In the 19th century, British railways were built from big cities to seaside towns. For the first time, working-class people could visit the seaside. They usually took day trips on Sundays and special days like Easter. Traditionally, people sat on the beach, swam in the sea, and ate fish. Children could watch puppet (木偶) shows and play on the beach.
In the I950s, the first package holidays(包价旅游) were sold. From the 60s to 70s, more and more British people began to give up the traditional seaside holiday and choose sunshine and warmer seas in countries like Spain and Greece. Camping holidays also became popular in the 60s and 70s because more and more people had their own cars.
In the1990s, budget airlines(廉价航空公司) like easyJet cut the cost of air tickets. Long-distance holidays to Australia and Asia became affordable to most British families. And package holidays became less popular.
The holiday habits of the British are continuing to change. Nowadays, for many families, more than one holiday abroad in a year is possible. City breaks are also growing in popularity, and not only to nearby places-Las Vegas, Dubai and Cape Town are all favorites for long weekends. And independent travel is becoming more and more popular as the Internet allows holidaymakers to find the best deals online.
