1970s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

Spain, self-catering apartments and the seaside town beginning to struggle.

Below: where people went in the 1970s, 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 1970s

• 1970 - England defended the World Cup, the Beatles ended and eighteen-year-olds got the vote. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1970
• 1971 - Decimal Day, the first Glastonbury as we know it and Slade on the way up. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1971
• 1972 - Miners' strikes and power cuts, Ziggy Stardust and a very good year for glam. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1972
• 1973 - Britain joined the EEC, the oil crisis hit and Slade wrote Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1973
• 1974 - Two general elections, the three-day week and Abba winning Eurovision. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1974
• 1975 - Bohemian Rhapsody, the EEC referendum and Fawlty Towers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1975
• 1976 - The heatwave, the drought and the first stirrings of punk. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1976
• 1977 - Silver Jubilee street parties, Star Wars and the summer punk went overground. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1977
• 1978 - Grease, the first test-tube baby and the start of the winter of discontent. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1978
• 1979 - The winter of discontent, the first woman Prime Minister and the last year of the seventies. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1979
• That is every 1970s year we have written up so far: 1970 to 1979.

Where people went in the 1970s

• Benidorm and the Costa del Sol, now genuinely for everybody.
• Greece and the Greek islands as the alternative for people who thought Spain had gone downhill.
• Corfu, Rhodes and Crete arriving on the charter map.
• Butlin's and Pontin's still busy, but losing ground every year.
• Camping in France and Italy with a tent strapped to the roof rack.
• Interrailing across Europe - the pass launched in 1972 and changed student travel.
• Yugoslavia, cheap and popular, especially the Adriatic coast.
• North America for the few, after Laker Airways' Skytrain started in 1977.

How the holiday worked

• Package holidays sold from brochures picked up at the agent's in January, paid off in instalments.
• Laker Airways' Skytrain offered cheap no-frills transatlantic flights from 1977.
• The travel allowance was finally lifted in 1979.
• Ferries to France and Belgium, and the first serious car-holiday traffic through Dover.
• Airline failures and holiday company collapses made bonding and ABTA membership a selling point.
• Flights were often delayed for hours with no information, no compensation and nowhere to sit.

Travel trends of the 1970s

• Self-catering apartments instead of full board, which cut the price again.
• The two-week fortnight abroad becoming the standard family holiday.
• British resorts losing their regular crowds to Spain year on year.
• Package holidays sold on price above everything else.
• Caravan ownership at a high, with static vans on the coast as a second home.
• The first all-in club-style resorts aimed at younger holidaymakers.

What people remember

• Airport delays with no information and a departure board that never changed.
• Chips and egg on the Costa because the food was unfamiliar.
• A Kodak Instamatic and 24 exposures to cover the whole fortnight.
• Bringing back a sombrero that nobody ever wore again.
• The rep's welcome meeting on the first morning with a free sangria.
• Hire cars with no seatbelts in the back and a map on your knee.

Iconic trips of the 1970s

• Laker Airways' Skytrain to New York from 1977 - walk up, buy a ticket, fly.
• Cross-Channel car ferries and a fortnight camping in the Dordogne.
• Interrailing, launched in 1972, with a month's train travel on one pass.
• Package deals to Majorca, Ibiza and Corfu at prices that undercut a week in Cornwall.
• Concorde's first scheduled flights, January 1976 - most people only watched it go over.

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 1970s 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 1970
• Look back to 1971
• Look back to 1972
• Look back to 1973
• Look back to 1974
• Look back to 1975
• Look back to 1976
• Look back to 1977
• Look back to 1978
• Look back to 1979
• 1970s history: events, politics and culture
• 1970s calendar: year by year
• 1970s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1970s films and directors
• 1970s books, films and TV
• 1970s books: novels and authors
• 1970s art: artists and styles
• 1970s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1970s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1970s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1970s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1970s games: board, card and video
• 1970s trivia: fun facts
• 1970s quiz: questions and answers
• 1970s party playlist
• The 1970s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1970s
• The decade before: the 1960s
• The decade after: the 1980s
• 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
• 70s kids' TV shows
• 70s quiz questions
• British Bulldog rules
• Kerby rules
• Sweets that disappeared
• Test card, Ceefax and three channels
• 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 1970s?

Benidorm and the Costa del Sol, now genuinely for everybody. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1970s?

Package holidays sold from brochures picked up at the agent's in January, paid off in instalments. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1970s?

Self-catering apartments instead of full board, which cut the price again. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1970s?

Laker Airways' Skytrain to New York from 1977 - walk up, buy a ticket, fly. 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.