How do people pay for a holiday? Decent income and can’t afford it?

Mainly they probably don’t have your huge mortgage, massive childcare costs and car payments.

They may have a smaller house, a company car or take public transport and share one family car.

They may use relatives for childcare.

They may also have a ton of debt !

They also probably don’t spend £60 on a day out. A nature reserve near me is £5 per car.
Take your own food and drink. Total less than £10 with petrol,

Can often only go away a particular week off each year due to coordinating when the whole family is off school and can take it off work

I think you need to look at different holidays, you can easily find haven holidays for less than £200 for 5 days outside of the school holidays

If the DC aren't at school yet, you can get a Haven Monday to Friday for a couple of hundred quid. Similar prices for Parkdean and the like.

Rude and bitter comment for no reason.

This Year I am struggling to see how we will afford a holiday but we spend 32k a year on nursery fees. If we didn’t have that we would be able to affordable incredible holidays. The childcare costs are not optional though without them we wouldn’t be able to work and earn.

A Holiday cottage company - and to be fair, it isn't in the English/Welsh school holidays, which would make the cost more - £690 a week in high season. But the OP was talking about outwith school holidays too. And yes, you are correct. More expensive on the coast near nice beaches etc. I've also checked and our cottage is £570 per week in mid-season this year - but we booked really early ( like when we were there last year, so it's not costing us as much as that this year). Literally a few pounds over £1000.

When Dc were small we had mega cheap holidays. A grim looking but functional 'apartment' or caravan at Parkdean Resorts, UK, for example. The accommodation is basic but clean, the locations are beautiful - near sandy beaches, with loads of local interest (eg Romney Sands or Camber Sands have a mini steam railway, a little funfair, donkey rides, a light house, a big sandy beach, a fishing lake, with a swimming pool, nursery pool, playpark on site etc.) They have sites all over UK, I think.

7 nights in May - outside of school holidays at Romney - start from £279 for a family of three in a chalet. A little more for an apartment (loads of space.) Bring nice food and wine and some scented candles, flowers and soft bedding - you can brighten the place up easily.

It's not luxurious or glamorous but it is a break in a beautiful coastal area for next to nothing.

Once DC start school you can afford better holidays.

Working from home doesn’t stop you having childcare costs. You are working so can’t look after your children

For this year we currently have 5 nights booked in a premier inn on outskirts of Manchester by a tramline. That was under £250 & we will do lots of free activities (museums in cerntral Manchester & visits to local national trust places) alongside paid things like Lego discovery, a show, possibly snow dome or possibly Chester zoo for the day. Train will be £100 or so (with friends and family rail card). We’ve had similar trips to Leeds, York, London (more expensive but we spend under £1k for 5 nights for 4 of us). In the summer we are sharing a 3 bed apartment near Blackpool with another family (room each for adults and kids will be in bunknees together). It was £330 each for that.
If we are driving we go somewhere nicer with a pool Sunday/Monday night and then stay somewhere basic like holiday inn express, travelodge or premier inn for remainder of the trip. We get out and about lots when at the cheaper accommodation and we have a chill on the days with the pool.
Have taken similar approach when staying in Amsterdam/Paris/Berlin in past. In general cities have loads of kid friendly stuff and it’s often free/cheap. London museums are amazing for example and Amsterdam has really lovely parks & some awesome public lidos

We take home the same but our mortgage is a lot lower with no childcare fees. Once the school years hit you'll have more cash.

Most people only do that kind of thing a couple of times a month. So that’s still a lot of change out of £1000. I think you’ll be able to afford holidays more easily if you’re just a tiny bit more careful the rest of the year.

Also, while you might need two cars, it’s unlikely you need to spend quite as much on them. And once you don’t have nursery fees, you’ll have more disposable income but do bear in mind that two full time parents often need wraparound care which can be expensive.

The childcare is the main issue, surely? Depending on how many children you plan on having, it won't last forever! We hit a low when we had our first child and dipped into savings to even afford the part time childcare we needed so that I could work, following a reduction in my pay due to both mat leave and reducing to part time.

@festivemouse What point are you trying to make?

OP where do you live? I’m southeast, about half an hour on the train into London and my mortgage, bills and nursery are approx £2500 total with two small children. Your nursery bills seem really high as do your car payments. Mine is £175 for a 2019 SUV, my husbands is about £220 for a 2021 SUV. Can you look at cheaper cars to cut those costs down for example?

Some great cheap places for kids days out too. The south part and into Angus is also good.

Places like Charleton Farm, Murton Farm, really good play parks, splash pools at quite a few of them plus lovely beaches.

We love it there.

The trouble is, you get a few sweet years when childcare costs go- but then you're paying adult prices for your kid to come on holiday! And if you're a teacher and the higher earning parent, you'll never, ever get a cheap holiday. Or you will, but it's still dearer than other people will have paid 2 weeks earlier.

I’m mystified as to why you would ask? A pre-teen with a basic grasp of maths would know that the answer is having lower essential outgoings. Most people aren’t spending 60% (or more) of their household income on childcare and rent or a mortgage, or do you think they are?

I was wondering the same 😄

Just to say it gets much more expensive in school holidays but then you won't be paying expensive nursery fees. Wrap around Will be significantly less than £1400 a month.

But you do have a high mortgage and very very high car costs and you seem to do regular days out.

Those are all choices you've made.

But that is why you aren't saving the £300 or £400 a month that would comfortably allow you to afford a holiday.

Do you mind sharing where are you staying? Pm if you prefer not to disclose it here ☺️

Kinda missing a point dont you?

We always stay in coastal villages in Aberdeenshire- beautiful part of the world and generally pay 600 or so pounds for seven or eight nights

We used to do haven holidays when the DC were small, and we went during term time to keep the costs low.

Nursery fees are high, but a quick look on the Haven website shows 7 nights in a basic caravan at Great Yarmouth costs just over £400. The Seashore park has a little train that runs along to the promenade, it’s right on the beach and your DC would have a blast building sandcastles. Expensive holidays will come when you’re not paying out a huge chunk of your income on nursery fees.

Do you use Airbnb or a cottage company? I would love to find a decent Welsh cottage in August for two weeks for a grand. Maybe the coast is more expensive.