Half term

@drspouse I get 7 weeks (pro rata) plus bank holidays and don't work f/t. DH is 6 weeks but does hybrid and can bank overtime so we make it worth. Plus we both work in offices so get 2 wks off at Christmas without using much annual leave if that makes sense.

@CompletelyFlopped I would say this is the norm for my friends and school mum friends.

@skirtingcurtain how do you have enough AL?

We don't go away for Christmas after we didn't really enjoy it at my dad's one year.
Feb we have been skiing once and we've done two term time skiing holidays. It will be that OR Easter, not both.
May we might do a couple of days but usually not.
Main holiday 2 weeks in summer.
We have also gone to London for a couple of days in October half term once or twice but never all in the same year.
So this school year I took DD to London in Oct half term, then we had 2 nights away over NY as it was DS birthday.
No trips at Feb half term, Easter or May half term.
Main holiday northern France/Disney/Paris in July and August.

We don’t even go away for a holiday every year. We could afford to, but the dog doesn’t travel or board well. 😩 We’re around nearly every school holiday. Generally, I’d say that’s the case for most of dc’s friends. When they are away, it’s usually to visit family.

There is one family I know who is very much into cosplaying that they’re old money. They aren’t. They work very ordinary jobs. Drive an ordinary car. Live in an ordinary mid terrace village house. But the dad likes to stroll about the village in his pheasant hunting attire and do similar I’m trying to appear as if I’m a born member of the upper class sort of silly things.

They seem to be away in Greece on a yacht a lot. It’s just an AI Tui sort of holiday, but they go on a boat trip one day, and then lots of photos to post every day to make it look like they are on their yacht. They aren’t. But they seem to take a lot of holidays for social media content, so they are the only people I know who seem to go away regularly. I don’t think they are normal, in all sorts of ways. 😂

Visiting family?

If you can afford it, why not? I try and go away every school holiday, I budget £1500-2000 for a week, slightly higher budget in the summer but still a week. I'm sure there are plenty of people who spend £10k on a fortnight in the summer but I prefer to spread mine out.

I'm self employed so holidays not an issue

And sometimes we do additional camping trips with friends.

This is what we are doing this year & a typical year for us.

Feb half term - trip & stay at legoland

easter - away with friends to New Forest holiday park

may half term - a few nights in a UK seaside place

summer holidays - 2 wks French holiday park &/or at parents house in France.

Oct half term - Centre Parcs with extended family

Christmas - we don't tend to go away but do days out.

As the dc are getting older I will swap things for city breaks.

Well I think the message of don't have dc unless you can afford them as being drummed into many so those with dc often have higher incomes. We tend to go somewhere every break but mainly UK and don't spend 7k on a week abroad in the summer.

We go away may half term (long weekend) and summer holidays (2 weeks). Definitely not every holiday. The only people I know who do, have family with holiday properties either UK or abroad, and visit that each time

I’ve been wondering the exact same thing! I don’t have anywhere near enough annual leave (or money) to do this. Maybe they’re all staying with family and working while away?

It's much cheaper to go away at half term or Easter then during the summer holidays, especially if the holidays don't aline between different areas. Maybe more of their friends will be around over summer?

Maybe they just don’t want to see you! 😉