2020s Holidays: Top Destinations And Travel Trends

Travel stops, restarts, and comes back more expensive.

Below: where people went in the 2020s, 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 2020s

• 2020 - Lockdown, clapping on doorsteps and a year nobody needs reminding of. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2020
• 2021 - Another lockdown, then a summer of football and reopening. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2021
• 2022 - The Platinum Jubilee, the death of the Queen and three Prime Ministers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2022
• 2023 - The coronation, Barbenheimer and 'Last Christmas' finally getting to number one. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2023
• 2024 - A July general election, the Olympics in Paris and Gavin & Stacey signing off. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2024
• 2025 - The Lionesses retained the Euros and the Oasis reunion filled the stadiums. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2025
• That is every 2020s year we have written up so far: 2020 to 2025.

Where people went in the 2020s

• Nowhere in 2020 and much of 2021, with borders closed and flights grounded.
• UK cottages, campsites and caravan parks booked solid in the summer of 2021.
• Cornwall, Devon, the Lakes and Wales at capacity during the staycation summer.
• Spain, Greece, Turkey and Portugal back at the top as soon as it was allowed.
• Long-haul returning slowly from 2022, with Asia the last to reopen.
• Big postponed trips - honeymoons, anniversaries, round-the-world plans - finally happening.
• City breaks recovering fast because they were short, cheap and easy to rebook.
• Rail trips across Europe promoted hard as the lower-carbon alternative.

How the holiday worked

• Testing, passenger locator forms and the traffic-light country lists through 2021.
• Post-Brexit rules - six months' passport validity, 90 days in any 180, and longer border queues.
• Airport queues and mass cancellations in summer 2022 after staff had left the industry.
• Prices up sharply, so people went for less time, closer to home, or every other year.
• Flexible tickets and refundable bookings became worth paying for after 2020.
• Everything on the phone - boarding pass, booking, insurance and the forms.

Travel trends of the 2020s

• Working from anywhere, for the jobs that allow it, stretching trips out.
• Train travel promoted as the lower-carbon option, with sleeper routes reopening.
• Later booking and more flexibility after so many people were caught out.
• Multi-generational trips to make up for the time families lost.
• Package holidays coming back into favour because somebody else sorts out the problems.
• Overtourism measures - tourist taxes, visitor caps and booking systems at busy sites.

What people remember

• The 2021 summer when it felt like everyone in Britain went to Cornwall at once.
• Masks on the plane and a lateral flow test on the kitchen table before leaving.
• The first trip abroad after two years feeling genuinely strange.
• Paying close to twice what the same holiday cost in 2019.
• Queues at passport control that were never that long before.
• Booking somewhere with a kitchen because eating out abroad got expensive.

Iconic trips of the 2020s

• The 2020 staycation: Cornwall, Devon and the Lakes, booked out by June.
• The first flight back in 2021, with a mask on and a test in your bag.
• Sleeper trains coming back - the Caledonian Sleeper and new European night services.
• Van life and campervan holidays, bought in lockdown and used ever since.
• Long-delayed big trips - honeymoons, anniversaries and 'we were meant to go in 2020'.

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 2020s 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 2020
• Look back to 2021
• Look back to 2022
• Look back to 2023
• Look back to 2024
• Look back to 2025
• 2020s history: events, politics and culture
• 2020s calendar: year by year
• 2020s music: songs, genres and trends
• 2020s films and directors
• 2020s books, films and TV
• 2020s books: novels and authors
• 2020s art: artists and styles
• 2020s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 2020s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 2020s technology: gadgets and computers
• 2020s shopping guide: what to buy
• 2020s games: board, card and video
• 2020s trivia: fun facts
• 2020s quiz: questions and answers
• 2020s party playlist
• The 2020s: the whole decade
• The decade before: the 2010s
• 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
• Viral and TikTok party games
• Phone party games
• How to run a quiz night
• Guess the year quiz
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• 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 2020s?

Nowhere in 2020 and much of 2021, with borders closed and flights grounded. The full list above covers the main destinations of the decade, at home and abroad.

How did people book holidays in the 2020s?

Testing, passenger locator forms and the traffic-light country lists through 2021. The rest of the practical detail - money, transport and paid leave - is in the section above.

What were the big travel trends of the 2020s?

Working from anywhere, for the jobs that allow it, stretching trips out. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

What were the iconic trips of the 2020s?

The 2020 staycation: Cornwall, Devon and the Lakes, booked out by June. 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.