Childhood Flashback! European Summer Holidays

I always feel I neglect to look back on those amazing European Summer Holidays I enjoyed as a child. OK, so I’m talking about the typical Summer Holidays you hear about – beaches, swimming pools, junk food, ice creams and relaxation. Recently while relaxing with my parents on a trip to Sri Lanka, I thought I’d compile a short childhood flashback to a few of my European summer holidays (Greece, Spain and Portugal!). It’s almost like the travelling life I had before I even went travelling, if that makes any sense. I’ve split them into countries to make it easier to read, and inspired by my youngest brother I’ve even written about Turkey for the first time. Plus I’m sharing some tips on how to get good deals…you don’t have to be a long term traveller to travel – one week holidays can be just as good!!

Spain

I have visited Spain a few times on European summer holidays, not just with family, I have also been with my mates. We headed to Menorca once, which was a hot tranquil paradise at the time. I have also been to Majorca with my mates on a party holiday to Magaluf and Valencia and parts of mainland Spain. It’s a good time to think about booking your summer trip, with Winter almost done – check below for my tips!

Turkey

I have passed through Istanbul a few times on my journeys! I am always keeping my eyes on these cheap holidays in Turkey as if I do have a European holiday again, Turkey and Cyprus are both on my radar.

These days, Turkey is traditionally a fairly affordable holiday hotspot, thanks to the inexpensive cost of living and the wide range of holiday companies and tour operators that go there. You can already grab a low-cost trip to Turkey, but you can drop the price even further by watching out for holiday deals and discounts. Late bookings are still one of the cheapest ways to grab a holiday, and it doesn’t mean you’re left with the dregs either. Providing you can be reasonably flexible with your holiday criteria, and you’re prepared to jet off with just a week or two’s notice, you can snap up a fabulous holiday with a huge discount. Jetting somewhere at short notice has never been a problem to me 😉 as you’ll no doubt have noticed from my world travels!

Greece

Greece too is a popular spot and back in 1990 I visited Rhodes. It is very much your beach, cocktails and relaxing spot. What I miss most about it is the clear blue, clean waters of the Mediterranean Sea!

Portugal

Yes, I have been to Portugal, but it was 30 (THIRTY) years ago, and yes I am planing to head back and see the place as an adult. My memories of that trip are somewhat hazy or non-existent, my sole memory is losing a toy police car on the beach. Gutted. We went to “the Algarve”.

Some Useful Tips for booking European Summer Holidays:

I thought since the winter is almost over, this is a good time to give you some tips for booking your European Summer Holidays. If you don’t like the idea of a late booking and you prefer to plan your holiday well in advance, your best bet is to watch out for tour operators’ new arrivals and season launches. This is when holiday companies will offer many deals on next year’s holidays to try and make a good start on the new season’s bookings. This is when you can snap up a great price on all manners of different getaways, from Greek holidays and Algarve breaks to voyages of discovery in Egypt and even exotic holidays to faraway shores. The most important thing is to be on the lookout for the offers. Remember my tips on travelling the world for cheap are shared on here every Monday!

I may have left Europe behind to travel the world, but for many European holidays are what they love. There are deals to be had, and it just goes to show that whatever your idea of a great holiday, the chances are you’ll find something that ticks all the right boxes at a perfect price too…I’m off to China again now. Europe will have to wait for me…