Holiday ‘extras’ eating into holiday budget!

If you can't afford to go on holiday don't go on holiday.
Moaning about the cost of buying a sandwich on a short flight when you could easily bring your own is just boring.

To be fair £8.50 is cheaper than paying for a meal at the airport. I’m usually starving by the time we’ve got through the security checks. I wouldn’t want to sit through a 4 hour flight with nothing to eat.

Presumably you’re abroad so how does it make the country broken? Unless you’re talking about the country you’re on holiday in?

Just promise that if you decide not to pay for seats, you won't kick up a fuss and try to displace passengers who HAVE paid for their seats .......

No, I agree that a tourist tax is a good idea especially as they do it abroad, but I can imagine the uproar if it’s even suggested here ( and the mumsnet threads!)

I, too, think a tourist tax in the UK would be great. Noone blinks at the charge in Europe (we paid 2euro a night per person in Rome recently). More than 20m visitors came to London alone last year apparently. Assuming they stay an average of 7 nights each, at a charge of £3 a night that would generate approx half a billion in income that could be poured directly into London services (transports, roads, rubbish collection etc). Cities like Bath and York attract 3-9million international visitors so can also look at generating £100-300m a year.

If this can be used to reduce council tax bills, to improve services and/or to free up council funds for social housing/schools etc, then I’m all for it. It’s a direct tax on those using the facilities these cities offer. It’s insane we haven’t chosen to introduce it, frankly.

Winzom
My dh flew business class once for work and the airline laid on a car for him! Was only once and may have been a ‘business special deal’ , but for normal cab companies to do this would involve a lot of work and cab drivers where I live tend to be on the verge of retiring and they can’t recruit enough people to do the normal jobs. It’s a nice idea though, maybe someone should try to set one up , but the bigger holiday companies probably wouldn’t want to know due to numbers of people it would involve to get everyone to the airport.
A tourist tax in the UK is a good idea, but it would be jumped on as yet another ‘stealth tax ‘ by labour by people who are happy to pay it in other countries to go on holiday which I do get, but I can also see it coming in the next few years even if it may end up another nail in the hospitality coffin, but might be more appreciated by people who live in tourist areas! So a bit of a double edged sword with that one.

True, but at least I get a choice and won’t have to select from the last two mediocre choices left on the trolley. Not had EasyJet food for a while but last time it was not much of a step up from hospital/British Rail sandwiches from the days or yore. Pret do a mean club sandwich!

I just count most things as the cost. We choose seats as we like to sit together so we know we’ll need to do that. Yes our airport charges a drop off, unfortunately no other way to get there. It’s a 6minute drive but needs a train then a bus which don’t run at the times we fly. The police also don’t let taxis drop
off before the airport so yes drop off applies but the taxi fare is £8 plus drop off so cheaper than public transport for both of us.

I wouldn’t eat plane food if I can avoid it. You can take snacks and sandwiches/fruit etc from home and either buy water at the airport or take empty drink bottles and fill up at the water stations. I’ve never stayed anywhere that charges for aircon though.

We are going away next month and have already set aside taxi money and we get the lounge for free so can eat in there before take off.

Why is a charge for AC (which is unusual and would make me question the quality of the accommodation) in a country abroad a sign of ‘broken Britain’? 😆

I’m needing to check in to a Ryan Air flight. Did you manage to get seats together checking in 24 hours before the flight or can you check in before without paying for seats? TIA

I've just got one thing to say - I wish the tourist tax in high volume areas was £100 a night. That'd keep all the riff raff away and allow me quiet access without IG ers and loudmouths blocking my view and enjoyment. 😉

As for the rest of the costs, it just has to be factored in, but as others have said there are economies that can be made, and I do a lot of them too.

I think holiday companies should offer a door to door price (for those that want it). An AI version of the package holiday factoring in all costs from the time you leave your front door, with everything paid for as mentioned in OP. Would that work I wonder?

Good for you. Whilst I don't class what the OP is talking about as spends just part of the holiday you are very lucky indeed if you don't have to budget what you can spend on holiday. Or have lots of money generally.

I’m not sure how the charges you’ve listed contribute to the ridiculous “broken Britain” argument.
You’ve booked a budget holiday but are annoyed that you’re getting the budget experience and need to pay more to bump it up!
Paying for AC- would have been in the info about the hotel. I’ve stayed in many a budget hotel where AC is extra and have not had it as I was on an actual budget.
Food on the flight - it really surprises me how many people I see buying the overpriced not-pleasant food on flights these days. Bring sandwiches or a tub of pasta. Bring crisps / biscuits from home. No one is forcing you to pay for it.
Sitting together - again, you’ve chosen a budget flight option or cheaper ticket that by design does not include allocated seating together. The more expensive options do.
Tourist tax - you were ok with this. It’s been a thing in many many places for a long time. It’s just part of the holiday cost.
Drop off at the airport - I agree that’s a total rip off, but again unavoidable.

Also every airport I know that charges for drop off (outside the big ones where there are buses/train stations there) there are free places to drop off nearby it might just take a couple of minutes of walking

We get food at the airport and take it with us. Not that it's cheap either but it's usually better than the choices on the plane.

Some of those extras are optional. You can sit separately, take own food, take bus to airport. You do not have to go to Spain where you pay tourist tax. Very odd that you pay extra for AC and at £8 per night, it is dear!

Just part and parcel of holidays I’m afraid. Everyone knows food on the plane is extortionate and tastes like cardboard at best. Then if kids want a can of coke and Pringles, you need to remortgage.

Nothing is "budget" about travelling about this time of year.

It's rip off central.

OP - holiday extras are nothing new!!!! I add them all up when I book and budget for them as part of the overall holiday

I wouldn't expect to pay extra for air con, but everything else is totally predictable and normal. If you're budget is so tight, OP, you will just have to to remember these things for next time.
But, in general, holiday budgets are always exceeded, so whenever you come up with a number, you probably have to double it.

We used to book a flight with an all inclusive price. Then people started booking based on who offered the cheapest base price so everything became an extra. It is still relatively cheaper overall for the flight than it used to be. You just have to factor in the "extras" to your base budget for the cost of the flight.

I don’t class any of that holiday spends!
Holiday spends is what we spend once we’re actually in resort, and we don’t have a set budget to spend, we spend what we want.
I certainly wouldn’t be able to enjoy my holiday if I had a set amount of money to spend!
We don’t know how much excursions or anything else is going to cost so I certainly wouldn’t take a specific amount of money on holiday!

Does everyone buy food at the airport and eat it on the plane?

no, I take my breakfast with me in a pot and buy a coffee

• £22pp each way to get seats on the plane next to each other
• £8.50pp each way for a bit of food on the 4hr flight
• £8 per night AC for the hotel room
• £8 per night tourist tax
• £6 to drop us off at the airport for less than two minutes!