Given that our country is rather cold ad damp, and in fact rather small, we Brits are obsessed by holidaying abroad. Be it France or Finland, Spain or South Africa, more than ever the people of Britain our leaving our country to search of further adventures. Last year alone Britons took 66 million trips abroad, spending £17 billion on foreign travel. It started with the pack holiday invention in the 1960s when Brits went in their thousands to Benidorm on the East coast of Spain. Suddenly hotels were shooting up all over the place and the once sleepy fishing village was transformed into a monstrous town with more Irish themed pubs than in the whole of Ireland itself.
Now the Brits are travelling further and further afield. Adventure holidays are becoming more popular as are eco friendly holidays in Costa Rica for example. So you can see where a typical Brit travels, I shall tell you where I have been!
My first holiday abroad was to Tenerife when I was two and a half years old. I don’t remember much, except for forcing my dad to dance to Agadoo and the Birdie Song in the hotel’s kids’ disco. Since then I have been to the following countries:
France (many areas, generally in caravans when I was very young)
France and Switzerland skiing
Germany
Belgium
Spain
Italy ( Lake Garda three times)
Russia ( St. Petersburg)
Canada ( Toronto, Montreal, Nova Scotia, Quebec and somewhere in the countryside)
USA
Greece
Rhodes
Cyprus
Crete
Turkey
As you can see, the countries are plentiful. I find foreign travel enriching, as I can learn about other cultures and sample different food. My parents have visited even more than I have. They have been to the majority of the above and:
Madeira
Dubai
Hong Kong
Venice
This year is going to be very exciting. I have decided not to go away with my parents on holiday (they are going to Lake Garda). Instead I am going to work voluntarily on an archaeological dig in Peru, excavating Inca remains. This is really exciting as Peru is one of the most culturally and historically rich countries in the world. I am going there for a month with an organisation called i-to-i and will be staying with a Peruvian family. This, for me, is the best kind of holiday- I can do something that I am really interested in whilst improving my Spanish language skills before studying it in university. My parents have tried to do everything in their power to stop me from going, since they believe that Peru is a very dangerous country for a young girl travelling alone, and I can see why they might think that. However I am very mature and I have invested in a panic alarm should anything bad happen…which I’m sure it won’t. Part of my parent’s attempt at deterring me from going to Peru was the offer to take me to any country in the world, regardless of expense. Tempting as that was, I had already discovered that where I wanted to go was Peru, and that I wanted to go alone.
Do you think I am really stupid? Do you enjoy travelling abroad? Is it normal to travel abroad in your country? Have you had much experience with drunken English tourists in your country?
Given that our country is rather cold ad damp, and in fact rather small, we Brits are obsessed by holidaying abroad. Be it France or Finland, Spain or South Africa, more than ever the people of Britain our leaving our country to search of further adventures. Last year alone Britons took 66 million trips abroad, spending £17 billion on foreign travel. It started with the pack holiday invention in the 1960s when Brits went in their thousands to Benidorm on the East coast of Spain. Suddenly hotels were shooting up all over the place and the once sleepy fishing village was transformed into a monstrous town with more Irish themed pubs than in the whole of Ireland itself. 
This year is going to be very exciting. I have decided not to go away with my parents on holiday (they are going to Lake Garda). Instead I am going to work voluntarily on an archaeological dig in Peru, excavating Inca remains. This is really exciting as Peru is one of the most culturally and historically rich countries in the world. I am going there for a month with an organisation called i-to-i and will be staying with a Peruvian family. This, for me, is the best kind of holiday- I can do something that I am really interested in whilst improving my Spanish language skills before studying it in university. My parents have tried to do everything in their power to stop me from going, since they believe that Peru is a very dangerous country for a young girl travelling alone, and I can see why they might think that. However I am very mature and I have invested in a panic alarm should anything bad happen…which I’m sure it won’t. Part of my parent’s attempt at deterring me from going to Peru was the offer to take me to any country in the world, regardless of expense. Tempting as that was, I had already discovered that where I wanted to go was Peru, and that I wanted to go alone.