SCHOOLS are out and with the holiday season upon us many parents must be digging deep into their half empty pockets to find extra money to tow their brood, sulking and beseeching, away from their X boxes and play stations, to the delights of airport check-in queues until it‘s time to crush into an airless plane.

That is if the airport staff haven’t gone on strike, in which case everyone will have a splendid time chatting to folk in an over air conditioned, slightly chilly airport lounge, while living on bottled water and fajita wraps.

Perhaps with the financial front being a tad stretched more people may choose to take their holidays in the UK.

If you’ve any money to invest may I suggest you put it into canvas.

No, not bags, but camping gear, as I foresee camping making a big come back.

I’m just picturing cash strapped parents all over the country rediscovering those battered frame tents tucked away in the cobweb infested recesses of the garden shed.

I can see that glassy eyed look on their faces as they recall the endless fun they think they had in these faded remnants, an aide memoire of their youth.

Camping was pretty fashionable in the 1970s and when our girls were young we also enjoyed the delights of tent life, visiting resorts along the south coast, Devon and Cornwall.

But as the girls raced toward their teens the tent became redundant, there being nowhere to plug in hair tongs and high heels tend to sink in grass.

Like most youngsters my grandchildren are rather more widely traveled and have holidayed in France, Spain, America, Greece and even Dubai. The holidays of my childhood were rather less exotic.

In those days holiday camps were the thing. Oh, I so wanted to go.

Once on a day trip to Clacton my friend and I walked the considerable distance along the sea front to peer in at the jammy beggars who had the good fortune to be on the inside. Heavens knows why we were so envious.

Looking back the place looked more like Colditz. I now wonder if the seriously high double strength wire fencing was there to keep people in rather than us out. Happy holidays.