GIven £2500 to spend on a holiday

[Henryville]

We have been given some money and would like to use it to go abroad as haven't had a proper holiday in ages.
So 2 adults and 2 children. Would like something a bit different than Italy, Spain etc. We like a mixture of relaxing and being busy but really like wildlife etc.
Any ideas?!

I'd go somewhere to see the Northern Lights....and maybe an ice hotel too

dh always rolls his eyes when I mention the ice hotels as I have been know to weep if even a little bit chilly, but I really really want to do that.

Sorry name changed. Husband has Been with work otherwise that would be a contender.

well my next thing would be a Nile cruise....not sure if that is a safe thing these days

Then macchu picchu and all that...

or maybe India...but i really think the heat might kill me!

dh wants to do one of those train across the rockies things, he likes trains.

and we are planning a big NYC effort for the future...one of the cruise across, fly back, swanky hotel weekend jaunts.

We looked at America as would love that but way more than £2500. Holidays seem to cost more than they used to!

How old are your kids?

And what kind of wildlife do you like seeing

• birds?
• small mammals like pine-martins and otters?
• mini-beasts?
• If it's big exotic animals you like, would a very good safari park/zoo be a draw?

Theres some ideas here www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/europe/travel-guide/top-10-wildlife-holidays-in-europe

Europe would hopefully be cheaper than usa

Can you go in term time? And how old are your DC?

We got mid-week awkward flights to Kenya for about £350 return one year and then got a house from Owners Direct for about £40 a day. We thought it was a bargain (and it probably was) but it was a great break.

I've just been to Tenerife. Hired a car and there are more remote places. Beaches, rock pools for snorkelling, volcano, waterfalls and of course all the touristy things in tourist areas such as parasailing (can do from 18 months), diving, boat trips.
If not I can recommend Nepal for trekking, culture etc

Oh, and roughly where in the UK do you live, and do you have a car? Flights will eat up a lot of your budget, but ferry might be an option.

Yes, don't write off seemingly mainstream and pedestrian locations.

Unless you have holidayed away from the main tourist areas of Spain and Italy, it is unlikely that you have seen even a snapshot of what these countries are really like.

One of our best holidays was in cities and mountains of Andalucia - Granada, Seville, Cordoba, El Caminito del Rey which is a restored walkway attached high up in a gorge near the El Chorro lakes. A complete world away from a Spanish beach holiday despite being about an hour inland from the Costa del Sol.

£2500 isn't huge for a family holiday, sadly, so you'll struggle to do a safari in Africa or whatever.

What about Billund in Denmark. Fly cheaply from Stansted on Ryanair and you have the original Legoland and a Centerparcs style indoor waterpark/activity centre, plus lots of outdoorsy bike rides, forests etc and about an hour from the coast and nature reserves.

Kenia or Sri Lanka
Austria
Croatia

I always recommend Slovenia on these threads. Beautiful country, really green and unspoilt, with a gorgeous capital city.

When we went, we went to Lake Bled (the one in all the tourist pics with the island in the middle), Lake Bohinj, we went up into the Julian Alps, went to the Lippizaner stud farm, went to the castle built into the cliffs, the caves where the salamanders live...

Best European holiday I’ve had and very do-able on your budget.

Just because Europe is on our doorstep, doesnt mean it ought to be eliminated. Austrailians dream of visiting Greece.

So, unless you've been somewhere a lot, place all cards on the table.

Decide what you like and for how long and when. Then try and work your budget to it. Sadly, for 4 of you, £2500 isnt much anymore.

Also, Spain has many many wildlife preserves and parks, away from the Costas, so don't rule out somewhere closer to home!
What time of year would you be going?
That will give people a better idea of how to make your budget fit the holiday.
What a lovely present though!

Ooh- salamanders? Could you give the location of those caves please, theonlyliving?

They are in the Postojna caves. We went as part of a day trip to that and Predjama Castle, so the two are close. South east of Ljubljana.

Article here

The list Kate posts had Romania, we recently came back from a week there with family, beautiful, friendly and pretty reasonable

Would recommend

For a family of four travelling in the school holidays, £2.5k is not a huge amount of money. We spent that on a week in Gran Canaria at Easter, SC in an apartment! OP I agree with the posters above that you shouldn't write off Europe and you're unlikely to be able to afford to go further afield, but don't despair, you'll be able to get an amazing trip in Europe for that and even see some wildlife. Both Spain and Italy are big, diverse countries with so much to see and do. We nearly always go to one of them on holiday and we've done everything from lively cities to chilled out beaches, wildlife to skiing, walking to snorkelling in turquoise seas, ancient sights to amazing modern architecture.

If you like wildlife then look at this Naturetrekwebsite to get some inspiration for where you could go in Europe (and when), to have a great experience, but their trips are beyond your budget, so it will just be for inspiration. You could also talk to Trailfinders www.trailfinders.com/, as they are extremely knowledgeable and could build you a trip based on your budget and requirements.

Is the £2.5k include holiday & spending money?
If so for a family of 4 it's not going to go that far...(don't want to sound like a voice of doom)

I would go from Dubrovnik to Split, going to Mljet and a couple of islands - best of both worlds, cities, history, stunning islands & crystal waters.

Thanks for fabulous ideas. Love the sound of Slovenia. Kids are 7 and 13. Will go either side of a half ten to get cheaper flights so would be May or October. Have somewhere to start researching now- thanks. Europe it is!

Thanks theonlylivingcarterUSMfan!