Thrifty Tip #24: Holiday at (or Near) Home

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Image is courtesy of http://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s-trains.htm

During World War Two, when petrol was rationed, the British government encouraged people to holiday at home.

Official attempts to dissuade people from making such trips led to the campaign for was ‘Holidays at Home’ in 1942 and 1943. The scheme encouraged local authorities to draw up a programme of events and amusements for the summer months, using local parks and local sports facilities. M-O’s Holidays 1937-51, in File E, deals with the ‘Holidays at Home’ campaign for 1942, and contains programmes, newspaper cuttings and reports on events in various London areas, including Beckenham, Willesden and Paddington. Open air concerts, dances, children’s games, swimming galas and other sports competitions were typical ‘Holiday at Home’ events. Other institutions added their own contribution, like Westminster Abbey’s historical lectures. There was a special cricket match at Lords over August Bank Holiday weekend in 1942, Middlesex and Essex played Kent and Surrey, attracting a crowd of 22,000. Local collections often contain programmes and publicity material about the arrangements, usually preserved with the Parks Department records. Among the records of the LCC Parks Department is correspondence about outdoor summer entertainments such as Sadlers Wells’ ballet season in Victoria Park in July 1942, LCC/MIN 9014. Council Minutes may refer to the appointment of temporary organisers for such schemes. East Ham, for example, advertised for one in Theatre World in 1943, offering £6 a week from April 12 to August 31.                                

Quoted from http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/War/londonLeisure.html

These days, holidays at or near home can save money compared to travelling a great distance.  In addition, by visiting local attractions we support and strengthen our local economy.

Having only lived in South Australia for a few years, I'm  keen to holiday near home for the next few years as there are so many beautiful places that I haven't visited yet.

Have you holidayed at home?  How do you make such holidays memorable?


This post is part of my series, Thirty Days of Thrifty Tips.