1980s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

Cheap flights, Club 18-30 and the holiday as a status symbol.

Below: where people went in the 1980s, 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 1980s

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980
• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981
• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982
• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983
• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984
• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985
• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986
• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987
• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988
• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989
• That is every 1980s year we have written up so far: 1980 to 1989.

Where people went in the 1980s

• Ibiza, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, the Canaries doing winter sun as well as summer.
• Florida and Walt Disney World for families who saved hard for two or three years.
• Turkey and the Algarve opening up as the cheaper new thing.
• Ski resorts in France and Austria, suddenly reachable for middle-income families.
• Center Parcs, which opened its first British village at Sherwood Forest in 1987.
• Greek islands for couples, Corfu and Kos for families, Faliraki for the young.
• Cyprus and Malta for a reliable fortnight with English widely spoken.
• Cornwall, Wales and the Lakes still taking the second holiday and the half-term week.

How the holiday worked

• Teletext late availability - flick to the page, ring the number, go on Saturday.
• Charter airlines, endless brochures and a travel agent on every high street.
• Package holidays sold on price first, destination second.
• Timeshare selling on the Costas, and all the trouble that came with it.
• Credit cards making it possible to book a holiday you had not saved for.
• Duty free allowances generous enough to be a genuine part of the trip.

Travel trends of the 1980s

• Club 18-30 and a whole market aimed at young people and nightlife.
• Winter sun as a second holiday rather than a luxury.
• Camcorders replacing photographs as the holiday record.
• Long-haul starting to look affordable for ordinary families.
• Self-catering villas with a pool as the aspirational step up from an apartment.
• Holiday programmes on television driving where people went that summer.

What people remember

• Duty free in carrier bags and a litre of spirits each on the way home.
• The rep's welcome meeting and the excursions they pushed hard.
• Sun cream still mostly factor four, and peeling for the following week.
• Postcards that arrived after you got back.
• Ringing home once from a payphone with a fistful of coins.
• The carousel at Gatwick at six in the morning and a coach back to the car park.

Iconic trips of the 1980s

• Cheap flights to Faro and the Algarve, and the first British-owned apartments out there.
• Florida and Walt Disney World as the big family trip, once fares came down.
• Club 18-30 holidays, and the reputation that went with them.
• The Channel crossing by hovercraft from Dover, half an hour and very loud.
• Coach tours of Europe for pensioners, ten countries in fourteen days.

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 1980s 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 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 1980s history: events, politics and culture
• 1980s calendar: year by year
• 1980s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1980s films and directors
• 1980s books, films and TV
• 1980s books: novels and authors
• 1980s art: artists and styles
• 1980s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1980s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1980s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1980s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1980s games: board, card and video
• 1980s trivia: fun facts
• 1980s quiz: questions and answers
• 1980s party playlist
• The 1980s: the whole decade
• Retro gift guide: the 1980s
• The decade before: the 1970s
• The decade after: the 1990s
• 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
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Computers and consoles we grew up with
• Saturday morning TV
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• 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
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

Where did people go on holiday in the 1980s?

Ibiza, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, the Canaries doing winter sun as well as summer. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 1980s?

Teletext late availability - flick to the page, ring the number, go on Saturday. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 1980s?

Club 18-30 and a whole market aimed at young people and nightlife. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 1980s?

Cheap flights to Faro and the Algarve, and the first British-owned apartments out there. 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.