Holidaying in the 70s: Wish You Were Here

Holidaying in the 70s: Wish You Were Here (2024- )

RunningDocumentary show

The 1970s ushered in a travel revolution – suddenly Britain was saying ‘adios' to wet weekends by the sea, and jetting off to package destinations on the Costas that weren't even built yet! This two-part series takes a step back in time to when all of this was thrillingly new – when sangria, pesetas and siestas became part of our vocab; when holiday brochures dominated our doormats; and holiday programmes took over the airways.

We take modern holiday makers on a trip down memory lane, in a recreated high street travel agency, and aboard an authentic 1970s plane. We uncover a secret history of backrooms deals with dictatorships that helped finance our favourite resorts, as well as holiday deals and food options that you wouldn't get nowadays. From mass travel to hippy trail wanderlust, this show takes us back to the decade that started it all.

Network
Scheduleevery Tuesday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Episode 2
Season 1Episode 260 min

Episode 2

In this episode we discover how the advent of the jumbo jet led to a boom in long haul travel and how British holidaymakers crossed the pond to visit the newly created mega tourist attraction in Florida, Disney World.

We tell the story of Freddy Laker, the British entrepreneur who offered cut-price air fares, enticing us with flights to America for just £59 but whose airline ultimately went bust.

We meet Tony Walker who recalls how his backpacking adventures in the 1970s led to the creation of the world's most famous brand of travel guides ‘Lonely Planet'.

The rise of interrailing in the 70s is also explored as is the growing popularity of ski holidays, along with the lure of ‘apres-ski'.

On board our retro plane, holidaymakers experience the early days of in-flight entertainment and discover a shortage of storage for their take-on luggage. Inside our authentic recreation of a 70s travel agent, they delve into the genuine holiday brochures also discover the deals offered by tour operators to far flung locations.

We revisit the challenges of long-haul coach travel in the 70s, with its lack of mod cons and - in stark contrast to today's smart phones - we remember how used to take holiday snaps, only seeing the results weeks' later once we'd developed the film back home.

Our experts also recall the joys of duty-free shopping in the 70s and how joining the European Economic Community meant Brits could enjoy more cut-price bargains than ever before.

Plus, we look into the growing popularity of cruises in the 70s, for those who fancied a more sedate travelling experience, and we reminisce about the souvenirs we used to bring back from our trips abroad.

May 14, 2024

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E02Episode 2May 14, 2024
S01E01Episode 1May 7, 2024
View all episodesView all seasons

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