A slice of nostalgia
Ahh, the family holiday. When I sat down to think about this subject, immediately my mind was a speed reel of vivid memories that got faster and faster - much like that Greek song my mum, dad and I always ended up dancing to before the plate-smashing finale which was inevitable in every 90s Greek taverna.
It’s a feature-length movie of warm and funny moments with a little sunburnt humiliation thrown in for good measure. Highlights include my sweet victory in a chocolate-eating competition in Yugoslavia, finding ancient pottery in an abandoned amphitheatre in Turkey, attracting alarmingly large colonies of friendly feral cats in every Greek taverna the Gelders ever visited and hunting for the Loch Ness Monster in a surprisingly sunny Scotland. There’s also my dad embarrassing me by beating David Beckham to wearing a sarong and my (still-smouldering, now I think of it) teenage rage at being denied the chance to go clubbing in Croatia.
What famillies want for a holiday, according to the experts in our feature (page 76), varies a lot more in 2020. Families are more adventurous and words like 'education' and 'conservation' are becoming more key to the experience. But not everyone can afford an African safari with kids. The bucket and spade break might not be as universally popular but ABTA's research shows that Spain, Greece and France are still family favourites.
Whatever your client wants, creating those vivid childhood holiday memories is a responsibility and a privilege - and even the embrassing ones can become precious over time (turns out, it's not so bad having a style icon dad).
As I write this the travel industry is battling its latest storm and this one sounds like a futuristic video game. Covid-19 is not only affecting travel to the Far East but Italy and the Canary Islands too. As Chris Crampton, Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association UK & Ireland, says on page 50, agents must not panic and only take travel advice from reliable and official sources. Of course, agents are a trusted source in themselves and it's challenging times like these when you can really show it.