How the fuck can people afford to go on holiday?

How does this make sense? For lots of people childcare is so expensive that they can't afford to work as childcare costs would outweigh their salary by far! So it's not about prioritising not having to pay for childcare, it's probably that disposable income would actually be LESS if husband chose to work?

Pretty sure there was the same thread last week. Less kids + more money is how we do it.

You could maybe try a holiday in a different form. Go off the beaten track to rural Poland or Czech Republic, Ryanair for flights, airbnb for accommodation , and make a bit of an adventure of it. Slovakia or Romania would be other ideas.

Dc and I went to Spain for 4 days. It’s just 2 of us. Flight was about £120 total and accommodation was £350 (it was a 3 bed house that slept 6 though, right by the beach). I couldn’t tell you what we spent on food and things to do really, but we did a lot of free stuff (beach, playgrounds, free museums), but a few big days out, like aquarium and science museum which was like £60 total for both is us.

We went to supermarket and bought breakfast and snacks, some lunches and dinners, which to be fair, was similar to what we’d pay on food shopping at home. But had a few bigger meals out.

I’d say it cost us maybe £700-900 total. Probably the most expensive bit was the bloody airport parking!

I don’t see how people are spending thousands on a holiday personally. I think the biggest issue you have is simply not earning enough (Dh not working much) and having 3 dc. I have 2 but I don’t take them both away together every year (age gap and different interests).

Dual income and adult childcare. We go 4 tines per year. Although when the children were small we always had 2 holiday.
Just saved

I look for the cheapest flights I find across Europe. Then look for an Airbnb, self catering. Sometimes we hire a car, sometimes we rely on local transport. We eat simply, picnics at lunch, the odd meal out. Love holidaying like this, always an adventure.

We booked Egypt for August. 3 of us less than 4k 10 days all inclusive with easyJet. We booked it in January

In our case it is 1 child +1 parent, holidays planned around at least one/both flights being reward flight. We normally travel quite a lot.
Flights are the most expensive part to be honest, esp in pick times.
I can't imagine doing the same with 3 kids + 2adults on one income.

When we only had 1 child, we went abroad twice in the first year of her life. Now we have 3 and have been 0 times 😂 It is partly the stress of it (kids 7, 5, 3.) but definitely money related. We go to Haven (don’t knock it till
you try it, kids love it.) & camping. We will definitely want to start going to other countries as they get older, I’m thinking possibly France next year by ferry. But everything will be done to a tight budget (air b&b, cooking whilst away etc.) & probably paid off throughout the year on the credit card. I saw someone up thread has paid over 7k for 10 days. I just couldn’t. It’s all relative to your income obviously but I could make 7k go so far for us. Our holiday cost more in the region of £500 or less.

And I decided not to have three children ☺️

We holiday in the UK. £3000 for a gorgeous cottage in the Peak District. It used to be for 6 of us but my FIL died last year so now it’s just the 5 of use. We pay £2200 which is what the equivalent of a place for 4 would be and my MIL pays the difference. Then we spend about £1700 while away. The spends could probably be cheaper but we eat out a lot and generally just don’t think too much about money while we’re away. We save monthly for this.

We’re also off to Portugal next year and that’s £1000 pp a week AI at a great hotel. My dad’s paying for half though.

More money, different priorities.
They might have decided they don't want three kids for a start, so holidays are much easier

I can't afford 3 children. But can afford a week in Eurocamp

I think I just don't like holidays enough to prioritise them, my children are older now so they go away having saved up from their jobs/savings with friends.

When they were younger we used to do a weekend or two in the UK, London, Travelodge somewhere, and then a couple of weeks with the cheapest flights and staying in a friend's flat. I also let the kids go on a lot of school and Guide holidays abroad/to interesting places as these are cheaper if just one child goes and they take it in turns. Funding four or five people on a full holiday is expensive.

I would rather have lots of meals out, drive a better car, just not feel the pinch at home so much rather than prioritise better holidays. I love my home, my children like eating out, buying Vinted bargains, having fun together, gym, and the odd cheaper holiday, I wouldn't feel like I got value for money unless I was in an amazing 5 star hotel, I don't find cooking and cleaning in another location very fun, if I'm honest.

