Holidays of a lifetime: a Museum of London touring exhibition 

About the exhibition

Less than a century ago holidays were still a real luxury. For many Londoners, the only way to have a country break was to work. Leslie Ho, born in Limehouse in 1919, remembers his childhood experience of hop-picking: ‘If you’re brought up in the city, the country’s an abomination with all its rain and its cloddy earth and getting up half past six in the morning.’

Who would have thought then that after the Second World War cheaper flights and package holidays would allow so many people to travel abroad and experience new countries, customs and ways of life?

Visit Holidays of a lifetime to find out how holidays and attitudes to them have changed over the years. Discover what Londoners brought back from their travels - memories, photographs and souvenirs. And share some of your own holiday stories. After all, whether it’s a daytrip to the seaside or travel to more exotic destinations, holidays play an important role in the lives of people from all backgrounds and cultures.

Find out more about:

• the project
• the exhibition
• how local people are contributing

Tell us your holiday stories

Holidays of a lifetime is part of the London’s Voices programme and has been designed for the Museum of London by Brand Environment Ltd.