Booked and still hooked on the package holiday

It's undeniable - Brits love the convenience of a package holiday.

- By NATALIE KING

According to ABTA, 62% of people who travelled overseas last year did so as part of a package break, bundling flights and hotels with extras ranging from dining packages to coach transfers. But it has not always been this way.The rise of package holidays coincided with the growing popularity of overseas travel, so you might assume the first package breaks were to sunny Costa Blanca or the glamorous south of France. In fact, the package holiday has far more humble beginnings. It began in 1841 when Thomas Cook chartered a train for fellow members of the temperance movement. For a shilling, passengers travelled the 11 miles from Leicester to a rally in Loughborough, with a cup of tea and a ham sandwich included.