Working parents - which holidays do you take off?

[Myleakycauldron]

Inspired by the October half term plans thread, which seemed to have a lot of people off on holiday, I was wondering what holidays do most working parents take off as annual leave?

Our eldest started school this year so are now tied to the school holidays but obviously don't get enough holiday to cover them all.

Which half term is the best one to take off?

DH recently started a new job so isn't taking holiday until Christmas so this half term wasn't ever a discussion (I will take a day or two off and will rely on help from the grandparents who luckily live close by).

I've always taken a couple of days off each holiday, rather then taking a whole week off. Then using grandparents and holiday clubs for the rest.

Do you go on holiday just in the summer then?

Surely depends how much leave you get? We take 3 weeks in summer, October half term, Christmas and may half term. This year we managed to move some things and took february too. That's the best for winter sun bargains

I spread mine out through the year so a week at easter, 2 weeks in summer, a week in October and a bit of time at Christmas. I split the summer weeks up though so it's not all through at holiday club.

It a bloody nightmare in my team to get school
Holidays/ my manager always puts out the summer holidays July- September a year in advance. Then once confirmed she opens it up for rest of that year. We have flexibility to book and cancel holidays via the system but have a no more than 2 people on holiday at a time rule. The same 2 people get the holidays for schools every year. Absolutely
No idea how because me and another guy book soon as we can and get declined. We both got really pissed off before the easter hols as they both had 2 weeks off and we had nothing. I have 0 days off in October break. The other guy got 1 and these 2 off the full duration. Luckily I can wfh but still have a requirement to be in 2 days a week. The down fall I'm single so childcare is a bit up and down. She stays with her dad 2 days but he's unable to take time off too at the minute. She is 9 and quite self sufficient but I feel bad as I'd like her to have 1 day of fun with me but she's such a good child and does cleaning and makes her lunch (under supervision) xx

If your child gets 2 weeks off in the may/June hols, take the second week as holidays are cheaper.
I usually take a week in may, 2 weeks august, October half term & Xmas. Next year I'm also taking 2 days over Easter. I'm self employed so I'm lucky I can choose the dates I want to take.

I always book the 3 half terms and DH covers Christmas and Easter, we take 2 weeks off together in July/August and the grandparents cover anything else.
It’s much easier now they’re teenagers, they pretty much look after themselves but we don’t like to leave them home all day on their own, especially DS2 who’s just turned 12.

Two weeks in summer
First week of October half term
Few days at Easter
May half term

Couple of random days in December to get ready for Christmas while the kids are in school

Don't tend to take holiday for actual Christmas

Roll over anything left, usually 5 days

H is a teacher though so I don't need to worry about childcare

I usually take a couple of days off in half terms . I get my birthday off at work which always falls in Oct half term so I usually get most of that off . I get Christmas off so usually only need to balance a couple of days. Easter I usually take a week off . May half term usually take off as bank holiday normally falls in it and I don’t work Fridays so only 3 days off . Summer holidays take a week or 2 off .

Mine are older now but we only ever took a max of two weeks all off together to go on holiday, either two weeks in the summer or May half term and one week in the summer holidays. Then we split it, I'd take time off before Christmas, DH after, split the Easter and half terms between us separately and grandparents, holiday clubs etc. We still both do odd days off in the holidays just to spend the time with them even though the childcare days are long since over.

I manage to take Feb, May and October half term off. Take a week at summer, Christmas and Easter holidays. DH takes all of Christmas holidays and the second Easter week, then usually a big chunk in summer holidays. I have about 27 days I think it is, but I work flexi so usually bolt on a flexi day every holiday which gets me an extra week. I always carry over, only need family in summer holidays.

We try to have October half term off because I find they are extra tired after that first term and they need the down time rather than holiday clubs.
My DH is self employed so he can take more time off than most (although obviously he doesn’t get paid) so that helps.

We both have Christmas off
He takes Feb half term off
Easter we have one week together then the other week we use clubs/grandparents
May half term we are both off
August we manage depending on what’s happening for both of us at the time but we tend to use clubs