Help to find the perfect holiday.

[SingleHandSue]

So long as Covid doesn’t ruin things we’re hoping to take our first ever holiday abroad next year. 🙏🏻

We’re a family of 4 with 2 DSs who’ll be 16 and 20 by the time we go.

Because I’ve never been anywhere out of the country I’m completely at a loss as to where to go that would suit us all so would love Mumsnetters to throw some ideas my way!

Things we like:
DS1:
Train travel, football, photography, interesting places.
DS2:
Football, history (WW2, Cold War)
DH:
Good beer, food, football
Me:
Architecture, lakes, walking, attractive towns/cities to wander around

We quite fancy a nice city break, however we’d also quite like some sunshine and maybe a beach/coast. This has led me to think of Lisbon or Barcelona maybe?

Any help or ideas would be very much appreciated as I have no clue on booking holidays!

TIA

I don't want to put a downer on your plans but you have a very small budget for 4 adults to holiday abroad. You will also have to factor in the cost of passports of you don't already have them. Does your elder DS work? If so could he pay some of his share?

Somewhere Alpine. The ski resorts we have been to eg Niederau look beautiful in the Summer, with loads of beautiful scenery, train journeys, interesting towns and cities.

Budapest

@UCOinanOCG

I don't want to put a downer on your plans but you have a very small budget for 4 adults to holiday abroad. You will also have to factor in the cost of passports of you don't already have them. Does your elder DS work? If so could he pay some of his share?

DS1 would definitely help towards the cost and both DSs have passports. (Got DS2’a last year for a school trip to Netherlands which got cancelled due to Covid)

To be honest I’m sure we could afford to up the budget it’s just DH being a bit tight, I’m sure once we start looking proper he’ll realise the true costs and be happier to spend more.

@idontlikealdi

Just putting it out there - do your kids actually want to do this trip, They're quite old for it? Your budget is also pretty low.

They really do.

We always promised them that one day we’d get that family holiday abroad and it’s taken a while but finally we can do it.

I’m really encouraged to see that others are mentioning places we’ve thought about.

Budapest, Munich and Barcelona have all been discussed before as options.

We’re looking to go in March if possible.

Football, architecture, trains, beer and history... Germany! I would maybe start in Berlin then use the wonderful Deutsche Bahn to head down to Munich. It’s probably easier to see matches in Germany ( covid permitting) as ( at least when I went- might have changed now) they still have terraces so much cheaper tickets?

Rail holiday in Germany and Austria. Loads of war history in Germany, beautiful cities, mountains, lakes.

I think Budapest would fit the bill, plus once you get there eating out and entrance fees are pretty cheap.

Oh wait just saw timing of trip - Budapest would be pretty chilly in March, we went in September and it was just about perfect then.

We’ve done Tossa de Mar plus Barcelona before that gets a lovely beach plus the history and sports of Barcelona

Croatia is lovely.Split and Hvar island are beautiful with narrow streets to explore and plenty of restaurants.

Krakow isnt any more challenging to visit than any other country and is lovely. Pros would be its relatively cheap. Food, drink and taxis are quite cheap, just avoid the Main Square. It's a beautiful city and also easy to walk around but you might run a bit low on things to do after 5 days if you like to be busy. You can visit Auschwitz and the Jewish Quarter if you like ww2 history although it's the most harrowing place I ever visited. Lots of people speak English. I like the food but it's often carb heavy.

Cons are you can get a few stag and hen parties.

If not Krakow, consider Italy. Rome plus Amalfi Coast is amazing and the food! To be honest, there are so many lovely city breaks in Europe. I hope you find somewhere lovely. Very exciting planning a first trip abroad!

Malaga? Beach, football, beer, architecture.

Skyscanner is great for comparison flight prices, Trivago is a hotel comparison site.
You can do it on your budget easily.

I would say Barcelona or Rome for what you’re after. They both have the history, the beaches & the football.
Stadio Olimpico is shared by both Lazio and Roma so the football fans could visit whilst you explore the city or have a beach day.

I wouldn’t worry about your sons ages at all. My sister and I still travelled with our parents until our mid 20s and took our partners with us too, and we’ve taken family holidays with them since with the children.
No such thing as too old for a holiday!!

AirBnB flats can be cheaper than hotels, particularly with kids who need their own room and having cooking facilities gives you the option of not having to eat out every night or buy drinks for the evening from a supermarket rather than a bar.
If you're booking flights then watch for additional charges for bags, checkin at the airport, seat selection etc. The price you see at first glance is rarely the total price you pay!

Croatia, possibly Dubrovnik plus an island visit. Not sure about the football though.

We've travelled extensively and Berlin sprang straight to mind, other than the beach! My dcs absolutely loved it when we took them - they were about 12 and 10 and found it all really interesting.

We booked ice hockey and basketball tickets, went to the Olympic stadium, up the tv tower, along the wall etc. The museums are all really interesting. It's just jam packed with interesting things.

It its March, won't fit for beaches, but Ghent in Belgium might fit for other things. Ypres, Poperigne and the battlefields of WW1 are not far away, there are two beer cafes with over 100 beers, Ghent itself is beautiful (the Van Eyck altarpiece just restored), and if you go for Shrove Tuesday there is Aalst carnival.

To help with the budget I would definitely look at self catering. It's easy to save £££ by filling everyone up on easy meals before heading out.It means you can enjoy eating one meal a day in a restaurant, rather than trying to eek the budget out over 3.

Berlin and then a week in Bavaria, Lake Starnberg or Chiemsee or. Lake Constance.

Money wise - you will struggle with £1000/1,500 for more than just a couple of days if at all. You need flights, two hotel rooms or a AirBnB or similar which are expensive in city centers. Too far outside and you spent money and time on transport. You may have. to go to just one area.

We are Germans and often go for 1-2 weeks self catering. A 2 bedroom flat/house was around €600/week in a non-touristy area 2 years ago. We drove the last couple of times so you add on petrol, tunnel and one overnight stop on the way there.

Look at citadines apart hotels. They’re really good value for money. We stayed in them in Barcelona (central on the Ramblas) and in Berlin.
They seem to be everywhere.

Look on easy jet or ba.com city breaks and put dates in with two hotel rooms to give you an idea of cost
Quad rooms are not so available for adults.
Flights plus rooms is gonna eat your budget.

Or look at train plus youth hostel rooms

Going out each day entries to museums cafes drinks cable cars up mountains etc... 100 euros per day to allow freedom .

Do you want a budget youth holiday living off bread and cheese ? or some restaurants?

Do you go anywhere in UK? How do you do eating etc ?

Yy to Germany. A few days in a city (Nuremberg is brilliant) and then a lakeside resort. Flights to Germany from the UK can be really cheap, as it's not everyone's first thought as a holiday destination. Three years ago we got four return flights for under £150.

myfunkytravel.com/europe-backpacking-budget.html

Gives idea....
That s a per person backpack budget you have four adults effectively and a "perfect" holiday may or may not be backpacking style ?

Increase your budget to give more freedom