Holidaying in the 70s: Wish You Were Here

In this episode we chart the rise of the package holiday in the 1970s and discover how Brits swapped staycations for fun in the Mediterranean sun.

We discover how Benidorm became a go-to destination, with a building boom that made tour operators millions but ruined the lie-ins of many holidaymakers who headed to this growing Spanish resort only to find the hotels were still being built.

We reminisce about the travel shows of the period that tempted us abroad – from Cliff Michelmore introducing Holiday from a studio in London, to Judith Chalmers in the Greek sunshine. And 25 years later, Anthea Turner also recalls some of her presenting highlights.

On board our retro airplane, today's holidaymakers discover the delights of the in-flight drinks trolley - complete with real glasses - and the onboard menu. They witness the safety demo from back in the day and find out that smoking was commonplace on board in the 1970s. Our holidaymakers also explore our recreation of an authentic 1970s travel agent, complete with genuine holiday brochures from the era, revealing the tricks tour operators used to sell us our holidays.

We recall the glory days of airports, when we dressed up in our Sunday best just to get through check-in, security was so minimal we could wander around onto the tarmac, and people even took day trips just to watch the planes take off and land.

Our experts look back at a time when air hostesses were the queens of the skies, complete with uniforms created by legendary designer Sir Hardy Amies and make up by Elizabeth Arden.

Plus, we recall the challenges presented by foreign food, how we had to get our heads round ‘funny money', and how in an era before smart phones, phrase books were invaluable for speaking the local lingo.

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.