First holiday you took without parents
06 July 2009, 10:52 AM
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First holiday you took without parents
Me and a mate loaded camping gear, Barnsley Bitter, a dartboard and darts into a 1970 Escort Deluxe, (1098cc), and drove it down France, across the Pyrenees at the Somport Pass, across Spain and to Camping Playa Montroig south of Tarragona. We had 4 weeks there. 1973, I was 20.
It tok three days to drive, and we slept either in the car, or on campbeds down forest tracks, out in the open.
On the way, crossing Spain, a lorry threw a stone up and broke our windscreen, we promptly saw the first rain of the journey
On the way back we were forced into an overnight in a cheap hotel at Montauban when the alternator on the car failed. A French auto-electrics place removed it, stripped it, rewound it, and refitted it for the princly sum of £6.
Pretty decent experience though.
So what was YOUR first holiday without your parents, and did it all go to plan?
It tok three days to drive, and we slept either in the car, or on campbeds down forest tracks, out in the open.
On the way, crossing Spain, a lorry threw a stone up and broke our windscreen, we promptly saw the first rain of the journey
On the way back we were forced into an overnight in a cheap hotel at Montauban when the alternator on the car failed. A French auto-electrics place removed it, stripped it, rewound it, and refitted it for the princly sum of £6.
Pretty decent experience though.
So what was YOUR first holiday without your parents, and did it all go to plan?
06 July 2009, 11:21 AM
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Me, haven't had a holiday since 2003, spent what money I do have on the house or cars.
Holiday in 2003 wasn't so much with parents, but a holiday I paid for, for my mum and little brother (she was going through a nasty divorce).
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06 July 2009, 11:56 AM
#9
We loaded up my XR3i, and my mates Volvo 340 with two weeks of camping gear and food. Headed up for Kielder Water with the intention of stopping there a bit and then touring round with the intention of ending up in the lake district somewhere.
First two days were great, then from that point onwards gale force winds and heavy rain every day. Being early september, tourist season was winding down so lots of places were shut, and lake activities were stopped due to the weather. I ended up driving everwhere as the Volvo was running a touch lumpy and down on power from what sounded like a loss of compression on one cylinder (later found to be a burnt exhaust valve). Then found out my tit of mate (still a tit even now ) paid for a whole week at the camp site. Couldn't get a refund, slogged it out to the end of the week, weather was still crap, temper flared, patience thin, so the vote was put out to sod off back home, rammed car full with soggy camp gear and headed back home.
Orders were to stay in CB radio contact of each other so we can chat (nobody had mobile phones back then text messaging didn't exist etc). F**k that; as soon as I hit the M6 motorway I floored it all the way back, only stopping breifly to put my shoes back on after they dried out (I was driving in my socks up to that point).
Arrived back home 2 hours before the Volvo, during which time unloaded car, mate's mum made me a Sunday lunch. We just finished dessert when the Volvo pulled up outside
Second trip a year later was Majorca, which was alot more succesful; Aprt from the hotel next door being one of those kid-orientated all inclusive places in which activities started at 8:00am and proceeded to be announced on the hour every hour by a massive PA system. Being woken at 8am hung over, then not allowed to sleep it off due the PA system waking us up at 9am, 10am 11am 12:00 and 1pm etc did mean we spent most of the day zombified
First two days were great, then from that point onwards gale force winds and heavy rain every day. Being early september, tourist season was winding down so lots of places were shut, and lake activities were stopped due to the weather. I ended up driving everwhere as the Volvo was running a touch lumpy and down on power from what sounded like a loss of compression on one cylinder (later found to be a burnt exhaust valve). Then found out my tit of mate (still a tit even now ) paid for a whole week at the camp site. Couldn't get a refund, slogged it out to the end of the week, weather was still crap, temper flared, patience thin, so the vote was put out to sod off back home, rammed car full with soggy camp gear and headed back home.
Orders were to stay in CB radio contact of each other so we can chat (nobody had mobile phones back then text messaging didn't exist etc). F**k that; as soon as I hit the M6 motorway I floored it all the way back, only stopping breifly to put my shoes back on after they dried out (I was driving in my socks up to that point).
Arrived back home 2 hours before the Volvo, during which time unloaded car, mate's mum made me a Sunday lunch. We just finished dessert when the Volvo pulled up outside
Second trip a year later was Majorca, which was alot more succesful; Aprt from the hotel next door being one of those kid-orientated all inclusive places in which activities started at 8:00am and proceeded to be announced on the hour every hour by a massive PA system. Being woken at 8am hung over, then not allowed to sleep it off due the PA system waking us up at 9am, 10am 11am 12:00 and 1pm etc did mean we spent most of the day zombified
06 July 2009, 12:06 PM
#10
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Club 18-30 1985 San Antonio Ibiza
Wild times at the Star Club amongst other places, wild women too, especially one girl from Manchester who spent a week going through every bloke in the hotel only for her boyfriend to turn up for week 2, many blokes walking around papping themselves, he was a big bastard, I was one of those blokes
She shagged him on the lawn in front of everyone the night he arrived.
