The first ever package holiday was an 11-mile train trip – tickets were 5p and included a brass band & afternoon tea
PACKAGE holidays are an incredibly popular way for families to go on holiday without overspending their budget.
With travel, accommodation and often meals all included in the price, they’re recommended to holidaymakers who don’t want to be caught out by hidden fees.
However, they have a fascinating history dating back more than 180 years, with the first package deal organised by a man whose name is now very familiar among people looking to book a trip away.
On July 5, 1841, a business man named Thomas Cook arranged a one-day train trip from Leicester to Loughborough and back, just 11 miles down the road.
The tickets cost a shilling per person, which is around 5p in today’s money, and included a cup of tea and ham sandwiches.
A brass band also accompanied the holidaymakers on their exciting day out, providing them with some entertainment on their short journey.
At the time, no one had seen anything quite like it and the lucky folks who had the pleasure of visiting Loughborough were cheered on their way by members of the public.
According to DW, Cook later wrote: “People lined the streets, hung out of their windows and stood on rooftops to welcome us and cheer us along the entire route.”
Unlike most modern package holidays, there was no booze to be found on the trip, as Cook chose Loughborough as his first destination for that very reason.
He was a former Baptist preacher and believed that most Victorian social problems were related to alcoholism.
On the day of his trip, there was a temperance meeting happening in the town – a movement that supported prohibition and, according to the British Library, “focussed their attention on the perils of drink and the damage to morals caused by drunkenness”.
As many as 500 people are said to have gone on the trip, leading Cook to realise that he had found a gap in the market for package excursions.
He quickly branched out and started putting on trips to further afield than 11 miles away, with adventures soon extending as far away as Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
Cook not only provided the trips for holidaymakers, he also produced travel guides, issued his own coupon books, redeemable at specific hotels, restaurants and cafés and even made his own traveller’s cheques.
By 1872, just 31 years after his first-ever package trip, the businessman was offering people the chance to travel on a round-the-world trip.
The 222-day tour took in Egypt, the USA, Japan, China, Singapore and India.
The journey covered more than 25,000 miles and cost 200 guineas (£210) for a ticket.
Package deals remain popular even now and in fact are said to have seen a rise in the number of people booking them, according to easyJet.
Garry Wilson, chief executive of easyJet holidays told The Times that the appeal of the holidays lies in not having to pay extra if you don’t want to.
He said: “The kids want to go to the waterpark, that’s €50. The kids want to go for pasta, that’s €50. The kids want ice-cream, that’s €50.
“They can get all of that in these all-inclusive hotels and that’s the price locked in.”
Meanwhile, consumer champion Harry Wallop has also spoken in favour of families booking all-inclusive holidays.
And a new UK tour operator has launched some package deals this summer.