Would you rather have a 'worse holiday' than usual/than you'd like, or no holiday at all?

[Guibhyl]

I don't think I'm THAT fussy when it comes to holidays. We've two (soon to be three) young kids and I want them to be able to have fun experiences like holidays.

However, now we are tied to the school holidays as eldest has just started reception. I've started looking at places for next year and I just don't think we can get something I'd be happy with for our budget. I've pushed it as much as I can but I'll be on mat leave. Plus, there's only so much I'd really want to spend on a week-long experience regardless of how much ££ I had. But let's say, for example, that a holiday experience I'd be 'happy' with for a family of 5 seems to cost £4k+, but we can only afford to spend up to £3k. Would you just go on a £3k holiday instead for the benefit of the kids, and accept that it's not going to be quite what you want it to be? Or would you save the money and not bother, maybe spending some of it on other experiences during the summer holidays that you would otherwise not be able to afford e.g. peppa pig world?

I accept this is a very first world privileged problem to have. And maybe I'm over thinking it and should just book the best holiday I can find for our budget and make the most of it. But £3k is a lot of money, about two months' wages for me, and i just dread the thought of spending that much on a week away and then it turning out to be a bit shite. WWYD? I can post my list of 'wants' if that would be helpful, although I'm not sure it would be!

I'd compromise by going on a shorter holiday. We usually go abroad for a week rather than two weeks. I see people saying a family of 4 can go away for x amount but when I look at the kind of accommodation they're staying in I'd rather not bother.

Sounds like the OP has come up with a plan, but in case it helps anyone else considering SC, I wanted to mention that European supermarkets do brilliant 'ready meals' on their deli counters - they are midway between a takeaway and the boxed ready meals we have. I'm not saying they are the best food on the planet, but they're nice and definitely part of my SC menu! Also, they usually have rotisseries too. God, I love those supermarkets and the thread has got me Googling for next year now.

For us I'd want a holiday at least once every year, a lower budget holiday would be fine for me. I did lots of lower budget holidays when I was younger and it doesn't bother me at all. I have a sort of bucket list of types of holidays I want to do with the dc and if we skip we won't get to see and do all the things we want before the kids hit teens and don't want to hang out with their parents any more.

One way to cut costs is to go May half term or October HT. DD2 gets two weeks off in October HT so it can be a really good time to get away. When they were little we always did a holiday in the UK in the summer and if we went abroad we did it early or late.

Can't find who suggested it but actually the idea of staying at home but getting staff for the week is not half bad! ;-)

Some people seem to be missing the point about kids not needing lavish holidays etc. I KNOW they don't. But surely people can appreciate that it's also a tiny bit about what me and DH want too? This would be our only holiday. We don't have any childcare or relatives who could look after DC even for a weekend, we don't even go on overnight breaks together just the two of us let alone city breaks or anything else. Even if we're going to a wedding we usually don't stay over or one of us comes home early because of the DCs. So I'm trying to find a balance of what the kids would enjoy and what we would enjoy too.

Are you north England near Edinburgh? Schools here go back around 15th Aug so you can get cheaper deals from here after that date.

Probably because the first lines of your OP said "We've two (soon to be three) young kids and I want them to be able to have fun experiences like holidays."

@Icefoot well yes but that doesn't mean that only the kids can have fun? Can me and DH not take into account what would make it fun for us too? I want them to have fun experiences but not if it means a hellish week for me and DH, which is why I won't take them camping for a week in the UK because it would potentially be so stressful and un-fun for me that it would undoubtedly rub off on the kids. I don't mind that if it's something short and affordable (I mean, this is basically what going to soft play is - kids love it, adults generally hate it) but I don't want to be miserable for a week and pay thousands of pounds for the privilege just 'so the kids can have fun'.

You could go at Easter or half term instead. Have a £6k holiday every other year. Or stay at home and hire a housekeeper to cook for you for a week.

