Sun, sea, a ridiculous amount of cheap alcohol and freedom from parents: the holiday most of us long to – and often do – go on every year. But what happens when it all gets filmed? These cold winter months have attracted an influx of TV documentaries and reality programmes across several channels, all documenting young Brits enjoying holidays abroad in some of the most well-known party resorts in Europe. It’s no surprise that what we see is not a ‘nice’ group of girls or guys enjoying a ‘nice’ lounge by the pool whilst catching some of those much-needed rays, but instead is the chaos of what happens when the sun goes down, the music comes on and the booze comes out. All of these shows on TV encapsulate the stereotype that all teenagers and young adults behave extremely badly abroad: drinking to excess, having sex wherever, (not to mention whenever and with whomever) and our apparent tendency to get into fights or accidents. From my own experience, I know that this stereotype is only partly correct. Yes, when I go on holiday to party resorts I witness some of these antics going on, but not to the extremities that the programmes suggest. There may be one or two who can’t handle their drink and end up throwing up on the street or in a hospital bed, but, as many of you reading this may know already, this is isn’t the case for everyone. However, as misleading as these holiday documentaries or reality programmes may or may not be, I still watch every single one religiously – the chaos and disaster and sometimes the relatable actions make, in my opinion, excellent viewing. Here are a few of the best:
Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents
This is aired on BBC 3 and falls into the entertainment category, following a more ‘reality’ set-up. I have watched every episode from the very first series of this programme. The concept makes very entertaining TV – parents are filmed watching their children doing things they would never want to see, and their reactions are priceless. In my opinion, the best ones are the episodes with very strict or religious parents, who might think their child is the most innocent cherub in the world: let me tell you, they are in for the biggest shock of their life. Without the constraints of their controlling parents, most of the teenagers on this show let loose, having the time of their lives and ignoring all of their parents’ carefully thought out rules.
The Magaluf Weekender
This is another entertainment programme aired on ITV2. This one shows two different groups of friends going to Magaluf for a long weekend, in which they will stay in the same hotel. The focus is not only on the holiday goers, but also the reps at that hotel. The teenagers and young adults appearing on this are actually encouraged to drink and ‘party hard’, with those who don’t being labelled as boring. This implies to viewers that this is the way they should act while they are abroad – what’s the harm in drinking a little too much eh? Well the other programmes I’m about to mention have the answer to that…
What Happens In Kavos
Now it’s time to move into the category of factual and documentaries. This Channel 4 programme shows the dangers and harsh realities of what happens when you go a little overboard on the drink. I’m sure for anyone who watched this, some of the images are ingrained into your memory for good. Let’s not forget the beautiful moment when all us viewers got to witness a male STI exam up close and personal – that’s not something you can forget anytime soon. Somehow though, the more gruesome this programme got, the harder it became to switch off. I wanted to find out what happened: whether the girl who fractured her back would walk again, and of course, whether anybody had actually caught a dreaded STI. This programme also gave viewers an insight into the lives of the people who choose to do seasons abroad, revealing that these were among the worst offenders of excessive drinking and sexual promiscuity.
The Truth about Magaluf: Stacey Dooley Investigates
This one-off documentary aired on BBC3 about Magaluf was probably one of the most shocking programmes of this type. Stacey Dooley managed to get unique access and information from the emergency services who have to cope and deal with hard and challenging situations they face every day. She also talked to the people who live on the island about how they feel towards the Brits who travel there every year. Dark truths are definitely revealed in this programme. Most of us do not ever imagine, or allow ourselves to think, that people actually die in holiday resorts like these, when in reality, it is not entirely uncommon. It’s the exposure of facts like this that really hit home how dangerous things can get if they get out of control, or if you are unable to control yourself. I think it’s important to have programmes like this every now and then, to remind people that holidays are not necessarily all fun and games, and show how easily they can turn into your worst nightmare.
However, it does help to remember that it is only the extremes being shown, and not everyone will act the same, these holidays can be fun too!
A holiday is what you make it. So who’s up for booking that party summer holiday? I know I am!
Images
Picture 3: http://www.awesomedl.com/2013/01/the-truth-about-magaluf-stacey-dooley.html