Whenever I smell Nivea aftersun it alwats reminds me of this holiday.
The place had changed beyond all recognition 5 years later
Wild times at the Star Club amongst other places, wild women too, especially one girl from Manchester who spent a week going through every bloke in the hotel only for her boyfriend to turn up for week 2, many blokes walking around papping themselves, he was a big bastard, I was one of those blokes
She shagged him on the lawn in front of everyone the night he arrived.
Whenever I smell Nivea aftersun it alwats reminds me of this holiday.
The place had changed beyond all recognition 5 years later
06 July 2009, 12:23 PM
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Not exactly a holiday, but....a couple of days in Paradise. 
I went to Basel, Switzerland in the spring of 1988...Basel88, with my brother.
This was the good old days before it was the more popular and more commercialised BaselWorld.
There were halls and halls of watch stands, on several floors just brimming with watches, I was lucky not to be arrested for w4nking in a public place.
The stands/stalls/booths would range from popular makes to the more obscure, with watches available to handle and examine.
There would be watchmakers building and servicing watches whilst you observed them, talking you through what they were doing and why they were doing it.
There were Videos running showing you factory tours around well known swiss facilities, demonstrations taking place, vendors showpiecing watches that had never been seen before, I was amazed.
And the trust from vendors was excellent, you would be left to handle and try on tens of thousands of pounds worth of watches, which is almost impossable now without a private booking.
To most this would be a nightmare, to me it was like being a child in a sweetshop with a tenner in my back pocket.
My brother was bored sh1tless after a few hours and spent his time eating hotdogs and drinking lager from 3 litre vases, me on the other hand spent two days solid touring the halls.
Before anyone jumps in with the scouser thing.....no, I didnt steel anything, but I came home with a bag full of freebees and brochures, and my brother came home will the ***** and a nasty rash.
I went to Basel, Switzerland in the spring of 1988...Basel88, with my brother.
This was the good old days before it was the more popular and more commercialised BaselWorld.
There were halls and halls of watch stands, on several floors just brimming with watches, I was lucky not to be arrested for w4nking in a public place.
The stands/stalls/booths would range from popular makes to the more obscure, with watches available to handle and examine.
There would be watchmakers building and servicing watches whilst you observed them, talking you through what they were doing and why they were doing it.
There were Videos running showing you factory tours around well known swiss facilities, demonstrations taking place, vendors showpiecing watches that had never been seen before, I was amazed.
And the trust from vendors was excellent, you would be left to handle and try on tens of thousands of pounds worth of watches, which is almost impossable now without a private booking.
To most this would be a nightmare, to me it was like being a child in a sweetshop with a tenner in my back pocket.
My brother was bored sh1tless after a few hours and spent his time eating hotdogs and drinking lager from 3 litre vases, me on the other hand spent two days solid touring the halls.
Before anyone jumps in with the scouser thing.....no, I didnt steel anything, but I came home with a bag full of freebees and brochures, and my brother came home will the ***** and a nasty rash.
06 July 2009, 12:56 PM
#12
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transalpino train ticket to greece for 4 weeks with 3 school friends in 1982, with just sleeping bags, slept on the beach, (Paros, Anti-Paros, Samos and Ikeria)
on the way back thru Italy we made a surprise visit to my, then new 16 year old girlfriend who was staying near Rome
25 years and 5 kids later still together
on the way back thru Italy we made a surprise visit to my, then new 16 year old girlfriend who was staying near Rome
25 years and 5 kids later still together
Last edited by hodgy0_2; 06 July 2009 at 12:58 PM.
06 July 2009, 01:30 PM
#13
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Ah ! The same old A-level escape here....
Two mates, a tent, and a map of Cornwall.
One B-reg Hillman Imp with a "fresh" engine. Decide to drive down over-night so leave at midnight....
First incident was lane dodging a rabbit on the M18, I realised that if I turned my lights off the silly b*gger wouldn't jump into my path (80 mph ! Flat Chat )
WRONG ! Last minute rabbit jumps and bang off we go into a tank-slapper
Arrive around 9 AM in Bodmin and find a camp site.
Engine feels down on power, so whip the cam cover off and check the tappet clearances, only to find 7 available
So off the the local dealers and buy a replacement shim.... Once fitted and now effectively 250 CC bigger the old bus flew.
Many drinks, many games of darts with the locals, walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches....
Head for home, really dreading the A-level results
About 60 miles from home I feel a slight vibration ( 11 PM, and 90 mph !)
About 50 miles from home the gearbox selects neutral
No fourth gear, so down to 70 mph in third all the way home.....
