As overseas holidays are becoming less common, and holiday park staycations more popular, the desire to send postcards to family and friends is lessening.
All is not lost though, as the ease of sending ecards could revive peoples penchant for passing on ‘wish you were here’ messages. Greetings of the electronic variety are not only cheaper than a paper postcard, but they are kinder to the environment too.
It was only after my last break at the caravan park that I realised how much baby names have changed since I was a boy.
At school, it was almost guaranteed that in any class there would be a Jack, John or Matthew. Everyone knew a James or a David, and everyone had dated a Sarah or Lisa by the time we’d reached sixth form.
Walking through the caravan park this year however really brought to my attention the seismic shift in what people nowadays choose to name their offspring.
Camping in the great outdoors, well, maybe a holiday park, meant that as children we got to learn about nature; but with more families than ever jetting off to sunnier climes, educational toys are playing an increasingly important role in the lives of young children.
The iconic MINI Cooper is usually associated with Michael Caine and the legendary film The Italian Job, which demonstrated the almost weightless agility of the vehicle; not a Devon holiday park disaster with Herby-esque events. A man and his wife were whiling away some time in their tent at a camp site in East Devon when a MINI came careering down the hill, over their tent and ended up in a toilet block! The couple must have thanked their lucky stars that it was the teeniest of vehicles that rudely intruded a brief kip in their holiday abode. Imagine if it had been a Hummer! The woman was said to be in shock after the event, and the man unfortunately suffered a couple of fractured ribs. Personally, if I had to chose any vehicle to get run over by that wasn’t made by Matchbox or Hotwheels, it would be the MINI.
BT, in partnership with Wicom, have announced that they’ve installed Wi-Fi access points across a number of British Holiday destinations. The wi-fi wil be free to use by BT Broadband customers and covers 77 camping and caravanning club sites, plus three Pontin’s holiday parks and a series of Coastfields’ Leisure sites.
With some 50k visitors expected over the upcoming August bank holiday, BT expects the Wi-Fi hotspots to be fully taken advantage of, with O2 iPhone customers as well as mobile broadband users with inclusive Wi-Fi minutes also being able to connect for free.
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When it comes to ensuring the family have a good time on your summer break, there is really only one set of individuals to consider: the kids.
If you’re pride and joy are having fun, then invariably, so will you - but we all know that when it comes to leaving the nest it’s a real battle to decide what to take and what to leave at home. Here’s the BHP guide to what childrens toys stay, and which go along for the ride.
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UK family holiday giant Butlins has announced the imminent opening of it’s new £20m hotel aimed almost exclusively at the under 16s.
The company, started by Billy Butlin back in 1936, will install innovative features at the new Bognor Regis hotel such as the countries first snow cave, disco lifts and even singing showers. The team here at BHP can think of a few Mums and Dads that would probably enjoy the attractions just as much - if not more - than the kids!
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