What do you spend on a family holiday?

[Goodenoughisgoodenough]

Hi all
I'm curious, what do most people budget on spending for a family holiday? I realise that this is a real privilege, and do sympathise that with the many families unable to get away. But I'd like to try to 'bench-mark' what most people spend on a two-week break. I'm trying to make a last minute plan for our family of four (two teenagers, so they're full price for most things). If you're going away for 10 days - 2 weeks, what are you spending? Not luxury, but not camping either!. ie holiday cottage in Cornwall, villa abroad, Mediteranean etc For context, household income £65k. Paid off the mortgage last year - but also aware we'll need to support two teens through uni soon. I'd like to know what similar families spend. Ta!

Good for you! Everyone has their priorities and hats off to yours for knowing yours and making your dreams happen. Thailand and Malaysia sounds epic 😍

How old are your DCs @User1974 ?

I think that is a brilliant childhood for them.

Next year we hope to make only one big trip- to Australia for 5 weeks. have a family wedding we'd like to attend and then just take a heck of a roadtrip as far as we can make it. I'm saving hard for that right now.

We are flying to Spain shortly. Tickets: £900 flying separately so all had to get checked in luggage when normally only one would),
Car hire: £300ish.
Airport parking: £200
Train tickets (for those coming separately): £22
Accommodation: free ( family villa)
Food: ££££££££

Without the food we are already at £1400. I reckon another £2000 easy (2 weeks).
Last holiday was in the US and again free accommodation and that time no car hire. Flights were £2800 and food plus activities another £2k.
If we had to pay for accommodation add another £2k as both peak. Possibly more!
We can afford these big holidays every other year as income around £40k.

I usually spend around £1500 for a week, but that's only for two of us.

6.5k two weeks in Ibiza, AI in August this year, we eat out of resort every other day but AI still works out for us to keep the teen / tween topped up with snacks / drinks / ive cream. Probably 8.5-9k all in

Must admit to a pang of envy reading about other people's holiday plans.

We've never taken DS (15) on holiday abroad and I'm guessing he'll eventually go abroad when he's working and can afford to pay for himself. 🫤

We're a family of 4, here's what we have spent on our last two family holidays, for 1 week each. For this year we're looking at more like £3.5k as the costs of everything is going up.

Majorca All inclusive 4 star £2200
Airport Parking £50
Spending money £400
Tourist tax £50
Transfer upgrade £100
Day trip £250
= £3k

Centre Parcs Netherlands
Flights £550
Premium 3 bed lodge £1000
Transfers £200
Airport parking £50
Food + activities £700
= £2.5k

Self catering lodge Scotland, 4 nights
Lodge with hot tub £500
Spending money £500
Petrol £100
= £1.1k

But everyone has different priorities and most don't have unlimited budgets so you have to decide where holidays sit compared with other things you could spend your money on. That will be different to others.

Plus the amount of money a family holiday in high season costs is huge. You might decide it's not worth spending an amount that would buy a quite decent second hand car for a week in the sun.

We always do 2 weeks in August (4 of us) 5* AI in Greece, Cyprus or Turkey with a swim up room. Pre covid we paid about £6k, last 2 years was around £8k. Extra £1k for spends.

This year and next the exact same holiday
is in the region of 12-14k. We are going to Florida instead, looking at £12k all in.

1 adult, 1 teen, 1 tween
£2800 for one room in AI 4* in Malta.
Hoping to spend no more than £500 while there.

We spend one income on travel. It’s a lot, but that’s our thing. We could spend that on private school
fees but decided to travel instead.

@AlwaysCloudyAtNoon they are 19 and 20 now. We've done it since I upped my game at work when they were 4 and 5. Just kept the tiny house and old cars and saved every spare penny into a special account. We plan as a family and spend the whole year researching and planning. They both say it has been the best aspect of our family life and when we have discussed making different choices they have been emphatic this is the priority. Even to the extent that when we were away last year we discussed that my income will drop in a few years as my health is not great they both suggested that they should pay their own way as soon as they finish uni. They already make significant contributions financially - DD19 paid for us all to do a 3 day trek in Thailand and DS paid for a tour of Chaing Rai and a Thai cookery course - they both also chip in and pick up drinks/food bills randomly.
I thought I was going to get a bollocking for being such a hedonist - thanks for the nice comments 😃

Worth every penny. We get a lot of raised eyebrows at our travel, but I’m happy with it.

Two adults, one 12 year old

Joint income is about £80k. We're spending £6k on 3 weeks 5 star AI in Turkey

It's usually me and DS and sometimes DS' dad as well. None of us are very well off and live pretty frugally day to day.

We generally do a short break maybe twice or three times a year. Each time it is usually in the UK - cheap airbnb and a train! Probably only 3 nights or so each time. I would say around £400 for the three of us for three nights including transport and accommodation, plus a bit extra to spend!

Holiday prices have shot up this year compared to last.
DH and I go away 3 times a year. Total cost for each trip around £3500 compared with £2500 last year..
We last took both DC 5 years ago and it was £4500 (four adults), probably nearer £6000 now. These are all 4* hotels half board plus spending.

I also book a 3 bed place in the UK once or twice a year for DH, me, DC and partners. For a weekend with 3 ensuites it comes out around £1200

We did do a one off in USA for around £4k for three weeks.

We've paid 2.4k for 3 of us 5* AI in turkey in July. This was with a free child place.

In total we spend around 12-14k per year on holidays (not including spending money). This is for a week skiing, canaries at Easter, turkey summer, a cottage for 4 days by the sea (August), Cyprus in October and centre parcs. Dh and I also do a few European city breaks.

I think it depends what you can afford. If you can afford a big expensive holiday then that’s fine. Me personally I don’t spend much because I’m not well off. We holiday in the UK and this year it’s cost me £180, spending money will probably cost more than accommodation, probably around £300.

MNs threads show people who spend a lot on holidays which I don’t really see in RL. This yr summer holiday is 3k ish.

2 adults and one primary age child. Annual holiday budget £1200 for one week.

We get a self-catering cottage (go for something that looks lived in rather than done up to luxury standards - the lived in ones are usually better equipped too!) which is usually about £600-800 per week in school holidays. Then the rest goes on petrol, food and days out whilst away. Food is a mixture of self-catering, picnics and meals out.

I know lots of people who earn 6 figures but they don’t spend 6k plus on one holiday.

@Houseofdragonsisback just because you don't know people who do it does not mean they don't exist 😂

2 adults - usually spend £1000 each for 7 nights in 4-5* hotel in Spain or Greece including flights, luggage, private taxi transfer, insurance and airport parking, half board. We then spend around £50 a day on lunch, ice creams, coffees, bottled water and drinks (I don’t drink alcohol and my husband has around 2 beers a day) plus around £150 travelling there and back at airport/on plane. Total £2,500

Not going away this year.

Just priced up May 2025 for our next holiday. It’s gone up £1000
in total for the same holiday we did in October 2023 (half board 7 nights 4* hotel Ibiza)

@User1974 Why have you took my post to infer I don’t think people who do spend a lot vs income exist? The OP is specifically asking about benchmarking so I’m simply making the point that I don’t think these threads are particularly representative.