Where do you go on holiday?

[sezamcgregor]

I usually take DS on holidays combining my railcard and Travelodge and go all over the UK.

I'm looking at taking him on one of those P&O mini-cruises to Belgium in the summer and just wondered - where do you go?

With money always being so tight and it only being us and the DC (which they most certainly are not on a 4 hour train journey) - I thought I'd ask and get some ideas.

*ear in mind that all of my comments is based on it just being the two of us and so it is easier and cheaper than a family with one mum vs 3 DC

[threedaystogo]

I take mine everywhere.

If you like travelling by train, the trains in Europe are great - fast, clean & reliable. If you book well in advance, you can get some good deals too. We've been to Paris, Amsterdam & Brussels on the Eurostar. There's a good "Rail & Sail" combination ticket (from Stena I think) which combines a train ticket in the UK with an overnight ferry to the Netherlands and a train ticket to anywhere you want to go in the Netherlands. We did it a couple of years ago - rented a cottage on a beach about an hour out of Amsterdam & it was fab. The journey was so simple and straightforward and the tickets were cheap too.

Cruising is great because the children will be entertained by all the activities on board and you won't have to cook! We've cruised from Southampton a couple of times, but this is obviously an expensive way to holiday.

This year I'm taking the car ferry over to Ireland and will drive to various different places whilst we are there. Renting cottages in Ireland seems to be cheaper than it would be in the rest of the UK during the summer holidays, which counteracts the cost of the ferry.

[queenofthepirates]

Likewise we go everywhere, Spain and the bigger cities, rural France, Amsterdam, New York and last year, Tuscany. We normally rent an apartment or villa so we can cook our own food and I can have some space in the evenings. It's just me and my daughter and I fund our trips by selling on Ebay.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Last year we went to Belgium and stayed on the coast so we could whizz up and down on the tram which is really cheap. A week long ticket also got us on the bus into Brugge.
We have been to France and Spain doing similar pottering.
I am hoping for a bit of a blow out later this year and go to Boston I have been before and know it's really easy to get around and as loads for kids.

[deerkitty]

I go abroad, all inclusive because it's cheaper and I've been going in term time. I know shoot me.

I also book a year - fifteen months in advance and pay in installments.

[VinoTime]

Last year DD and I had a week in Butlins Skegness because it was uber cheap and all I could afford. It's not everybody's ideal, but for the week including travel, accommodation, food and entertainment for the both of us it came to less than £300. Paid in installments and had a lovely sunny week at the seaside. DD had a fantastic time and I buried my head in multiple books and ignored the noise

This year it's my best friends wedding at the end of June, so I can't actually afford to go on holiday. Ho hum. Will have a week down south at my sisters in October and might see about a cheap-ish deal to Euro Disney in the February break next year.

[BornToFolk]

I'm taking DS on a HF Holiday this year. They run walking and activity holidays. We're just doing a 4 night break this year (partly cos I'm nervous that I won't get on with anyone and hate it!) and it was very reasonably priced, especially as I didn't get charged a single adult supplement.

[deerkitty]

God the single adult supplement pisses me off. Love how you get punished for being by yourself.

[fedupbutfine]

So far I've only done cheap caravan holidays at the likes of Park and Haven which the children love but which I hate! We are doing one this year during the next school holiday then in the summer we are going on a single parent's holiday to Mallorca hich I'm really looking forward to, but which is incredibly expensive but I booked it back in October so have been budgeting for it.

[sunflowerfi]

I have been lucky as last year my parents paid for us to go to Tenerife with them on holiday for my mums 60th. This year however, there is no way I can afford a holiday abroad so I am just doing holidays at my parents caravan.
I hope next year to be able to afford to take the kids on a package holiday with fellow single mum mates x

[Rommell]

We've been abroad quite a few times (just one ds here too) and actually often found it cheaper than going somewhere in the UK even with the flights taken into account. I like to go self-catering so I get a bit of space to myself in the evening to watch telly or read a book in a room separate to where he is sleeping, and very often self-catering in the UK seems to involve paying for bigger 'family' sized accommodation, whereas in other countries there are many more one-bedroom places. Eating out is cheaper too. Also, train travel within the UK is very expensive, even with a railcard.

[revealall]

It's really the little things that add up on your own.Parking,snacks, taxi's,drinks. Shared out they cost less but if it's just you they all add up.

All inclusive is your single parent friend. Cruising is great, being both AI and giving you time to do your own thing.

I love to travel and do lots of mini breaks around Europe. Not the best value but I always travelled before children and I intend to carry on regardless of cost. By keeping it to a weekend though I can track spending and not feel I need to worry about another week or getting home.

In terms of children's holidays anything before 9 years old is a bit of a waste I found out. They love anywhere and they don't really remember specific stuff about a place. I thought I was nurturing their love of new places. Nope. I realise because I didn't travel as a child I now love it,whilst my kids are blasé and love being at home.