How the fuck can people afford to go on holiday?

This. Planning and looking for good deals, and not going to the rant popular places. And self catering. Go somewhere cheap and you can eat out a good few times as well.

Are you surprised that it’s more expensive to travel with 3 kids?

I make holidays a priority. Have a spreadsheet dedicated to saving for them and have them all planned out on a two year rolling plan. Usually have 2-3 per year.

If you book with Tui or Easyjet holidays in advance you can pay them monthly.

@Figuringitout I live in Cornwall and it’s so flipping depressing in the relentless rain - if I don’t leave the county on holiday and seek some sun I really suffer with my mental health. Try and do something

Even if it isn’t abroad! Our country is beautiful!

😊

We are going away abroad this year, £2600 for 4 of us for a week AI. Last year we probably spent a similar amount on a Butlins break and a childfree mini break, this year we can only do an overseas holiday.

We could also prioritize holidays if we really wanted to. At the moment we pay £80 a month to enable me to do my fitness hobbies, if we scrapped that then that's £80 to go towards a holiday.

We go abroad every other year since the kids became adult fares/tariffs, for 2 weeks. We usually do the uk every other year - camping etc when they were younger. However my teens won’t camp now (or us if I am honest. I’m too old for that crap now) so we’ve started saving. We don’t do the pub/eating out/etc so for us it’s a family priority that we dedicate our money to.

You don’t have to do an hotel and AI, though. You can find cheaper air B n Bs, or gites in France for much less, drive/ferry over and self cater when there. Last minute deals can be great so long as you’re not fussy about the flight times. It takes time and research, but cheaper holidays are possible.

Three children are expensive. You've chosen to save on childcare (which is absolutely fair enough) but unfortunately that means living primarily off one income, which is bound to be tough.

Kindly, if you just got back from 14 days away then most of it was outside the main state school holidays and thus will have been cheaper.
I wish people wouldnt comment with prices of holidays they have taken even partly outside the state school holidays because the prices just don't compare.
If you have school age kids and are restricted to school holidays the prices are eye watering. YANBU unreasonable OP i have come to the conclusion a lot people simply prioritise it over a lot of other things and almost notice the cost less because both adults are automatically transferring £250 each into a holiday pot before its hardly hit their bank account. As such people have just adjusted their lifestyle to be without that money.

Depends entirely on your holiday priorities! I'm more than happy to book a cheap flight or alternately holiday in the UK, cheap airbnb and do self catering, supermarket food or eat out now and again, no big expensive day trips just enjoy the place I am staying, do some board games, a day or so in the pub, see the local sights and do free stuff. All in all it can be very affordable depending on where you go... could do a holiday for three people for up to a week for less than £1k.

By choosing not to have children.

Three dc and hot summer holidays can be ££

It’s harder for bigger families

One child by choice, so we can go wherever we like.

TBRY24

a lot of people run up debt. But equally people can have had inheritances or insurance payouts. Or simply earn more than you realise.

There are some great Facebook groups or Instagram accounts for budget holiday inspiration. Work with what you’ve got and relax your definition of holiday perhaps. Eurocamp, Air BNB, Easy Jet, Eurostar sales - can open up possibilities.

We have also done stuff like finding a last minute Air B and B bargain, or staying two nights in a different city to see a show.

In other words, ways to up everyday life without having to scrimp and save for a big holiday.

This may be because I travel internationally for work and so staying in a hotel is not very exciting. We eat out a lot, lots of coffees out, cheap but fun restaurants, cinema, all of this is just our everyday lives and I don't want to cut back on it.

Both my children have international friends as well and have travelled to see them now they are older (from age 16), so I don't feel they have missed out too much.

Save £500/month. This year:

A week in the Canaries, half board, February half term. Approx £2500.

A week at a family member’s house in Europe. Just paid for flights and food. £1000 (half term, would have been way cheaper if we’d taken the DC out of school).

10 days in France - Eurocamp, ferry, trips etc. Approx £2500.

@reluctantbrit I love Germany, just had a fantastic holiday in Bavaria and over the border in the Tyrol, so beautiful. Had great camping holiday with the kids were small in the Black Forest and I’d love to go back to Berlin.

We used to have a cabin high up in the Sierras.
That’s where we’d go every single vacay, in the summer anyhow. It was snowed-in in the winter and all the roads closed.
It was gorgeous, cool, breezy and a world away from our home life and although we didn’t do much but take walks and go on picnics, I wish every day of my life that we still had our little cabin.
Living in California, you can drive for 9 hours and still be in California. Flights are packed and expensive and the UK and Europe, unfortunately, are out of the question.
So we drive to the coast and spend a few lovely days there — the problem is, when it’s really hot where we live, it’s overcast and foggy at the coast.
You won’t catch me complaining, though. Ever.
It’s going to be 42+C where I live today. The ocean sounds perfect.

We’ve always had a caravan on a seasonal pitch on the south coast. Fees are around £2k per year but that’s as many holidays as we want. When the kids were little we’d go most weekends and all school holidays. Now the kids are young adults I come on my own 😬. From April until Oct I relocate practically leaving them all to fend for themselves at home! They’ve got amazing memories of the years at the van and now they come with friends when it’s hot and annoy me 😂

We have no children and a mortgage to pay. We’ve never been abroad and have been together over 20 years as we spent 15 years saving up for our home. A permanent address has been our priority.

We had a caravan holiday last year out of season was £150 same again for food and fuel. This year same caravan site in autumn again out of season and the cost has gone from that to £600. It’s the part of the UK I’m originally from and we have never been able to afford it in summer but now at the stage we can’t ever afford it, but if I don’t go home I don’t see family ever.

i am in my 50s and see post after post of acquaintances/friends/family having amazing once in a life time holidays, buying new caravans/campers and so on I have no idea how any of them can afford it.

One friend works pt, two mornings, on benefits with kids. She’s had 2 amazing bucket list destination holidays with her DP (about to go on the 3rd and 4th already booked for next year), 2 caravan holidays with her kids and has also bought a caravan on a site for weekends away with D and is just about to have her annual fortnight in the SW. Thats all in about 18months and has probably cost more than our wages. I don’t understand how that’s possible. Even if we saved every month, we already do, for a break we could never afford that.

We have a tent and camp in Cornwall but eat in cafes at least once a day - good food is our priority!

But of course it wouldn’t happen if we didn’t save a bit every month…

I learnt from an early age you can't have everything. Travelling/holidays for me were a big deal so I limited the children I had to just 1 and chose not to own a car.
After all our food and bills/out goings are paid we have £2100 per month spending money to buy anything we want
It's amazing how much you have buy giving up a car

Depends what you prioritise! I love going on holiday so it’s our priority. We do a family holiday abroad each August (we are a family of 5 too and stay in villas - our preference), costs just over £5.3k for all of us each year with Jet2 villas (includes flights/car/bags). Then do a trip to France or Cornwall in May half term too (drive). Then probably centre Parcs over October half term. We earn fairly ok (not rich esp as eldest daughter is at Uni now).

it costs a lot. But it’s what we love so that’s what we prioritise (and pay in instalments).

I don't have 3 kids
I prioritise travel
I hardly spend anything on clothes and makeup. This year, have bought about 3 things.
We don't drink
We don't do Xmas.