How often do you go on holidays with the children?

[Dandelionplease]

Hi all,

I’ve heard people going away every school halfterm! (Weekends and longer) is this the norm?

How often do you go away during the year? Including weekends?

4 times maybe

4 times with kids plus i get 2 weekends away on my own and a 4/5 day European city break with dh.

May/june 2 weeks European hol (usa next yr)
August 10 day/ 2 weeks European hol

3 nights uk city break or devon seaside at easter.

Early summer hol (july) usually lakes for midweek 4 /5 days but this time having a Weekend in lakes in july plus me and dh going away to London end of july.

By October i just want to stay home and chill. Christmas is hectic enough away with family, February half term i work and dc go to grandparents.

Contessa I agree.

We used to go every half term except christmas and 2cwweks in the summer. I I used to take them by myself except for May and October holidays.

About once a month - both sets of grandparents at least a 3 hr drive away and we try to visit one 6 times a year the other further a way once year, we take a 1 week break and a 2 week break and then a couple of weekend break.

We’d had a few years of a holiday in a cottage somewhere for a week at Easter and 12-14 days camping in August, often just over the border in Norfolk where there’s plenty to do and beautiful beaches. We also had two days at LEGOLAND over a May bank holiday, and 2017 had 12 days driving round France and staying in Air BnBs - that was the first time we’d taken the kids abroad. That was all paid for courtesy of some inheritance from mother-in-law, but that’s now dried up so we’re back to camping in August for 2 weeks, although we’re travelling further afield and going all the way down to Cornwall this year 😀 Hubby is a teacher so we’re stuck with school prices, plus I home-ed our 4 kids (due to a variety of sen and generally hating the school system) so we only have the one salary to pay for holidays, which doesn’t really stretch to foreign holidays. Good job we love camping!

Probably 6 x year all together, a longish abroad, maybe another week away plus 4 x weekend breaks; then we have some separate school trips, weekends with friends etc.

A couple of weekends in the Lake District
Sun holidays in July and December
Skiing break usually once a year although last yr we went twice due to a family birthday.

I'll be the poor side of mumsnet tonight then
We had a Monday to Friday break in a cheap caravan (by cheap, I mean £109 cheap) 2 years ago. It was less than an hour away from home.
That's it.
School holidays tend to cost me in diesel, and possibly the occasional ice cream for the dc, and we go and do free stuff locally.
So far this summer (2 weeks in) we've had 2 days of play parks (8 in total over the 2 days), 2 trips to the beach, a soft play party, and 4 days of running round local country parks.
Tomorrow, we are going to have a picnic in the woods.
I'd love to be able to take them away even just a few days a year, but we're in a situation where it's not financially possible.

Probably going to bring the mood down and I’m honestly happy that others have fab family holidays and time away. I have a chronically ill child so holidays are just not possible - no respite or help available. This year I have decided we would get a hot tub for the garden instead so praying the sun comes back.

Whitelisbon don't feel lonely, I'm right there with you on the poor side

We go abroad every holiday and most bank holidays but to visit family abroad so only pay for the flights.

We tend to do one 10 day long uk break each year and an extra one every other year either at Easter or May. Would love to do more, but just can’t afford it. DS1 competes about once a month in sporting events so DH tends to go along and support him, which also eats into the budget. Even if DS was to go along with the leaders it would cost about £150 each time.

I was going to say we aren't having a holiday this year but I guess we just aren't going abroad. I'm not sure what exactly counts as a holiday?

We do a couple of UK family friendly festivals a year and the cost of those added up is probably the same as a week abroad. We do 2 or 3 one night hotel stays at places like theme parks, usually out of season when it's a fraction of the price of school holidays. And usually we'd have one summer holiday but this year we are having a few days in London in an Airbnb instead.

Thanks again everybody. We usually go in a cheap caravan couple weekends. Camping was hard!

I'll balance this by saying that I had 3 holidays my entire childhood. We were lucky enough to live by the sea though.

This year:
-DH and DS went skiing
-We visited family at Easter
-May half term DS and I went to Bristol
-We went to Hunstanton last weekend
-This summer we have 2 weeks in Pembrokeshire and 1 in Switzerland
-We're visiting PILs in Spain at October half term and for Christmas

It's more this year as we had a difficult summer last year.

One week in Wales May half term! That's all we can afford (and we both earn ok wages). May go camping for a couple of nights.

So envious of all the lovely holidays.

We definitely go away once per year in the summer (UK).

We sometimes go away abroad (to visit family), but not every year.

We then might have another couple weekends away. We generally don’t go away any other school holidays (half terms). It’s expensive and busy and we have to work anyway.

Two week summer break in Europe. 2 x 1 week out of season/cheap break in UK (easter/November ).

One week to ten days per year, always in August, always in Europe, France mostly. We drive.
We're total homebodies.

If you consider staying with family then every half term as we take the kids to see them.

But actual "going away" type holidays, twice a year.

We normally do a week in summer. Been UK so far (Cornwall or Devon) but going abroad next year with them for the first time.

And either one or two shorter breaks. May or Easter often south coast or south west somewhere as have had corking beach weather in may, and then October we go to center parcs for a 3/4 day break.

When older dc were little we did a fair bit. Older relatives dead and older siblings now retired so no interest in going on school hold
With dd3 who is 11, we have done a week in Denmark for spring half term and will do 10 days in the sun in August.
Frankly can't be asked to just sit in traffic at Easter and we live near the sea anyways.

This academic year we have had

Week in the highlands Oct ht
4 days in London Feb ht
2 weeks on a Scottish island at Easter
Week in the lakes in July
Week in Balearics in aug

All with kids

Plus a couple of child free weekends to Belfast, lakes and East Lothian

Next year is shaping up to be similar. More extravagant than some, much less extravagant than others. No long haul trips.

I find going away really helps me switch off and if I stay at home I get bogged down in boring jobs. I'd also rather spend money on holidays than stuff.

February half term we went to Paris for 5 days.
Easter we went to mil’s but squeezed in 4 days in Nice in the middle.
Had a weekend in Norfolk.
Will go to mil’s (coastal) for a week or so.
Two weeks in the Caribbean as our main holiday middle of August.
Will probably do something October half term.
I work in a prep school so get all the holidays and some. It’s our biggest spend

UK caravan holidays 3 or 4 times a year
Camping once or twice a year
Weekend in London / Bath / York (but only staying one night) every year
Week abroad or in a nice UK cottage / Center Parcs probably every 18 months

We probably spend an average of £3000 a year on holidays, that's travel and accommodation but not including spending money.

My parents live by the sea (3 hours away) but I don't count that as a holiday however it did mean my kids always went away. Paid trips once or twice a year