To think that I could find a nice holiday on a tight budget?!

OP that is plenty of budget! It's more than we spent on a lovely 2 destination honeymoon in the sun.

It's often cheaper to go abroad so I'd search for cheap flights to anywhere using skyscanner. Once you your destination you then scour booking.com for affordable rentals in that location (self catering).

You can go somewhere really, really nice for that money if you do the legwork yourself. AI deals are such rip-offs.

Eurocamps are so well spaced they never feel too busy. Far more chilled than most Ai holidays I’ve been on.

Do you drive/live near the airport?

@Teddypear do you all have passports? (ergo no other expense on top of your budget)

Look somewhere like Montenegro or Macedonia, like mainland Greece but much cheaper.

You can also filter smaller sites on Eurocamp.

Yes, don’t get me wrong, it’s not in my top 10 Italian towns! But for the OP and her teens on such a budget there’s no denying that the proximity of the airport is a huge bonus, cheap flights and the “instagrammable” leaning tower. The fact they can stay at a quieter camp with pool within budget is another bonus.

I find Italy very budget friendly compared to Spain and France. For the OP I’d recommend the Italian lakes above anywhere else. But if doing Eurocamp style avoid the awful Bella Italia in Peschiera! Go further up the lake to Camping Lazise or Cisano. Or stick with easy flights to Milan and simple transfer to Maggiore.

I haven’t been to Belgrade but enjoyed Frankfurt (many years ago) but mainly as was part of a wider Rhine Valley trip. I don’t like Berlin, the only city in Germany that I thought was dirty, if I want a scruffy city I’ll go to London!

Ive just checked on airbnb, for entire properties (so not a room in someones house), for w/c 26th July, for the whole of England for a week, one adult 2 kids, free parking included, 2 bedrooms and there are over 1000 options which are no more than £700, I filted by price.

It's strange how we remember and perceive things differently. A now adult son who has been to nearly every European Country said that Pisa and Frankfurt and Belgrade are the 3 cities he wouldn't bother going back to or recommend anyone to go to. A daughter who lived in Berlin thinks Frankfurt is great but agrees about Pisa. I'm with him on Belgrade even though it was inexpensive for an Irish wage. I suppose it's about finding out for yourself.

The prices I’ve given are hand luggage only but it’s perfectly doable. Amazon have a decent range of perfectly sized bags, even Primark do them now. Or add one hold case (total cost less than £100). Not worth the expense and hassle of dragging it about in my opinion.

The UK is extremely expensive to eat out and the weather questionable. Beautiful, but only on a sunny day!

And get the overnight ferry to Ancona and fly back to Stansted. The ferry journey is stunning with the clear sky and huge moon.
31 Euro Ancona to Stansted on 24th July with Ryanair.

@ClareBlueI found Pisa relatively cheap and noticed no drugs! I hate the stench of weed that you find in most UK cities but Italy was not blighted with it just yet. The menu of the day was €12.50 and half carafe of wine €3.50 2 years ago in pretty much every town centre restaurant we ate at. Ciabatta and a coffee at a nice cafe €8.

Why are you discounting the UK?

You can get a cheap holiday in the UK, some of these options suggested look great on paper but once you add on all the little extras that going abroad incurs it wont be cheap

Where in the UK would you want if you stayed here?

@flowersandmaterials I think you will struggle with flights at that unless you take no luggage whatsoever - or possibly cram everyone’s luggage in 1 hold case only - the budget airlines have got very crafty at this and are routinely adding £75 to what looks like a cheap basic price if you want to take so much as a cabin bag - I was looking for a friend in a similar situation and found flights to everywhere even going at shit times and just with a cabin bag each we’re coming in around £700 minimum return for all in July and august

Not sure if this rec is based on experience or just availability. We've done Pisa as a couple pre children and as a family with children 10 upwards and it wouldn't be on our list of recommendations. Pisa is expensive and was having some serious issues with crime and drugs the last time we were there. Maybe just our perception, and maybe it's better now. That was 4 years ago.

Fly to Tirana and stay in durres. Absolutely stunning and cheap as chips when there

You can get a holiday flat for that in the uk for sure. Prob not Cornwall but maybe Suffolk or Kent? Go inland a little and drive to beaches?

That should read Stresa. Another option is same dates, flights return to Pisa £311, Pisa camping village £600 for the week. Added bonus of being a short bus ride away from the airport and walking distance to Pisa Centrale for trains to Lucca and Florence and walking distance to the leaning tower

It's warm at beginning of September when we go and hot but not mad hot in July and August. Have been loads of times as we get cheap flights from Shannon to Kaunas at around 80 Euro return and Shannon airport is only 40 minutes away from us and takes 10 minutes through security. It's a euro from airport to city on the bus. Was there a week in March and it snowed. Winters are cold.

Flights to and from Gatwick to Milan Malpensa with EasyJet 6-14th August are £216 for an adult and 2 teens.

Hotel Orchidia in Strasa on Lake Maggiore (30 min drive or 1hr on public transport) is coming in at £580 for 8 nights. You could cut a night or two and save there.

Beautiful quiet town, restaurants and lake activities nearby. Mountains. Nice towns to explore if you wish. You can eat and drink very cheaply in Italy. Gelato will be around €2, Pizza €6-9, half carafe wine €3.50, pasta dishes from €9

If you can hire a car great, if not public transport around the lakes is fine and is excellent in Milan itself.

Yeah, to be honest I'm not fond of the tiny coffin like ones either!

Well, if you can acquire enough tentage for the three of you you could find a cheaper channel crossing (problem is the Calais area is notably not very picturesque so you might have to drive a bit further). Or have a play with the Brittany Ferries website to see if you can find the cheapest crossings.

I'm very fond of the Loire Valley as an area with something for everyone. You can find some great value campsites, and the good thing for you is that the quieter ones without evening entertainment, water parks full of screeching kids etc are often much cheaper.

A couple of my favourites are Le Milin Kerhe in Brittany and Camping Intercommunale de Chinon in the Loire Valley. They both come in at about 20- 30 euros a night.

Flight for how many people? If that’s person then it would come to £1500 and she would still need to pay or food and travel insurance plus additional cost of travelling in the summer.

We’ve driven to France and done campsite holidays with that budget.

For flights and apartments or hotels, we’ve always paid about double that

Look at Palanga on the Baltic coast in Lithuania. Went last year and going again in September. You can fly direct from Stansted or fly to Kaunas which is a great city and get the train across. Trains in Lithuania are good and cheap.