Just to add to the mix - we're currently at the Village Naturale in Paris. 2 bed apartment with 3 kids. Self catering but plenty of restaurants on site, which also do click and collect if you want to not cook but eat at home. Also it:s France so good cheap wine everywhere. Drove over on the Chunnel using Tesco clubcard vouchers to pay. Good for Disneyland Paris, (and actual Paris) with the added bonus of free swimming, a farm park, loads of playgrounds and a beach on site. Yes the weather is shit - (but it is November) but I imagine better in the Summer. And a week cost is less than a weekend in Centre Parcs UK

I'm not sure how much fun any holiday is with 3 tiny kids to amuse away from home. That's probably why you aren't getting much input from people on that front. Unless it has clubs for all the kids where you can get rid of them all I suppose.

I'm not sure how much fun any holiday is with 3 tiny kids to amuse away from home.

I agree, I'd sack the kids off and go on a very nice holiday with DH

Really OP only you can answer your own question, because we're all different. It sounds from your list of 'must haves' that you want AI for five people in school holidays with a suite or an apartment in a hotel for £3k or less and that's just not going to happen with prices being what they are now for holidays.

So, which would you rather do?

1. Stay at home and do days out;
2. Save the £3k and use that plus the year after's budget to go for this kind of holiday every second year (since £6k in school holidays is a more realistic budget); or
3. Do something less expensive, such as Eurocamp or renting an apartment and food is a combination of supermarket + meals in restaurants?

What the rest of us would do is irrelevant, because it's your money and your holiday and only you know what's going to make you happy.

Thing is, what you are hoping for is the less common choice which is why you are finding it expensive.

Parents usually go for either - if the kids are happy that's great even though I'd rather not be in Butlins- or -kids will be happy in kids club while we have some adult time.

You are hoping for everyone to be happy together on a smaller budget.

My kids when little, seemed to sleep much better when we camped. That, and the fact DH did any cooking required, made it worth it for me except the year some bloody crows squawking woke us up at 4.45am but I appreciate that lots of people wouldn't enjoy that!

Any holiday with three young DC (including a 7 month old baby) is very unlikely to be relaxing ... I'd rather stay at home (or leave the DC with my DH and go away on my own or with a friend ).

Hmmm, well it's clear that your holiday preferences are quite different from ours. I wouldn't want to do an AI poolside holiday and never have, before of after kids. I think there are lots of lovely holidays you can have for 3k, but if they aren't things that you want to do then that's irrelevant.

I would however recommend looking at France in the very last week of the UK holidays as it is often a fair bit cheaper. Or take kids out a few days at end of term, they really won't miss much.

If anyone else is looking for a French campsite, we thought this place was gorgeous! Glamping France : discover glamping holidays in Auvergne, south France (cosycamp.com) And never book direct with Eurocamp as they always charge more.

Things to look at:

• Take eldest out of school, even just a couple of days can make a difference
• Look at prices for non-summer school holidays when it might be a little cooler but still nice weather. Don't presume the price in the summer holidays is the same across the whole 6 weeks, sometimes it's cheaper to go in the very last week (you might also be able to take advantage of start of term inset days as well).
• Go somewhere every two years instead.

Staycation. No faffing with packing, getting small children through airports, etc.

Take the time off and have some nice days out - PPW, seaside, rockpooling, local fairgrounds, get national trust membership and go to a few, etc. Eat out a fair bit so it is a holiday for whoever does the cooking. It will probably cost about a quarter of the holiday you are unsure about.

We've done this a few times when we have ended up with some time off and no plans and really enjoyed it.

Thanks again for all the tips. I finally got DH to seriously consider taking DD out of school for a bit. Just missing one or two days at the end of term wasn't making any difference to flight prices, as I said I think her school break up relatively late this year so most other kids are already off already. However DH admitted that we could actually go as early as late June as his fixed work commitments finish by around the 21st. I honestly cannot believe how much difference it makes to the price. I can directly compare the costs of the exact same holidays across different places and for most of them, it's around £1500-£2000 cheaper to go last week of June than it is during school holidays. It's madness. And this is already with the Jet2 'free child place' for our toddler and the baby being free as under 2.

Needless to say we are now on the cusp of booking a lovely AI holiday for £2500 that would cost over £4k in the school holidays. Even if we get fined £120 for the absence it will be nothing compared to the cost saving.