We stay in the UK but rent the best houses we can afford. This year we've been to Yorkshire, stayed in an amazing house and had a great time.

Next year we're venturing abroad for my big birthday.

Eurocamp for one week cost us £317 for the week...own oven etc. this was France by the beach.

We book well ahead! we’re going to the US soon and it’s been booked since January 2023 😂 as soon as we’re back we will probably book the next holiday. Maybe use a credit card for extra protection this time (crowdstrike!) and then pay it off with savings.

We prioritise holidays and eat frugally / don’t do theme parks or fancy cars. We have a small house and a small mortgage for this reason!

Also with your earnings what is "an okish amount". Minimum wage works out about 20k a year full time and most adults with kids have at least one parent who has progressed in their job and earns more

I assume this is what most people do - either book and spread the cost or save each month into a separate account.

I assume your kids are very young and so make sure you look for holidays during the term time when it’s a lot cheaper.

Your DH could also pick up some night shifts, instead of just working seasonal.

I think it's about priorities as well. £1000 pp (especially when those people are small children) for a week in a nice hotel but not luxury seems really OTT to me. I'm finding it hard to decide whether that's actually what I want to spend £4000 on. I recognise I am very privileged to even have the option (although it would involve saving)

I tend to book self catering, the cost of a private villa has increased loads though.

This year we are going to Portugal for 10 nights, in a bungalow on a quiet 4 star gated complex. Has a kids pool but no kids clubs etc etc. 10 min walk from the beach.

£1,900 incl flights for 2 adults and one DC11.

we will probs hire a car out there for a few days, so an extra £200 and the airport transfers are £70 each way in an Uber.

That was the cheapest deal I could get this year.

@MissScarletInTheBallroom

I don't camp but I am German.

It depends what you like. Germany has great beaches, Baltic Sea or the North Sea Islands/coast.

You have plenty of lower level mountains, google Rhön or Frankonia. I lived 4 years in Frankonia and it's a great area for holidays (incl. campsites, I have been told).

Obviously you have the Alps, we are near Chiemsee this year, that's towards the Austrian border. Bavaria seems to be quite popular for Brits.

Lake Constance is great.

On the east side you have the baltic sea and the lakes in Mecklenburg, the Spree Forest south of Berlin, the Saxonia Switzerland around Dresden.

First holiday in May in two years and first abroad since 2015

I had two jobs to pay for it- one part time and one full time alongside my husbands full time job
Was it worth it? Absolutely

We used to go camping, borrow caravans fron relations, or go to Hoseasons resorts, all in the UK until the DCs reached their early teens. We did manage a week in Tossa Del Mar one year and somehow a week in Orlando in another, but all 4 of us in one room. Infact, we only had 2 queen sized beds. That year, we had sales people selling time share points, and we went along and ended up buying enough points to get us a week a year. This gave us the accommodation for all of us, so we had to pay maintenance fees, flights and car hire. It worked really well for us for 10 years, until the credit crunch in 2008 and we tried to sell the timeshare. Not quite impossible, but virtually gave it away. We worked out the costs over the time we owned and it worked out at around the same cost as a cheap package per year, but we had 2 bed accom, on nice resorts. If you want to look at this a few points. Do not buy from the company. You can pick up time shares for next to nothing from people trying to offload them. If you get one for next to nothing, and then give it away after a few years, you haven't lost anything. Check how much the maintenance and any other fees are, and ensure you can afford them, and how much they may increase in the future. The only thing I would say is we are now 70. We always looked forward to retiring and having time for more holidays, as we could only get a week at a time due to our business constraints. First 2 years of retirement spent caring for elderly relative, next 2 years, Covid and subsequent increases in prices. The last couple of years we have managed 4 holidays, but niggling medical issues have got in the way (and bumped up the cost of travel insurance). We also find that we are getting a bit more intolerant of other people and their children, and whilst we hope to get a few more years in before I'll health gets in the way, we are losing some of our enthusiasm for travel, and I can see us settling for visiting the same convenient places, out of season when it isn't too hot or busy. I suppose what I am trying to say is to try and prioritise and budget getting away, especially while your children want to come with you (ours still do) but there is a spell when they may prefer to stay with their friends.