Remember it well Fiona, and loved every minute of it at the time

All these modern travellers have no idea what fun it was. Sat in the airport for hours and hours. So bad at times that if the flight was on time we complained. Reading the complaints section some of them have never lived - at least in our day we saved ourselves the trouble because we knew it was a waste of time - said never again and then booked the same place for next year.

Holidays from Hell! Just shows how soft people have become. We helped to invent them.

Now I go on Saturday and I will remember this topic when I am sat in the airport for hours and say never again - Before booking for next year.

fwh

We always expeced a delay fwh - to get away on time was a luxury. If cupboard doors were hanging off, or there was no shower curtain - it just added to the "foreign feel"- fantastic. I remember the 1st time we went abroad and had a delay on the return flight. We had just enough money on us for a bottle of water each!! With 2 children thank goodness we'd booked a meal on the return flight.

ghettoblasters- at least the beach and pool area nowadays are not plagued with these.

True - atlhough I confess I like a little music around the pool area!

ghettoblasters- at least the beach and pool area nowadays are not plagued with these.

Now we have mobile phones going off all the time.

fwh

It's a good job the food and drinks were cheap- remember when you could only take £50 out of the country? Wouldn't go far these days!
kate

Although I had been to school in France for a term in my teens I didn't actually have a holiday abroad until I was 21 when I spent a few weeks with a friend in Greece. The journey took forever my mother drove us down to London very early in the morning to catch a plane to Paris, then we caught an overnight train to Milan another train to Ancona, stayed overnight then caught a train to Brindisi and then the overnight ferry to Corfu then the ferry to Patras and a bus to Athens, it took about three days. The whole holiday cost about £50 including spending money. Everything in Greece was dirt cheap and people invited us into their homes for meals, I remember buying a bunch of grapes for the equivalent of 3pence (pre-decimal) The following year I went to Calella in Spain for 10days and the holiday cost 19 guineas which included some very strange food as part of the halfboard. Most of my current holidays now cost much more than I earned in a year back then.

My holidays abroad have certainly changed in the close on 50years since I started taking them.

I do still send two postcards, one to my 93yr old MIL and one to an very elderly aunt. Until 5years ago when my father died I sent him postcards, most of my holidays are touring ones and I used to buy him maps before I left and he would follow the journey from the postcards that I sent him every few days.

I remember the excitement as the time for travel came nearer, unfortunately I'm much more blasé about travel these days.

I still send postcards and judging by how many postcards and stamps we sell at work it seems to be a popular thing to do I remember only having to go by brochures though I feel from the past at times anyway

Lovely memories Fiona.....Remember getting all dressed up for the flight, and men wearing jacket and ties.
Having your photo taken when walking down the steps of the plane.
Buying those silly souvenirs....carrying a donkey under your arm
It was such an adventure.

I still send postcards too! Though definitely seems that those of us who do are a dying breed. On the rare occasion I receive one it makes a lovely change from bills and junk mail, so I always try to send a few myself.

The main difference for me now, is thanks to HT and similar sites, I know what I'm getting at the hotel and where everything is before I get there. I do like having all the info to hand as it saves time finding these things out during the holiday. However, hubby keeps telling me that he doesnt want to know about things before he gets there as it spoils the fun. I suppose he's got a point.

foreign holidays always felt more foreign too. Probably due to the fact that you didn't have the masses of Brits going years ago and taking over the culture and dictating the English food and pop music they wanted. I remember being in my very first spanish hotel- 38 years ago, and thinking how 'foreign' it all was. I loved the Spanish food and Spanish music. Those were the days.

Goodness me yes, getting a smart outfit ready for the flight! Nowadays it's all about elastic and comfort!

Remember your distinctive UK passport before we all got the little bergundy EU ones?

Remember your distinctive UK passport before we all got the little burgundy EU ones?

You mean when we had PROPER passports - and when we had proper money Pounds - Shillings and Pence - and when it was actually worth something

fwh

Those were the days a real sense of adventure and always a high expectation until you arrived and looked in the room

I remember my very first holiday flight and it was with British Caledonian (BCAL) we were flying to Malta and I just about pooped myself when everybody got up and walked about after the seatbelt sign went off, I though they would tip the plane over

Fond memories
Graham

I have little recollection of any of that..must have been in pre historic times...

holidays at home were more normal when I was a kid- although we did go to Benidorm when I was 10. Before that it was the joys of Butlins. The chalets, the early morning calls, the volcano erupting( yes- way back then ), the children's entertainment, the dinnertimes with everyone being fed at the same time..... My mother always remembers me asking if the sun always shone on Butlinland

A while ago, I was speaking to a young colleague about the days when you would be asked if you wanted a smoking or non smoking seat on a plane. He didn't believe me and accused me of making it up and only believed me when another colleague overheard and confirmed what I said was true.

I remember the days when you went to places such as Spain and developed the tummy wobbles because the food was cooked in oil and at that time, olive oil wasn't used much over here.

I also recall that in Spain the water pressure got lower as you got higher, for example in Lloret our room was on the 4th floor of the hotel. Anything solid wouldn't flush away, so if we wanted to do a poo we had to use the toilet on the ground floor. There was always a queue for the toilets in the mornings!

My mother loves postcards and has kept every one I have sent her.

I can also remember that people used sun tan lotion as a token gesture and only applied it once or twice during the day. If you went back home just as white as you left, people would laugh at you.

One random memory I have is taking the ferry to Isle of Wight and you could look right into the sea down the toilet, that freaked me out as I was only 7 years old or so
Not sure if that counts or not