Holidays Matter

The first time I travelled on a plane I was nineteen years old.  Up to that point all of my holidays had been with my family in the UK.  We went by train to caravan parks at the seaside; Skegness, Blackpool, Llandudno, Scarborough.  My childhood was like one great big episode of Coast.

They were happy times.  We lived in a terraced house in Liverpool where my dad worked for the Council. I’m sure there were sacrifices that I knew nothing of but we never missed a holiday.  Always a fortnight in August and always packed with excitement.  I must have spent hours playing on tupenny shove machines with my sister at the end of the pier arcades, perfecting my crazy golf windmill timing and throwing chips to seagulls!

I fell in love with travel during those summers.  I remember my dad lifting me up to put my head out of the train window (no health and safety back then), watching the world whizz by with the wind in my hair, and knowing that this was all I wanted to do.  The long haul flights and exotic Kuoni destinations came later, but my passion for travel was born on a train to Abergele!

Looking back now, I realise how much holidays matter.  They broaden horizons, provide a break from everyday stresses and strains and create memories that last a lifetime.  Holidays make people happier, communities stronger, and societies more prosperous.  And yet today in Britain, the world’s seventh biggest economy, seven million people cannot afford to take a seven night holiday and still more miss out because the challenges of life are too great. 

Last week, appropriately surrounded by thousands of travel people at the World Travel Market, the ‘Holidays Matter’ Network was launched.  The network will, for the first time, provide a framework for organisations who believe that every single person in this country should have the opportunity for a break away from home.  Its aim is to banish for ever the words ‘I’ve never been on holiday’.

The UK Tourism industry contributes 9% of GDP and employs over 3 million people.  It is a lifeline for communities across the UK who depend on it for jobs and long-term economic viability.  We simply cannot afford to have a third of the UK population excluded from the many benefits a simple break or day trip can provide.

Working in the travel industry it’s sometimes easy to forget that jumping on and off a plane a handful of times every year is not something that everybody can do.  For some families, just a week away in a caravan by the seaside can make an enormous difference.

The Family Holiday Association, which has been providing much needed breaks to disadvantaged children and their families since 1975, recently received a letter from a 7 year old child who had just returned from her first ever family holiday. ‘After my holiday,’ it said ‘I am all laughing and happy inside.’