Booking holidays: how the process has changed

You may not know that, as well as inventing underfloor heating and the calendar, Romans pioneered the holiday and enjoyed taking a break now and again like we do. Likely to be an effect of the ever-expanding borders of the empire, Romans were the first civilisation to travel for pleasure, with some breaks for the very wealthy lasting up to two years at a time!
Once the Roman Empire fell, holidays changed. The Dark Ages saw pilgrimages become the only form of holiday, while the Tudors reserved travel for royalty. It wasn’t until around 1660 (mid Renaissance era) that young artists and aristocrats revived the once-Roman past-time, embarking on tours of Europe from the age of around 21.
But it was during the Industrial Revolution that the holiday began to morph into the break we all now know and love, with the introduction of the first bank holiday in 1871. The Victorians travelled by steam engine and spent their new, three-day weekends on trips to the seaside: taking donkey rides, building sandcastles and enjoying vanilla ice-creams.
As the years ticked over, the mass production of cars, the availability of caravans, the rise and fall of the holiday camp, and the advent of the package holiday, all helped us see more of the world during our breaks from work and school. And it isn’t just the style or destination of the holidays that we take that has changed — how we book them has, too. 

Choice is a huge factor in booking a holiday; nobody wants to be limited when it comes to that coveted week away. The rise of holiday lettings agencies and travel comparison sites means that we have a plenty of holiday destinations and accommodation types to choose from. No longer are people limited to hotels or apartments in a single agent’s portfolio; online you can find, compare, book, and pay for a coastal cottage or luxury city apartment with just the touch of a few buttons.  

Sometimes you just want to get the job done, and booking online lets you organise your hotel, flight and transport within just a few minutes if you know what you’re after! No longer do you have to spend a Saturday afternoon in a travel agents’ queue, trawling teletext or checking availability over the phone. People can book from the comfort of their home or even out and about, day or night. Many, if not all, booking sites are available around the clock, which means that no matter where you are in the world, it’s always book-online-o’clock.

From shopping to socialising, we tend to go online for a variety of reasons in 2018. So, it only seems natural that we’d do the same when it comes to booking a holiday. Now, there is no need to rely on organised excursions once we arrive. Instead, we read blogs and reviews from fellow travellers, follow successful ‘Instragrammers’, and arrange our own transport and tours via local guides to explore hidden gems off the beaten track and quench our thirst for discovery. 

Rarely would many people leave the house without their credit and debit cards — they tend to offer the simplest and quickest methods of payment. Online, we can also securely pay for big purchases — like a holiday — plus, many travel sites have the functionality for customers to input discount codes which result in a specific percentage coming off the full amount. This offers a pleasant surprise no matter how much or little you might be forking out! Plenty of sites also allow consumers to give the gift of a holiday to their loved ones, providing e-vouchers which, just like discount codes, are redeemable at the check-out stage of a booking. 

Booking has obviously changed over the years — but what does the future hold? 

This article was researched and created by Cottages in Northumberland, a holiday lettings agency offering accommodation across north-east England, including cottages in Beadnell.