For many people around Britain who recall the 1970s the scene will appear eerily familiar: a car packed full of luggage and already fractious children, about to set off to a seaside resort or campsite for a few days of wholesome fun in reliably tepid weather. There may even be a caravan involved.
After a period in which spring sunshine breaks in the Canaries or even Florida became increasingly common, this year's Easter holiday season, which begins in earnest today, has taken on a decidedly retro flavour. A combination of financial worries, a weak pound and a general, longer-term trend towards domestic breaks, will see millions eschew foreign destinations in favour of relaxation closer to home.
While many will still pack the airports, around 10m cars are taking to the roads while the rail network will handle 1 million more passengers than this time last year. Bookings to classic British holiday destinations such as Blackpool, Windermere and Scarborough have doubled from 2008, according to rail operators, while many camping and caravan sites are already booked out. Bournemouth, meanwhile, has seen a sudden upsurge in inquiries about beach huts.
"It is definitely the case that people seem to be taking fewer Easter breaks abroad," said Ian Bradley from the Association of Independent Tour Operators. "A lot of people are sitting tight for their summer holidays. Even when times are tough the main summer holiday abroad is something many people don't really like to give up, but Easter is different."
Harry Bush, director of economic regulation at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: "There is going to be pressure on what people are willing to spend and we would expect air travel to take its share of that. It would be surprising if Easter wasn't less vibrant than usual."
Those remaining at home are showing a particular appetite for self-catering and camping holidays, according to the domestic tourism organisation, Visit Britain.
The Camping and Caravanning Club (CCC) says bookings have shot up almost a third from 2008, with a "dramatic" rise in interest over recent weeks. "It's looking like a boom year," said John Dale from the CCC. "There's not many people who can say that at the moment, but the interest is incredible. Most of our member sites say they are now full or nearly full for Easter. A family of four can stay for a night for about £20. You can't get that at a hotel or B&B."
Adding further to the traditional feel are two Easter perennials: traffic jams and intermittently soggy weather. The Met Office is calling the weekend forecast "mixed" and predicts a combination of sunshine and rain virtually everywhere.
The Highways Agency has tried to minimise the hold-ups by suspending about three-quarters of work on motorways and major A roads, but congestion is predicted at many of the usual troublespots, including sections of the M1, M6 and M25, as well as the A303 to the south-west of England.
Today is expected to be the busiest on the roads, with congestion beginning from lunchtime as workers take half days. The RAC says, however, that with some people giving up on an Easter holiday altogether, overall traffic could be lighter than usual.
The increase in rail passengers is helped by a cutback in engineering work that is putting more trains on the network over the weekend. More than 10 million passengers will travel by train between tomorrow and Easter Monday, with 5,000 more services than last year.
"There is not as much engineering work as there was for Easter last year and we are running more trains," said a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies. "Also, more people are holidaying at home due to the economy, and more people are booking cheap advance tickets to places like Cornwall and the Lake District."
Virgin Trains, often the worst hit by holiday engineering works due to its reliance on the west coast main line, has reported a 40% increase in bookings despite further disruption. Passengers using Virgin services to Liverpool, Glasgow and Preston will have to make part of the journey by replacement coach over the weekend, although the only disruption tomorrow is from Birmingham to Wolverhampton.
In fact, the main group to suffer this Easter might be the minority who habitually holiday in the UK. The weak pound and a well-timed European marketing push for Britain as a tourist destination is expected to bring an influx of overseas visitors.
"We're hoping for a boom year," said a Visit Britain spokeswoman.
