So, how do you manage a holiday during the school holidays without breaking the bank?

[Belleende]

So, putting Covid to one side. This year will be the first we try and get a holiday in during the school holidays. We don't have a car so don't have the option of going too far off the beaten track. Have been looking at caravans in Devon (have family there) and they are all about a grand for a week and that is before entertainment passes.

Anyone have any tips to make a seaside holiday more affordable?

When the kids were little we used Tesco vouchers a lot, particularly park entrances, but they do do places like hoseasons and cottages.com

Caravan parks can be overpriced, it’s worth looking for cottages as you can often find cheaper. The end of August also tends to be a little cheaper than the beginning of the hols especially if there are early September inset days that you can take advantage of

less popular places. You pay a premium for Devon and the Lake District for some reason. Look elsewhere - North Wales if you like the seaside, N. Yorks or the Peaks if you're cool with inland.

I only realised when I had kids in school that this was why so many people go camping.

oh, and Sun holidays. I've never looked into it but I've known friends have super cheap breaks through them.

Camping.
Self catering in a slightly off the beaten track place.
Also it can sometimes actually be cheaper to drive to France and stay there than booking in the UK in summer holidays (disclaimer- this was before Covid and Brexit; no idea what difference they might have made)

Lots of ways op, you've already framed this out of my head price league but also shown holiday to you means a totally different thing to me.

I would use that grand budget elsewhere and not be looking for entertainment passes. Cheap holiday time me means one or two nights away in a cheap b and b or DIY booked holiday, flights, accmd etc.

We’ve camped or stayed in a cottage. We don’t buy entertainment passes (not quite sure what they are) and don’t usually eat out. We mostly do free things in the day, e.g. beach or walks. We take games, cards, books etc for entertainment. We have 3 children and the holidays we go on are like the holidays both myself and husband used to have when we were young.

@LickEmbysmiling I think you have jumped to a few conclusions there. I mentioned the entertainment passes, as I was surprised that these were not already included given the price, not because they would be a priority for us. A morning or two in the swimming pool would be about all we would probably use. I also looked at caravans assuming they would be cheaper, turns out not so.

As I said in opening post, no car so off the beaten track not really an option. Also makes camping tricky.

I will check out Sun Holidays and later in August although that seems a looooong way off.

Love North Wales but this year I really feel the need to see family so Devon it is. Thanks all

How brave are you, how about hiring a car and wild camping, Dartmoor is very wild camping friendly. You could then use the funds for things like swimming (to have a shower) and eating out

Cheap flights booked well in advance- we've paid £230 for 4 of us to fly to France in school summer hols.

Airbnb, rental or cheap hotel for when we get there.

Friends of mine could boy ever afford a few nights at a Premier Inn in a seaside town each summer.
They would get the all-in breakfast included, so they started each day with a good meal. She took a chill box with her, and various bits of kitchen equipment knives etc, sandwich bags, so they could make sandwiches for lunch, and dinner was either buffet-style things from the supermarket or McDonalds Happy Meals.
They did 3/4 nights in Margate, Paignton, those I can recall. But I think Premier Inn and Travelodge have quite a few coastal hotels, and of course there would be a railway station nearby.
Camping is probably out for you unless you have a car.

The isle of wight has a railway connected to the ferry. Look for places on air b n b. It's not cheap though.

If you want a caravan type holiday, try smaller, private rental. I use 2c holidays for Norfolk/ Suffolk/ Essex sites. They’ve always been clean and tidy and the photos are honest. You can choose a older van with less facilities for a cheaper holiday or have French doors opening into decking/ sea views etc if you want to spend another £30 a night.

I suck it up and pay the prices. I'm a single mum of one so it's not so bad when there are only 2 of you to pay for. We usually go abroad in May half term as it's cheaper than the summer but I'm used to paying about £1k per person.

We can do Butlins for cheap as we only need a twin room rather than an apartment, it's a lot cheaper.

May half term has good weather and is much cheaper.

Agree that you need to be flexible and think outside the box. Hotels (if you're a family of 4 with 2 little ones) can be decent value (Novotel / Holiday Inn etc if you like the idea of a pool) in city centres so you can get there by train. We've used Airbnb lots too, sites like booking.com. Inland is usually cheaper than the coast.

Stay at a smaller, cheaper caravan site that doesn't have all the facilities and entertainment.
Look at Premier Inn, as a pp says, it can be a cheap way to stay somewhere.
May half-term is much cheaper.
Go Monday to Friday instead of a whole week.
Check out Tesco Clubcard money off deals.
Wait until the last minute - we once went to a Haven site in Dorset in the summer holidays. Booked it the week before & it was half price - £568 for a week, I think.
If you are looking at Haven, you can pay in installments to spread the cost.

Airbnb in Scandinavia. Often you can miss school holidays of you go to less popular countries. We love it. It’s much quieter and relaxing. Can get a cottage for a week, flights and car hire for as much as just flights to Spain.

Even camping can be expensive. We paid £400 for two weeks in Norfolk but the following year had to fork out £800 for the same two weeks in Cornwall. And it rained for most of the two weeks... 🌧🌧🌧

Look at going to Europe the last week of august as their kids have gone back to school. We did that for several years. Also the European centre Parcs are a lot cheaper than ours. And don't book on a uk website book Eu.

A couple of years back I had a two weeks for the price of one deal at Haven in Dorset, and it could be paid up in instalments. Within decent walking distance to the cove, and a bus ride away from Weymouth. I think it was around 1K, but as we got two weeks it was excellent value.

Most things are cheaper if you book way in advance. Got a fantastic 4 night, 4* hotel stay in Paris with our son, just he and I, 2 summers past. Timed Eurostar so it was effectively a 6 day holiday. Excellent breakfast, afternoon tea and free fridge in room, discounted open top city bus tours , night river cruise and Versailles trips because we booked through an app in advance. Booked it, ironically, with last minute.com at least 9 months in advance. With spends on evening meals (maybe not the healthiest but filling and cheap, pizzas, spaghetti and the best curry we’ve ever had at 50% discount because we ate before 6.39 on - and they threw in a free after dinner liqueur, my son was 25 at the time so I got two 😁) and a night at the Premier Inn near St. Pancras on our way home to the NW (£34 booked way in advance) it was around £750 all in including Eurostar returns (flight option was £100 cheaper) and our trains to London and back.
I know that’s still a lot of money but for the fantastic trip we had, it was worth every penny.

Haven do safari tents - camping without all the carting stuff about

15, not 25 😂

ReadyCamp is brilliant too.