How can people afford 2 week summer holidays?

[NobilityScooter]

Pre COVID we went on holiday in the UK because we couldn't afford to go abroad. £1.5-2k accomodation then £1k spending money. = £2.5-3k holiday (2 adults + 2 children).

The costs crept up each year until COVID then the UK shot up in price. We changed locations to holiday somewhere cheaper still in the UK. Then the accomodation was poorer standard too for the price but it's what we could afford. I looked at what the same place would cost the next year when we got back (not that we wanted to book it but to see a cost comparison). And it was over £1k more expensive!

So we looked at cheap all inclusive abroad. And got something for the same price as the UK post COVID but abroad. Fabulous holiday. Wanted to book it the next year over £1k more expensive! We're lucky to be gifted £1.5k that year so went back to the same place and had a great time but the DC were getting a bit old for it so needed to find somewhere new.

Everything is so expensive! Looking at last year's holiday place is £2k more expensive! So it's gone up £3k in 2 years!

So my question is how does anyone afford to go on holiday in school holidays? (2 DC at school and education jobs mean we can only go in school holidays). This is £3k - to £7.5k in 8 years. How is anyone supposed to afford that? I see lots of people on holiday and places are selling out so people must be paying those prices. Our mortgage has doubled (£650 to £1250) and our gas and electricity has tripled (£88 to £270) plus our food bills have rocketed post COVID. Where is the spare money for a holiday?

....People have more money than you. Did you not think of that OP?

We never go for two weeks, only ever for one week. We prioritise holidays over other things e.g. we only have one car owned outright and its 7 years old so car loan money can go towards holiday instead. Also we generally only go abroad once per year max, usually more like every other year.

The average Brit goes on holiday abroad 1.3 times a year (based on the period Sept 2021 - Aug 2022) down from 1.9 times a year in 2019 pre pandemic.

However, about 50% of us didn't go abroad at all so those that do are on average going more like 2.6 times a year.

There is a big rich/poor divide.

We book beautiful holiday houses in the winter holidays and have invested in some fantastic camping/glamping equipment so go to beautiful sites in the summer.

This is a pretty cheap way to have a full year of holidays.

They have more money than you?

Our holiday has gone up this year as we need two rooms now the kids are older, the family rooms would send us alll barmy after two weeks.

Regardless the same holiday in a family room that we went on last year is 1.5k more.

Our two week AI this year breaks down to £133 pp per day including the flights and transfers which I don't think is unreasonable as you could go and spend no extra money at all if you were that way inclined.

We rent a villa with a pool, usually in Italy, with friends every year. By renting a place in the countryside, rather than on the coast, the cost is lower. The children play together so have a great time. We’re all friends of 25 years standing, and it’s great to properly spend time together.

We mostly eat in the villa (we take turns) which is cheap because Italian supermarkets are cheap but with high quality food. Lunches are usually good bread, meats and cheeses and fruit so no real cooking and clear up is easy.

We take a few day trips, and eat a meal out approx every other day. As we are not in particularly touristy areas, restaurants are high quality and inexpensive.

The whole thing is usually no more than £1k per family. Still too much for some, I know, but pretty good considering alternative holidays and how lovely it is.

We book cheap flights as early as possible with easyjet. We book apartments with a kitchen reasonably cheaply through AirBnB so we don't have to eat out for every meal and then get around by bus.

We can afford it... we earn over £100k as a household with our Outgoings we can afford holidays

We had 2x weeks AI in Turkey last year 1 week in Kos AI and a long weekend in Spain

This year we have again 2x weeks in Turkey AI, one week in Spain Self catering because 2025 were saving for a cruise so this is us reining it in with only 1 2 week hol and 1 1 week on self catering

We go to nice hotels, usually Tui Magic life/blu because we have young kids they are well catered for there

We do go in term time, I prioritise holidays vs clothes or expensive nights out etc

We do house swaps! Proper kitchens, enough bedrooms, family friendly areas, etc. We couldn’t afford to rent places as nice as we swap. And they tend to be outside touristy areas too.

It’s simple really. As said, there are lots of people who earn a lot of money or choose to put holidays on credit cards.