So engine re-built and sound, gearbox with a stripped top gear, no prospect of a decent job, ( 3 million unemployed - thanks to the Labour Government....)
LOL
P.S. 1977 and I've never been back to Bodmin, yet !
Two mates, a tent, and a map of Cornwall.
One B-reg Hillman Imp with a "fresh" engine. Decide to drive down over-night so leave at midnight....
First incident was lane dodging a rabbit on the M18, I realised that if I turned my lights off the silly b*gger wouldn't jump into my path (80 mph ! Flat Chat )
WRONG ! Last minute rabbit jumps and bang off we go into a tank-slapper
Arrive around 9 AM in Bodmin and find a camp site.
Engine feels down on power, so whip the cam cover off and check the tappet clearances, only to find 7 available
So off the the local dealers and buy a replacement shim.... Once fitted and now effectively 250 CC bigger the old bus flew.Many drinks, many games of darts with the locals, walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches....
Head for home, really dreading the A-level results
About 60 miles from home I feel a slight vibration ( 11 PM, and 90 mph !)
About 50 miles from home the gearbox selects neutral
No fourth gear, so down to 70 mph in third all the way home.....
So engine re-built and sound, gearbox with a stripped top gear, no prospect of a decent job, ( 3 million unemployed - thanks to the Labour Government....)
LOL
P.S. 1977
and I've never been back to Bodmin, yet !
Last edited by dunx; 06 July 2009 at 01:32 PM.
06 July 2009, 01:34 PM
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Ah ! The same old A-level escape here....
Two mates, a tent, and a map of Cornwall.
One B-reg Hillman Imp with a "fresh" engine. Decide to drive down over-night so leave at midnight....
First incident was lane dodging a rabbit on the M18, I realised that if I turned my lights off the silly b*gger wouldn't jump into my path (80 mph ! Flat Chat )
WRONG ! Last minute rabbit jumps and bang off we go into a tank-slapper
Arrive around 9 AM in Bodmin and find a camp site.
Engine feels down on power, so whip the cam cover off and check the tappet clearances, only to find 7 available So off the the local dealers and buy a replacement shim.... Once fitted and now effectively 250 CC bigger the old bus flew.
Many drinks, many games of darts with the locals, walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches....
Head for home, really dreading the A-level results
About 60 miles from home I feel a slight vibration ( 11 PM, and 90 mph !)
About 50 miles from home the gearbox selects neutral
No fourth gear, so down to 70 mph in third all the way home.....
So engine re-built and sound, gearbox with a stripped top gear, no prospect of a decent job, ( 3 million unemployed - thanks to the Labour Government....)
LOL
P.S. 1977 and I've never been back to Bodmin, yet !
Two mates, a tent, and a map of Cornwall.
One B-reg Hillman Imp with a "fresh" engine. Decide to drive down over-night so leave at midnight....
First incident was lane dodging a rabbit on the M18, I realised that if I turned my lights off the silly b*gger wouldn't jump into my path (80 mph ! Flat Chat )
WRONG ! Last minute rabbit jumps and bang off we go into a tank-slapper
Arrive around 9 AM in Bodmin and find a camp site.
Engine feels down on power, so whip the cam cover off and check the tappet clearances, only to find 7 available
So off the the local dealers and buy a replacement shim.... Once fitted and now effectively 250 CC bigger the old bus flew.Many drinks, many games of darts with the locals, walking on the beaches, looking at the peaches....
Head for home, really dreading the A-level results
About 60 miles from home I feel a slight vibration ( 11 PM, and 90 mph !)
About 50 miles from home the gearbox selects neutral
No fourth gear, so down to 70 mph in third all the way home.....
So engine re-built and sound, gearbox with a stripped top gear, no prospect of a decent job, ( 3 million unemployed - thanks to the Labour Government....)
LOL
P.S. 1977
and I've never been back to Bodmin, yet !
06 July 2009, 03:30 PM
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I went to Ibiza with mates. Met girlfriend i was with for a couple of years and still v good friends with, had 3some with two dirty slags, went to all the best clubs in the world while they were still any good, got an awesome tan, went on a cool yacht, found "secret" deserted beaches and loads more. Best holiday ever.
06 July 2009, 04:32 PM
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One of the first, if you discount camping trips with the boy sprouts, was when a school mate and I took off for France with camping stuff and decided to hitch hike around.
First disaster was staying in a Paris campsite when the heavens opened and everything got drenched. So we were stuck with wet clothes for several days.
Then we found ourselves in a small village trying to get a lift out. A fair bit of traffic but no one stopped. We waited for 27 hours. Very depressing
We found out later there had been a murder in the village a couple of days before which explained why no one stopped to pick up 2 scruffy lads!
