and a year of protest. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1968
• 1969 - The moon landing, the Beatles on the roof and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1969
• That is every 1960s year we have written up so far: 1960 to 1969.

Where people went in the 1960s

• Benidorm, which went from fishing town to high-rise resort inside the decade.
• Torremolinos, Lloret de Mar and the rest of the Costa Brava and Costa del Sol.
• Majorca, which became the default first flight abroad for British families.
• Italy - Rimini and the Adriatic - and Greece for people who wanted somewhere quieter.
• The Norfolk Broads and Cornwall, still busy with families holidaying at home.
• Coach tours to the Alps, the Rhine valley and the Italian lakes.
• Butlin's, Pontin's and the British resorts, still full but no longer the obvious choice.
• France by car and ferry, with a tent or a caravan and a long drive south.

How the holiday worked

• Charter flights and inclusive packages drove the price of a fortnight abroad right down.
• Thomas Cook and the high-street travel agent were how almost everyone booked.
• Traveller's cheques, a paper passport and the currency allowance still in force.
• The Ford Cortina generation drove to the West Country instead of taking the train.
• Brochures came out in the autumn and the holiday was booked months ahead.
• Airports were small, informal and often little more than a shed with a bar.

Travel trends of the 1960s

• Sun rather than sea air as the entire point of a holiday.
• Duty free, sangria and the first round of Brits-abroad jokes.
• Caravanning and camping in France for families with a car and a roof rack.
• Hitch-hiking and student travel across Europe becoming normal.
• Purpose-built resorts going up faster than anyone could regulate them.
• British seaside towns starting to feel the competition for the first time.

What people remember

• The first time anyone in the family had been on a plane, and dressing up for it.
• Slides of the holiday shown to relatives on a projector against the living room wall.
• Sunburn treated with calamine lotion and a cold flannel.
• A straw donkey, a bullfight poster with your name on it and a bottle of duty free.
• Chips ordered abroad because the food was unfamiliar and the children would not eat it.
• Writing postcards on day two and posting them from the airport on the way home.

Iconic trips of the 1960s

• Benidorm and Torremolinos by charter flight - the Spanish package boom.
• The hippie trail overland from London to Kathmandu.
• Scooter runs to Brighton and Margate on bank holidays.
• A Mini or a Cortina down through France on the new motorways.
• The Isle of Wight festivals, 1968 to 1970, the trip a lot of teenagers remember best.

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 1960s 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 1960
• Look back to 1961
• Look back to 1962
• Look back to 1963
• Look back to 1964
• Look back to 1965
• Look back to 1966
• Look back to 1967
• Look back to 1968
• Look back to 1969
• 1960s history: events, politics and culture
• 1960s calendar: year by year
• 1960s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1960s films and directors
• 1960s books, films and TV
• 1960s books: novels and authors
• 1960s art: artists and styles
• 1960s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1960s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1960s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1960s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1960s games: board, card and video
• 1960s trivia: fun facts
• 1960s quiz: questions and answers
• 1960s party playlist
• The 1960s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1960s
• The decade before: the 1950s
• The decade after: the 1970s
• 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
• Playground games by region
• Knock down ginger
• Conkers rules
• Marbles rules
• School dinners we all remember
• 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
• Sympathy and bereavement cards
• Sympathy cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

Where did people go on holiday in the 1960s?

Benidorm, which went from fishing town to high-rise resort inside the decade. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1960s?

Charter flights and inclusive packages drove the price of a fortnight abroad right down. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1960s?

Sun rather than sea air as the entire point of a holiday. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1960s?

Benidorm and Torremolinos by charter flight - the Spanish package boom. 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.