It’s that time of year again when your office begins to resemble a cage, your desk a ball and chain attached to your ankle. While the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the drinks are chilled for those lucky enough to escape, it’s the ideal time to turn your email alerts off and decamp to a sandy beach.

The British holiday has come a long way. In the Victorian era it was all about seaside towns, like Margate and Scarborough. Then, the advent of low-cost flying popularised the Spanish costa. (While residents of abandoned British seaside towns lamented the fall in trade, residents of previously tranquil Spanish towns surely lamented the sudden proliferation of Red Lion pubs).

Karim Aga Khan On Holiday On The French Riviera, 1959


Today, those of us lucky enough to afford to do so can jet off to just about anywhere at a moment’s notice, from Dubai deserts to Thai lagoons.

But we’re also entering a period of push-back against international travel. According to environmentalist Andreas Malm, flying is one of the most harmful things you can do for our planet. In fact, a single flight from London to Edinburgh (let’s be honest, no one’s idea of a dream holiday destination) emits more CO2 than the average Somalian does in a year. In the UK, Malm explains, just 10 percent of the population took half of all flights in 2018.

So, it might be time to rethink your summer vacation. But, before you do, let’s take a look at where the idea of the summer holiday actually came from. It wasn’t, as some people believe, invented as a way to give school children time to work in the fields over summer. Instead, it dates back to the time of Chaucer, giving people time to go on pilgrimages (the long yomps of the 

 explains “The word ‘holiday’ is derived from ‘holy day’, or a saint’s day in the Christian calendar.. They could mean time off work and they certainly meant an excuse for a party. And holy days were very frequent.”

So, among the drudgery of the Middle Ages, there was plenty to look forward to, just as some believe our pagan ancestors celebrated what would eventually become Christmas as a way of remaining cheerful through the long winter.

St Ives beach in summer 2020, where overcrowding has caused tensions to run high


The “holiday” as it existed, was an egalitarian outing – something for everyone, but it didn’t stay that way. In the 18th Century, the tradition of The Grand Tour came about (nothing to do with Clarkson, thankfully). It was “

a kind of sophisticated gap year for upper-class young men

During the Enlightenment, it was believed knowledge was best gained from personal experience, so Oxford and Cambridge graduates embarked on a months-long expedition, usually through France, Italy and Germany, but sometimes to Turkey or Greece. Today, our penchant for museums and tourist hotspots pays homage to these knowledge-hungry young men (because let’s face it, it was always men). These days, however, straw boaters and deck shoes aren’t essential.

Things did change with the invention of the steam engine. Just as air-travel would doom the British seaside, seam boats opened up continental Europe, allowing women and – gasp – the hoi polloi to venture abroad. Naturally, the upper classes ditched their European vacations tout suite.

Which brings us almost up to date. In the 1800s the steam train meant workers could now afford to travel inside Britain, too. What’s more, for the first time they received statutory time off work, thanks to the Bank Holidays Act of 1871. This, coupled with the belief that the briny sea air would do you good, saw workers flocking to the seaside for day trips, while the upper classes decamped for the week, setting up base in grand hotels.

Cut to cheap air travel and a return to Europe, followed by a global pandemic which saw a rise in staycations, and a mild resurgence of the British seaside as workers left cities to work from home, or opted for nostalgic breaks in their time off. While the Middle Classes can now afford to jet to Mexico for the week, some prefer the English countryside, with Air BnB currently valued at $74.53bn (perhaps a good time to invest in that instagrammable cabin in the woods…)

The future of the British holiday may include more staycations as people become more climate conscious. With the rise of technologies like augmented reality and VR, it might become the ultimate staycation with your sofa and a headset all that’s required for a virtual escape. Then again, there’s nothing quite like the feel of sand between your toes, and an ice cold glass in your hand…

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