What is your summer holiday budget versus household income?

We tend to have two holidays a year - 10 days in the summer - 2 adults + 3 DCs and then another 1 week either Autumn or Easter. In total it’s about £15k normally split £11k / £4k but the year we did Disney it was more £9k / £6k.
Income is higher though, total gross about £180k.

We do prioritise holidays though and don’t spend on other areas - I can’t remember the last time either of us had a “big” night out.

Household income of around £150k, mortgage £1,500pm, childcare around £600pm. We're a family of 5 who go away for 2 weeks in peak summer holidays but what we spend has varied from around £6k (eurocamp type, self drive holidays) to £12k (private villa with flights). Both ends of the spectrum include everything so all spends and food. Based on that, I think you could easily manage a week away as a family of 5 for £5k but equally it wouldn't be unreasonable to spend double that!

Normally about 15-20k a year on an income of 170k.
(For the whole year)

We’ve spent about 10% this year, maybe more. That’s quite a lot for us. Couple of weekend UK breaks. We like ski (very expensive), city breaks, rural UK cottage/camping. Hate hot holidays/AI and they are also really expensive now. Nothing is a good deal so it seems.

Whoa!! Really? People are spending this kind of money on holidays every year??? I've never been able to manage that, not even when I was working full time.

I'm left with £38 for the rest of the month after my 'holiday' (which was last taken 2yrs ago). It cost £200 for a ferry and £30 petrol to visit my parents for five days. Plus taking them flowers, a cake and paying for two meals out, so about £300.

I usually go on a coach holiday for £250 once a year, but had to give that a miss so I could visit my family.

I work for my family, I’m already in the additional rate taxpayer bracket. Why can’t I have a holiday at the end of the year? I don’t work for charity.

im not surprised. I think a week in Crete is a fairly standard holiday but when I last looked it was staggeringly expensive.

Blimey. My household income is less than half yours and used be be much less, so I’m good at cheap holidays. When kids were younger we used to stay in a very comfortable static caravan somewhere beautiful by the coast in the uk, on a farm: 400 per week, sleeps 4.
Canpsites in France or Northern Spain/ Portugal, again static caravan but access to amazing pool : 800 a week plus flights booked well in advance.
We rarely eat out in the evening on holiday, unless it’s a street food on the beach type thing, just use local markets and make our own.
My budget for 3 ( me and 2 kids) was usually 3 k a year all in for 2 holidays.

I don’t fancy diverting my hard earned money away from my children and their enrichment and into the pockets of ‘charity’ who amongst other costs have to fund their senior management team’s high level salaries. I wonder what the CEO of a national charity budgets for their holiday each year? Bet it’s more than I can afford!

I’ve also worked really hard to build a life I don’t have to escape from so our holidays are a chance to spend quality time together exploring or learning new things.

ah - I have to admit I am a fan of a mortgage overpayment calculator, but if this was the only metric one would never have any fun!

I too am gulping at the numbers on this thread, I thought at average uk salary I wasn’t poor but my god these incomes are something else!!! However, so as to stick to the point. First holiday this year for 3 years. It’s costing about 10% of salary, uk self catering but needs flight and car hire, too old to drive the length of the country and I like a nice self catering. Sad I’m too decrepit to camp as they were my best holidays and very cheap.

I can’t believe how much people are spending!

We earn similar amount to you, we have one child. We spend about 6K on our main summer holiday. Then we usually do 2 city breaks which are about 1k each plus spending money.
Next year we have reduced the budget slightly for the main holiday and may only have 1 other break as this is a week away snowboarding in Norway and this cost 5K
We both work hard, have no other debts aside from our mortgage we own our car. Due to both WFH we only need one car, we don't spend loads on designer clothes or nights out.

family of 5 - 3 kids (20/17/8 yrs old) if self catering we spend about £8k for 2 weeks (flights apartment, car hire, excursions, food shopping & eating & drinking out everyday split £4.5k on the holiday & £3.5k spending money) height of August)
just booked a TUI hol AI in Oct for for all 5 of us for £5k.
will try to have 2 hols a year and some weekends away. Household income of £210k.

When our kids were young we didn't go abroad at all. Once the youngest started school we started having week long self catering holidays in Europe, all but one of which have been 'city breaks'. We have 3DC and spend about £5K total on these holidays. Our income is slightly higher than yours (£130K) but we also have a week self catering in a nice cottage in the UK as well which is a cheaper option (because no flights and more picnics!) plus trips to see family so our total holiday expenditure is more than that.

Our holidays are roughly 10% of our annual income. Not sure I’d be comfortable spending more than that as we have mortgage, cars & 3 dependent children.

I work very hard for my money. I will choose to spend it how I like…that’s the point is it not? I give to charity in other ways. I deserve a holiday.

Well i suppose i have certain desirable's.

Very large pool area, more of a village type feel, water park, padded sun loungers, beach and minimum 3 restaurants, a room with 2 bathrooms 2 bedrooms (thats a new must have since my 2 older have hit early teens and take about 2 hours to get ready and 10 tiktok videos later😂)

So yeah I suppose we could get lower priced ones.

I find adventures with my children a very worthwhile cause financially.

Do you forgo things during the year in order to give 10% of your gross income to charity?

Our entire ethos is what your husband says. We spend so much now because ‘later’ will be too late. Yes, we will have some wonderful holidays in the future just the two of us, but I want to enjoy every second with our daughter through her childhood. If that means we spend longer paying off our mortgage, or put less into pensions, during what remains of her childhood then I’m absolutely ok with that.

Side note - although high earners we were young parents, so we didn’t have reserves built up pre kids, however will have plenty of time once she is grown up. Swings and roundabouts!

What a great thread @GreatWhiteWail !

your life is lived once and there’s only so many years of family holidays you get. So to a degree I am more on your DH pov at this time of your life.

however some of the numbers here are just eye-wateringly astronomical… but it depends on how you value your holidays and what you value about your holidays - each to their own!

currently dp and i have some health issues and reduced hours so no (proper) holidays anyway, but prior we’d be household £80-100k and maybe spend £4K for our annual holiday(s) across mini breaks to odd places (Brno, Lausanne, Vienna, Tallinn) and a week in a Canaries apartment (hoorah for Mercadona and the Titsa bus!). Now we are enjoying the railcard and a few decent deals on travelodge/premier inn type hotels in the uk with free museums etc

We spend around 20% of income on holidays, but that’s probably a skewed percentage because we have a high income and don’t live in London (or anywhere down south).

20% of a low income wouldn’t leave enough to have a comfortable standard of living.

On your income, unless you have debts or high car finance, I think you could spend £5k or comfortably more. But that entirely depends on your outgoings.

I budget 5K- 6K just for me and DD. This tends to get us two European holidays and another shorter UK break. Income is 85K - single person income.
I think 5K in total for a family of 4 is fine for one holiday but if you wanted more than one holiday or break a year I can’t see this being enough.

We’re retired, so fixed income.

We haven’t been abroad since 2008. Usually it’s a week somewhere in UK self catering, with maybe four meals out. Probably spend between 1K-1.5K, including fuel and spending money.