Still it taught me a lot including the fact that French drivers are mad!
dl
First disaster was staying in a Paris campsite when the heavens opened and everything got drenched. So we were stuck with wet clothes for several days.
Then we found ourselves in a small village trying to get a lift out. A fair bit of traffic but no one stopped. We waited for 27 hours. Very depressing
We found out later there had been a murder in the village a couple of days before which explained why no one stopped to pick up 2 scruffy lads!Still it taught me a lot including the fact that French drivers are mad!
dl
06 July 2009, 04:45 PM
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My best mate and I went to Benidorm in 1995,and very nieve(sp). 2 for the price of one beer, more wimmins than I could shake a ****ty stick at, not to mention sticky vicky and sex barbra 
ahhhhhhhh happy days........
2 for the price of one beer, more wimmins than I could shake a ****ty stick at, not to mention sticky vicky and sex barbra ahhhhhhhh happy days........
06 July 2009, 04:47 PM
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Oh yes - those activity holiday things - that means my first holiday was when I was 10 (to somewhere in Dorset) then school ski holidays from 12. The bus driver used to sell us booze!
06 July 2009, 04:54 PM
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September 1997 - Orlando and NYC with a mate of mine.
Was a memorable trip for various reasons. Obviously the first "grown up" trip I have done.
The next being that I'd purchased my Saxo VTS shortly before the trip, so it got to sit on the drive for two weeks. Another would be that we're going to the big ol US of A, which was something different from the european trips I'd been on.
It was a fantastic trip, got to meet up with my Uncle and Aunt in their homeland, as opposed to always seeing them when they visited us back in England. Did the usual Orlando stuff, same deal in NYC.
We did milk it a little bit, as people were still in shock about poor ol princess Di getting chopped and so they were ever so friendly and accommodating to a couple of well spoken british lads. Something odd for sure to see a group of americans crowed round a makeshift memorial to Di in the middle of NYC.
One highlight and definite smirk worthy moment was popping into a donut shop for a snack and finding a large (both in numbers and weight) crowd of NYC's finest boys in blue ploughing through the donuts See, stereotypes exist for a reason
Only regret I have about the trip is that we didn't visit the Twin Towers. My pal went back and did it on a trip he took the following year, but I didn't make it back before they got whacked. Funnily enough, haven't been back to NYC since '97, takes the pish a bit when I'm only about an hours flight away.
Was a memorable trip for various reasons. Obviously the first "grown up" trip I have done.
The next being that I'd purchased my Saxo VTS shortly before the trip, so it got to sit on the drive for two weeks. Another would be that we're going to the big ol US of A, which was something different from the european trips I'd been on.
It was a fantastic trip, got to meet up with my Uncle and Aunt in their homeland, as opposed to always seeing them when they visited us back in England. Did the usual Orlando stuff, same deal in NYC.
We did milk it a little bit, as people were still in shock about poor ol princess Di getting chopped and so they were ever so friendly and accommodating to a couple of well spoken british lads. Something odd for sure to see a group of americans crowed round a makeshift memorial to Di in the middle of NYC.
One highlight and definite smirk worthy moment was popping into a donut shop for a snack and finding a large (both in numbers and weight) crowd of NYC's finest boys in blue ploughing through the donuts
See, stereotypes exist for a reason Only regret I have about the trip is that we didn't visit the Twin Towers. My pal went back and did it on a trip he took the following year, but I didn't make it back before they got whacked. Funnily enough, haven't been back to NYC since '97, takes the pish a bit when I'm only about an hours flight away.
Last edited by Markus; 06 July 2009 at 04:57 PM.
06 July 2009, 06:42 PM
#22
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14yrs and and 4 mates we went to Barry Island in south wales,LOL i knew it was going to be a good holiday from the moment we got on the coach and this Scottish group started an argument on some girls from London,anyway we ended up hooking up with these London girls and it was a week that opened up my eyes and freed my mind.
06 July 2009, 07:16 PM
#23
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18 years old, just left school and me and two of my mates went to Ibiza for a week.
We ended up staying there for 6 weeks until we ran out of money, in fact we run out of money in such a spectacular fashion that we had to get our parents to wire us more money.
We had a fecking amazing time. in fact we had such a great time I think the only time we went to our hotel was to sleep and we didnt do much of that! we loved it so much that the moment we'd saved up enough money we went back again and again and again...
We ended up staying there for 6 weeks until we ran out of money, in fact we run out of money in such a spectacular fashion that we had to get our parents to wire us more money.
We had a fecking amazing time. in fact we had such a great time I think the only time we went to our hotel was to sleep and we didnt do much of that! we loved it so much that the moment we'd saved up enough money we went back again and again and again...
06 July 2009, 08:05 PM
#24
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16 years old, youth hostelling in the lake district. Met a few boys and forgot to move on to the next YH.... They were from Huddersfield and my first experience of northerners!
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