to ask how much you spend on a summer holiday abroad?

Yes but having to buy food and drinks throughout the holiday works out more expensive

5K for 4 in August last year.
Achieved through additional work.
I totally understand why people don't /can't

Would it be cheaper to get an apartment so you have the rooms flights separate and food how you choose. Sometimes the all inclusive is too much because they are providing food and drinks, all day long.

Quick google to a holiday I’ve been on not to long ago.
Tenerife, £2000 self catering. You don’t have to spend a fortune while you’re out there.

For the past 3 years our holidays have cost between 4500 - 6000 for 8 nights AI 5 star in July school hols, 1 child 2 adults. Normally do book a 2 bedroom room. Next years hol has worked out at 5k for 10 nights same basis but they are definitely increasing. We find you get a lot more for your money on Turkey

I don't think its necessarily about having more money and more about what people priorities spending their money on

Holidays with kids in school holidays are at least double if not triple the price pp versus going in a random off peak week.

May half term is often deceptively expensive, as much as july/august because its always the same week everywhere and everything has to be sat - sat or sun-sun.

This is why many people have to accept that their holidays are more low key while they are paying for a family of four or five & school holiday prices - instead of a week AI in greece it might be eurocamps, dutch center parcs.

A huge number of people will book last minute deals to save, or will take kids out in term team, or will spend a massive amount of time researching holidays & hunting for deals, or go every 2-3 years to manage it.

If you are on social media, you will notice the 5 friends who've posted photos of portugal or turkey or cyprus, you won't notice the ones quietly camping in wales, and you just feel like "everyone" is on an 8 grand AI. They really aren't.

We are a family of three (DS 17 so considered an adult) and we spent about £5k last year. S/C in a beach-side apartment for 10 days then 11 days in a 3 bed detached villa. Flights were about £1k each iirc. Of course our meals and spending money for trips out would add to that. We hire a car and travel around, eat out every day, but if we wanted to keep to a budget we'd do more cooking ourselves.

You can tailor your holiday to suit your needs, everyone's requirements are different. We would never go AI in a huge hotel, it's just not for us but suits other people perfectly.

Prior to DS, we used to go to Greece in the first two weeks of September, it was a lot cheaper to book last minute and go late in the season. Typically spent around £300pp including the flights, it was marvellous. Those were the days!

We paid £2300 last year but took our kids out of school for a week, first time we’d ever done it. We didn’t get fined but even if we had we saved around £2k by doing this. Went second week of July.
Last minute bookings to get cheap holidays isn’t really a thing anymore unless I’m looking in the wrong place.

Last year we spent just over £7k on two weeks in the dordogne for six of us. Two adults, two teens and two under 5’s. That was flights, basic hire car, gite with pool and spending money. We bbq’d a few times and did lots of sightseeing and did usually eat out once a day. Was absolutely fantastic but this year we’re looking at a small Greek resort with a pool and tavernas to walk to. Teens aren’t coming with us as we’re taking them on a European city break instead. So our budget this year is more like £5k in total but that should be doable for two weeks in August. AI is not for us.

Personally, I think May half term is more expensive, or at least as expensive, if flights are a factor and you’re sticking with school term dates, as all schools get the same week, whereas February and October half terms can be more variable. I know a lot of people take their DCs out a few days before to get better prices, which I completely understand.

We love Eurocamp for this reason. We get a 3 bed caravan so each DC can have their own room (one has ASD and really needs his own space). You could easily get a week on a nice site with good pools for around half of what you’ve just found (potentially longer, depending on the site and what kind of caravan you want).

I think most people have more money than us where we live, as we just could not afford £4k a year for a week’s holiday.

With a bit of research, you could possibly do a 2 bed private rental apartment or even a villa and flights for this. However this will involve a supermarket shop and cooking which not everyone wants to do on holiday.

Think it depends on what you want from the holiday. We won’t go less than 4 star and I think last year for 8-9 nights (can’t remember now) in June half term it was around 6k. All inclusive because the not cooking and thinking/planning/tidying food is what makes it a holiday for me. Also not needing to leave the resort much - so having access to pools and beaches.

it has to be worth it. We don’t go every year because of the cost - so I’d rather go less often but spend more.

others prefer more holidays but cheaper.

what’s the most important for you? Food? Sun? Luxury/cleanliness? Kids stuff? Location to outside things to do…

We’re going in August 4 star all inclusive was £6k for 2 adults and 3 kids. However if you can go out of school holidays it’s much cheaper. We’ve got a week in Europe in May for half the price in a 5 star

Wow where’s that for as that is a great deal!!

At least £1k per person, probably more like 1.5, and we never do AI. B&B, then eat out. I can’t cope with buffets for a whole week. It’s a lot of money.

For 5 folk that’s cheap. When in summer are you looking at as I’m more than that for 1 child in June - before schools break up.

We paid £12k for ours last summer. 2 adults, 2 teens, 2 bedrooms and a private pool at a 5 star AI in Greece for 2 weeks. It’s a huge amount of money (obviously), but it’s our only holiday of the year and we all look forward to it. I’ve not started looking for this summer, I usually wait until I get my annual bonus which determines the budget. Holidays have become ridiculously expensive. I think we might look at villas for this year, but we do like the AI facilities and I think we’d miss them. I don’t especially want to be dealing with shopping and making food if I can avoid it.

£128 each a day sounds a decent price for travel, accommodation, entertainment, food and drink.

It's just the 2 of us and I would say 6k easy, though we have had much more expensive ones too, 6k would be on the lower end.

Why summer op? Always most expensive time

I find it cheaper may half term or Easter tbh

we away at Christmas sometimes (Thailand next year) it’s cheap once you get there but flights are mega 😬

weather decent here in summer so we tend to go camping either in uk or France - much more affordable - we have an amazing tent and great gear

kids love it.

i wouldn’t waste my money on an all inclusive in Europe I hate those holidays and being stuck in the resort.

what sort of holidays do you usually like

Book the time of work and book last minute.
I’ve done this a few times and have got , all inclusive, 4 star in Greece for £600pp.

Yep. We spent £3500 for Spain in 2024 and £4000 for Greece last year. Family of 4. Spain was all inclusive, accommodation of 2 rooms. Greece was self catering villa, 3 rooms.

Is everyone having these holidays? Of course not. It’s eye-wateringly expensive for the average family.