1983. Looking Back at 40 Years in Travel
Travelling 40 years ago in the UK was an exciting time filled with unique experiences and cultural shifts. We thought it would be fun to look back in time to how travel was in the UK four decades ago.
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Travel was a Luxury
In 1983, the average UK household income was £10,400. This meant that a week's holiday abroad would have cost around £250, which was a significant expense for many families. Holidays abroad were largely limited to once per year for the lucky few who travelled overseas.
The only way to fly cheaply was to book a package holiday through a travel agent or by telephone. Popular destinations included Spain, Greece, and the Canary Islands.
Popular destinations at Prestbury Travel in 1983 were Mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and Portugal.
Benidorm
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Concorde. Travel for the Elite
For the elite traveller, the iconic Concorde, known for its supersonic speed was in operation in the 1980s, allowing travellers to fly between London and New York in just under three hours and London to Barbados in just under 4 hours. Depending on the time difference, Concorde would often appear to arrive before it had departed!
Whilst certainly not the norm, Prestbury Travel's first holiday with Concorde was for clients staying at Sandy Lane in Barbados. In fact, visitors to Barbados today can pay a visit to Concorde, which has a permanent home at Grantly Adams Airport in Barbados.
Concorde
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The Airport was a Breeze
Checking in was simple in the Eighties. You brought your ticket, queued at the checking desk and they checked your name using a primitive computer before ripping off your boarding coupon and off you went. As you headed through the Airport, there were few security checks in 1983. Although X-ray machines were in use, security was generally more rudimentary and checks would sometimes be done by hand.
Airport Security
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Flying on board
In the 1980s, aircraft were split into smoking and non-smoking areas, with smokers sitting at the back of the aircraft. You were certainly unlucky to be sitting at the back of the non-smoking section as there was no physical divide between the two sections. Unthinkable in today's non-smoking society.
We love this 1980's Pan Am training video (click on the link to view)
Pan Am Training Video 'The Smoker' Circa mid-1980's
Pan Am Smoking2
