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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 5 (September 1, 1927)

[section]

In probably the best of good faith did the French writer, Sully, remark in his memoirs that “the English take their pleasures sadly, according to the custom of the country.” These words, however were penned very many years ago, and had Sully been alive in this sun-steeped summer of 1927, it is certain the record of his observations would have taken a vastly different form.

The past few months have proved the happiest of holiday periods for Britishers, old and young. Summer vacation travel has this year reached enormous proportions on the Home railways. In the conveyance of short and long-date holiday-makers from London and the leading provincial centres to the popular seaside and country resorts the group lines have done record business, while the running of special cheap excursions at weekends to London Town has drawn huge crowds to the metropolis.

Apart from the immense rush of Sunday trippers to the throbbing Thames-side capital, a feature of the passenger business handled has been the conveyance of vacationists innumerable to continental holiday-haunts. The growth of conducted party travel to continental centres is especially noteworthy, and outstanding among continental resorts favoured is cosmopolitan Paris. No fewer than five distinct services now connect London with the French capital, each operating in connection with the boat train services of the British and French railways.