I have friends heading off to Maldives, luxury villas in France or Italy, 3 week breaks in New Zealand etc. These are not holidays we would consider even though our household income is roughly £170k. I just can’t justify the expense (one friend is spending £14k, family of 4) but others are obvs fine with it. Horses for courses.

This Summer we are going to France and Spain. Cost about £5.5k with probably another £1.5k spends on top across both holidays. It’s our first holiday abroad in 5 years and we began saving last year. We are also able to pay monthly with both holiday providers which helps spread the load.

So good wages, credit, saving.

France. One week camping in a big campsite with pool complex etc, one week in a gite near the coast (cheaper than the campsite pitch!). £2k but that is with the expensive overnight ferry. Much cheaper Dover to Calais but a lot of driving depending on where you want to go. Fuel and food costs will be at least another £500 but we self-cater and would be paying for supermarket shopping at home anyway. Not everyone idea of a good holiday but we enjoy it!

We tend to do two single week holidays as opposed to going away once for two weeks as I do think it is easier to get deals on a week rather than a fortnight plus it spreads the holidays over the year.

For our one at Easter we booked very far in advance for flights and then separate accommodation to get a good price.

We can get a summer holiday reasonably cheap because we are in Scotland and our schools finish up a few weeks before the English schools so if we drive down and fly from an English airport we can save loads (we saved 1k doing this for this years summer holiday, compared to the exact same holiday and dates from the Scottish airports) we will still need to pay petrol and a night in a cheap hotel but it’s still a nice saving.

They aren't spending 7.5k and neither are they going AI. There's a lot of alternatives.

All inclusives are a rip off, and the food is usually mediocre (at best) unless it’s a high end resort. It’s far better value to stay in an apartment or AirBnB and either self cater or eat in local eateries. If you can drive yourself there by taking the ferry/tunnel it’s cheaper than flights and hire car.

UK accommodation has become overpriced. Try Normandy/Brittany.

We have cheap rent and no debt at all. Car is bought outright. We do not go out here in the UK and only buy clothes when the old ones wear out. Holidays are our priority, we go to Cyprus which is not cheap😁

We book our flights well in advance, we visit cheaper countries and we save. One year, we really struggled to have a holiday financially, and holidays are so important for us so we opened a savings account and put money away. We also saved quite a bit during Covid as our holiday was cancelled so we had a cheaper break (premier inn) in the UK in 2020 and 2021, and then everything else went towards a bigger holiday in 2022. I am also able to do overtime in my job, which I appreciate is not the same for everyone.

We go camping. Even then we do it on the cheap. We are not going this year because so many adults have said to me in earshot of my teens that they would rather not have a holiday at all than go camping, and now the teens think it is too embarrassing to go. It's a pity because they love it.

This a year we are renting a house in Majorca for two weeeks in the summer holidays. Not in one of the holiday hotspots but in a more traditional village. Total cost, including return flights, for a 4 bed property with a pool is £4.5k.

We have 1 child. We had him later in life so we were financially solid by the time we had him.

Those are the main reasons.

Other smaller stuff like going with other families so we share the villa etc., but we don't do that every time.

book it all seperately to go abroad, not through a package deal and its much cheaper than going away in the UK

We drive, and usually go for 2- 3 weeks. Take a few days getting to your destination stopping at motels/ small B&Bs on the way. Then a week self catering (with washing machine), and head back home again with maybe a 3 night stop elsewhere. Don't spend more on days out and food than you would at home. Even with ferry, petrol and toll roads you can get it down to under €4,000 easily.
Last year we did Ljubljana, Croatia, and Austria. The year before was Avignon, Tarragona, and Valencia.
If you don't live in the home countries/ along the south coast you'll have to add in a longer ferry.
It takes planning but is doable!

We went on holiday last Easter holidays. I've just checked, and the same holiday is 5% more expensive (though I'd be booking way closer to departure, no idea whether that affects things).

I think with overseas holidays you have to spend a a lot of time looking and eventually a bargain pops up.

An All Inclusive Tui life hotel is not a “nice hotel”, it’s hell on earth 😂

Obviously they have more money? Or they prioritise holidays. My sister 'can't afford' holidays but spends a small fortune on TV subscriptions, car finance, takeaways and going out for dinner/ lunch at least twice a week.

We earn a good income. We have one child. We have 3 holidays booked for this year so far, all in school holidays. Travel is a priority for us