To be shocked at the cost of holidays?

We go to the Isle of Wight every year; it’s our happy place. Honestly I recommend it. So much to do - we manage to find somewhere new to visit each time we go - and also some free activities as well as places that cost. Because you take the ferry there it really feels like you’re going away away.

Not sure how it would work price wise but have you looked at Jersey? Or the Scilly Isles?

Have you looked into private let’s? Air BnB or owners abroad type of thing? Would keep the cost of your accommodation down loads, and somewhere with a pool for just the 5 of you might be lovely. Means you’d save cash on meals out too, as you can cook at the villa/flat.

Sorry, was in a rush. Meant to say she can't go in termtime which is what another poster suggested.

How far north are you? If you're in northern England then look at packages out of Edinburgh or Glasgow in the later half of August. They might be cheaper as scottish schools go back around the middle of August. Or if you're in Scotland then head to Manchester or Newcastle airport at the start of the scottish school holidays before England break up.
But yes, it's expensive to go away in school hols!

We gave up on foreign two week holidays years ago because of the cost.

We now do mid-week city breaks. Works out cheaper and we can get more days away per year.

Well you're doing something wrong, aren't you! I ran another search for 1 person over the weekend of 13- 16 June and got these (not the very cheapest, but representative).

https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/hotelf1-paris-porte-de-chatillon-paris.en-gb.html?aid=1610684&label=paris-jXuzf2cAIJRzw_67P28YJgS380966953577%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atikwd-10813131762%3Alp1006565%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm%3Appccp%3DUmFuZG9tSVYkc2RlIyh9YfqnDqqG8nt10AsofPfvtt0&sid=7b016e77347d585a38a29f0357da6213&all_sr_blocks=154996008_93782682_2_2_0&checkin=2025-07-25&checkout=2025-07-27&dest_id=-1456928&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=2&group_children=0&hapos=1&highlighted_blocks=154996008_93782682_2_2_0&hpos=1&matching_block_id=154996008_93782682_2_2_0&no_rooms=1&req_adults=2&req_children=0&room1=A%2CA&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=price&sr_pri_blocks=154996008_93782682_2_2_0__10364&srepoch=1743427185&srpvid=db605db38a8607c0&type=total&ucfs=1&

Ok it is a bit out of the centre but for that price I think it's worth it and it looks quite nice

How are almost all of the kids in my DC classes on holiday every year?

Because they have more money than you? Because they put it on a credit card? Because they stay at homes owned by family? Because they go camping / stay in budget accommodation? Because their grandparents pay?

Who knows. But pointless comparing!

I travel a lot I know how to use a booking site!

Yes although I filter out “nonrefundable” which removes a lot of the cheaper options but it needs to be flexible as dates may shift. Also I tend to reserve a few to hold them then whittle them down to compare properly and make sure they have the necessary basics.

For one person?! That sounds crazy, as my search was for 3 sharing, at the start of the school holidays. Unless there's a public holiday/ event happening in France, but even so...

Do you click the option to order results in lowest price first on booking.com? You can also roll over the map, where hotels are displayed by price.

Also, I know you say you don't want to do hostels, but I'm 51 and had a perfectly nice night in a small female- only dorm in Paris a couple of years ago. There were only a couple of other inhabitants- neither of them young- and we had a nice chat about our travels before going our respective ways. This was in the IYHF Yves Robert, near the Gare du Nord.

We go un term time. Where I live in Wales, a lot do of people do it. Noone I knownhas been fined. I don't think taking kids out for a 1 week holiday is an issue but mumsnet will say its terrible. It's about a third of the price.

£88!!! Where on earth was this - that’s what I need!

I was looking start of June and nothing was thrown up under £100 a night and outside of Paris (which was useless for me as I will be constantly travelling into the city to meet friends visiting from overseas.) I will check again.

That was Hotels.com and Booking.com

Why can’t she go in school holidays?

She's a teacher! She can't go in school holidays or INSET days!

We did a villa in Spain in Feb half term and went with extended family. Worked out quite well, kept costs down and all the kids played together in the pool. Hired a car and explored a bit and just stacked the fridge with loads of yummy food and drinks.

Think like the cheap airlines, rather than buying a whole package, build you own holiday so you can choose only what you need and where you are happy to save money.

We always go for fairly basic and functional hotels/apartments as we are out and about a lot so just need somewhere to sleep and wash.

@Ginmonkeyagain I agree- we did 5 days in Amsterdam a few weeks ago - very lucky with the weather- loads of lovely affordable meals out , drinks by canals, train to Haarlem and Utrecht ( both lovely) and a lovely top end hotel out near the Pipj - definitely a lovely break. When we lived in Copenhagen I would recommend that too with anyone with kids- lots to do, white sandy beach, some amazing accommodation options including fantastic funky hostels with en suites , fabulous apartments. Can’t guarantee weather but we did tend to have a fair bit if sun in summer and a fair bit of snow in Dec/jan/feb - also fantastic public pools and swimming in enclosed sea ( which is blue) straight off the piers -all guarded - I think people need to think sideways if they want to get under £3-4K minimum with a family peak season if they want to go abroad .

OP I think a lot of people use TUI but I actually find BA often a bit cheaper for packages and like TUI you
can spread the payment it’s not all up front. I think a lot of people opt for that, spreading the payments out

You could cut that in half by not going in school holidays

Agreed. We go away a fair bit, I will start by saying we are not limited to school holidays so have more choice, but a lot of threads on here complaining about the cost of holidays seem to have a very narrow definition of what a holiday is - seemingly 7 days at a beach resort in a catered hotel.

We are going to Belgium for four days in a couple of weeks. Train there and back and basic mid price hotels. It's still a holiday.

Also in the time you quote the pound was very strong so places like Spain and Greece in particular seemed very cheap. I remember when people went on shopping weekends to New York!!

I really think the crux of the matter is people's expectations of holidays, mind you. The Mumsnet norm appears to be paying thousands for a week or two in an AI resort- either that or going on a cruise. But that isn't the way most people have traditionally holidayed!

I'd say we were lower middle class growing up- dad had a professional job, mum worked p/t until we were both in secondary. We would go on a package holiday to Greece every other year (with Sunmed, anybody else remember them?!)- flights always at an unearthly hour, basic self catering villa where my brother and I would share a room. Pretty much the same kind of holiday as everyone else- staying in a hotel would have been regarded as very fancy! This was in the late 80s.

I think there must have been a bit of a bubble from roughly 1995- 2015 where flights and holidays were unnaturally cheap and people's expectations were raised very high. Now basic costs have been raised and companies are upping prices to protect their bottom line, but the average family is still demanding AI, in the middle of the school holidays, must have a pool, must get there by plane, private transfers, car hire, a room for every child etc etc. All this without spending ages trawling online to find the bargains.

Meanwhile, I got the car ferry with a small van back from Santander to Plymouth last year and it was I think £550 including a cabin. It was 3 days into the autumn term for DS2 and 1 for DS1. Booked the preceding November using a friend's Club Voyage discount (RIP 😪)

Tui always seems very expensive when I look. We’ve used Expedia very successfully to book our ‘package holiday’ type holidays (mostly, we go camping in France via the ferry, but we’re southeast England so it’s much more manageable!)

I got the car ferry from Portsmouth to bilbao in 2012 and it was a grand back then.