Help me plan a lifetime holiday

[NigellaWannabe1]

Hi, I would like to go on a big holiday to celebrate a few good things that have happened recently. Also, because my eldest is 15 and will fly the nest too soon.

It's five of us: two adults and three kids aged 15, 13 and 11. Our budget is 10,000 GBP (sorry, my pound sign doesn't work). It is a huge amount compared to what we usually spend on holidays and I hope it can work for a long-haul holiday. I am thinking perhaps one week to ten days overall.

Idea 1: Somewhere urban like New York, but not New York. The kids will like it and I guess that is part of the challenge, as they don't seem to want to go anywhere...

Idea 2: A beach holiday somewhere where we can snorkel and perhaps our money will stretch to more luxury accommodation? Ideally, I'd like to treat the kids to amazing accommodation and food.

It is unlikely we will ever be able to afford this kind of holiday again. I know this kind of money will seem obscene to some for a holiday but I imagine many of you will come and say that is actually not that much. That's all I have though! There are so many things I'd like to celebrate and I want to make a fuss of them.

We might go during one of the half terms in 2024 but leaving earlier/returning later, so perhaps we might save on flights a little that way.

Thanks!

DH and I had our honeymoon in Thailand. Cost less than £5k including £2.5k spending money and we stayed in The Tower Club at Lebua in Bangkok which is amazing and went to a few islands, all 5*

Personally I'd go to trailfinders with your dates and budget and see what they come up with. For examole, last week they told me i couldnt do 2 weeks on a SE Asia tour for less than 11k for 4 of us for particular dates and for certain standard of hotel, particular transfers etc. It was a v helpful starting point. Trailfinders are IMO particularly good at finding amazing hotel deals. Their 3* plus offerings are what our family consider pretty fancy!

We're doing a once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica this summer and I'm afraid it's costing a lot more than that for a family of four. Admittedly we're staying in nice places (though not 5 star) and doing some private tours and an extension on the normal route, but even so... You probably could do CR for 10k for 5, but I don't think you'd do it in luxury. It's a big American market, and I think that pushes prices up.

NB we're going with Trailfinders, who've been great and saved us 3k on flights alone 😮

I've always found trail finders much more expensive than doing it myself.

Fly to LA. Do one day at Disney. Hire a car and go to San Diego visit the zoo then out to a ranche and ride for a couple of days. Head to the grand canyon then back to LA for a few days.

You won't be staying in luxury accommodation for that budget and you need more than 7 days but I think it's doable. We did it a few years ago for not much more.

Agreed you won't get a costa rica tour for 5 for 10k. Sadly. You might get to do mexico though!

I’d head far east you will get a lot more for your money - the US is so expensive

We did New York and Mexico for our honeymoon in 2018, it was about £4400.00, so I'm sure a decent travel agent could build something like this for you! We used Tui who used a third party gold travel or something from memory (but we had the security of going into the travel agent and them doing the hard work lol!) We did 4 nights NYC and 7 nights Mexico!

Singi/Malaysia all the way. I love it there.

Another one for Thailand - Bangkok lebua at state hotel, then onto one of the islands or heard good things about four seasons tent camp in the golden triangle.

Singapore is a fantastic city, beautiful beaches in Malaysia/ southern Thailand you could fly to.

West coat America road trip finish on Mexico beaches if budget allows.

The more you intend to do obviously the less fancy the hotels will become but dh and I love an adventure and although we've stayed in some gorgeous hotels we've also stayed in some not great ones just to see places!

Also think kids your age would love a safari?

So many answers! Thank you. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of going to Thailand or Malasya, considering our budget. Some of the resorts you've pointed me to look great. Also, thanks for the trip about Trailfinders, I'll definitively get in touch!

Your money will go furthest in Asia (excluding Singapore). You’ll be able to stay in luxury hotels and you’ll be made to feel super special.

Thailand is the obvious choice but which bit will depend on the time of year.

Main school summer holidays is the best time of year to visit Bali but choose your location wisely after some research as some parts are party central for pissed Aussies.

I haven’t been myself but I always fancied Borneo. A week on the beach and then off to find the orangutans.

Somewhere nobody has mentioned yet is Jordan. We are planning a trip next year fingers crossed. Petra, desert camp, Dead Sea etc.

If you just want beach then Mauritius is great in the summer months. It’s their winter so “cooler” but that’s still 25-28 degrees. Just avoid the East coast as it gets very windy. You’ll get some great rates as it’s their low season.

I agree with posters about contacting Trailfinders with budget and dates. They do all my travel arrangements now (we travel several times a year) and it usually works out a little cheaper than booking separately.

I have no idea where the gif came from 😂😂😂

Usa is sooooo expensive at the moment. Definitely agree with seeking advice from professionals. We also always use trailfinders who are amazing. £10k for 5 might not go as far as you hope or expect so worth checking. Good to be flex on when too.

Agree with previous posters - you will get more for your money going to the Far East. Worth looking at Vietnam as well as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. You could spend time in Hanoi and then go to a beach - beautiful beaches near Hoi An (and in plenty of other locations).

Japan? The golden trail- Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. A totally different culture and so staggeringly beautiful as a country. Plus clean and safe!

We had this budget for our holiday of a lifetime and chose Thailand. We are actually going in 6 weeks <does a little dance> Our eldest is 16 now so this may well be it as he isnt really an adventurer (he hasnt left the house for a week).
I did go to trailfinders as I didnt have the foggiest what/where we should do/go in the timeslot we had, and they were very helpful and I ended up booking through them( although no tours booked through them just flights and hotels) Doing Bangkok, chiang mai, then koh samui. This is obviously an idea not a recommendation as Ive not been yet 😂

Are a lot of these holidays doable for 2k per person?

Whilst it’s a lot of money, certainly for me, holidays are very expensive. Unless you do everything your self.

Im just thinking that the last AI we went on was a nice hotel, prob 4* for 7 (4 adults) to Crete and that was about 7.5k! Was about 4 years ago too. It was lovely but not a once in a lifetime type affair.

We used an incredible travel agent when we wanted to do the same. Angela Kingett from Travel Counsellors - she gets paid by tour companies so is free to you.

We did 10 nights all inclusive at the Beachcomber Shandrani in Mauritius in April and it was everything you want and more. The AI package is incredible and for the teens it includes loads of water sports including waterskiing!!

Not sure if anyone has suggested Mexico? You can combine a luxury resort with some pretty amazing experiences and sight seeing. My DC were a similar age when we went and they loved it.
They also loved a Scandinavia cruise.

How about Singapore and/or Thailand？Singapore is modern and Thailand offers beach resort experience (much better value than Europe for luxury accommodation and delicious food). They two are near each other (can buy cheap flights between the two)

Another vote for Israel - one of the best holidays we’ve had. Something for everyone, really easy to drive your way around, and small country so you don’t have to spend much time in transit. I loved it all, but wish we had spent more time in Galilee. The history aspect is interesting even if you aren’t super into that normally, but also so much to do that is active or fab beaches and spas if that is more your thing. Food is amazing and local wine not too bad either

I'm currently in Agios Stefanos on the island of Corfu (the north eastern side, not the western side) for our once in a lifetime holiday. It's amazing. We've snorkelled, eaten at fantastic tavernas, hired a boat and gone round the coast, hiked, and we are staying in an amazing villa. Thoroughly recommend!