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!

We usually spend £1.5-2k either cottage in the UK or self catering/driving holiday in Europe, plus another £1k on a UK long weekend. We are planning to go to Florida next year which will be around £12k. Our income isn’t massive but we prioritise holidays over new clothes/phones/cars etc

No, travel. This year we are wild camping in the Serengeti whist following the migration. Got a few days RnR at the end but even that’s not AI!

At Xmas we went to Costa Rica and stayed in 7 different locations, up and on it every day.

I go to countries to experience the people (homestays are great for this) Eat the food, preferably shop for some and do a cooking class, certainly visit an out reach project or similar. I want to see a country not a sun lounger.

I have been to just one AI resort paid for by my FIL for his birthday! Who was I to say no.

@JumpstartMondays i should add I see ‘holidays’ and ‘travel’ as two separate things. We travel, although next year I’ve promised my youngest that when we get back from our trip we can have a holiday!

It varies. We spend anything from 2K up to 40K on a holiday. Basic.
This summer, I spent 5k for 5 of us for 8 days - all teens and me and DH - flights, accom 3 rooms in one hotel and a 4 bed villa in a resort. Both with breakfast. Car Hire was £400. I reckon dinners will be 1 x 200, 2 x 150, 2 x 100 and the rest 60 (ish). Trips and activities Fishing trip = 120, surfing = 100. aquapark = 60, watersports another 60?

From our family of 2 adults,1 child, gross household income approx double yours.
£4.2k 9 nights s/c 2 adults 1 child,Portugal In summer. Will be eating out a lot which will hike total cost up a bit.
c.£1k for 1 adult 1 child for 1 week b and b Italy,spent about £600 while there
1 adult c.800 for 5 night s AI Canaries.didnt spend much more there.
1 adult approx £600 budgeted for flight and hotel for long weekend abroad city break location tbc.
Hoping to do a another family trip somewhere warm over winter.

This is the most we've ever spent in a year. Normally around £3k for a week s/c or hb and one short camping type trip and possibly a short city break.

We don't tend to work to a total budget, and I have to admit I'm not sure how much our holidays cost as we book flights and accommodation separately and don't really keep track of all the other spending. We're having 2 separate 1 week breaks this year - one week in a cottage in Cornwall and one Center parcs type place in Europe. So they are decent quality but not luxury, but we never take term-time holidays so not cheap. We have a very good income (multiples of OP) but are happy doing short haul holidays that the dc (2 and 6) will enjoy. With teens I expect we'll spend far more, travel further and do more expensive activities.

Just literally booked to go to Ibiza week after next. 2 people

flights £600
apartment 2k (and it's a basic one!) but close to beach and bars etc
budget €200 per day
10 nights

Italy, week in july. Flights, car and apartment in converted convent for 4 - about £2.4k plus spending. We'll mostly eat in, DH is a great cook.

These threads make me feel so much better as I felt my holiday spending was getting out of hand but actually it seems relatively normal!
Family of 4.
We’ve done a nice AI a couple of years ago but in private school summer holiday. 2.4K all in.
a trip to the alps plus a couple of nights in Paris. We did a lot of stuff there - white water rafting and paragliding etc. I lost track on this one a bit, I reckon about 3.5k ish all in. Maybe a bit more.

this year we are doing a two week med cruise with a couple of days either side that makes it 16 days. It’s gonna be about 6.8k all in I think. Flights £700, cruise 4.6k, air bnbs each side £600 plus spends for trips when we are ashore. It’s a splurge holiday after a very difficult few years and to celebrate some really good things - we wouldn’t usually be spending this!! I’ve put some of the cost on an interest free credit card and I’ll pay off over the year… I don’t regret it!

we usually do a couple of other trips in throughout the year. This year we went on a cheapo Cornwall holiday at Christmas and camping at may half term.
last year we did a week in London and a week of camping at half term. But those are a lot cheaper, premier inns etc.

We're also going to Ibiza as a couple at the end of the month, booked about a month ago. We chose that because we just wanted a few days away in the sun, so the starting point is where can we go for a sensible price on the right dates, with good flight times, which for a short break is fly out in the morning so we can have lunch in the sun and then go to the beach and fly back in the evening on the last day to maximise the time away. Anywhere where 2 flights cost £600 didn't even make the short list.

We're going with Jet2holidays to a nice looking apartment in Santa Eulalia for 4 nights for £850 including luggage and transfers. (Used to be able to get a week for that 😭but we don't have time to go for a week at this time of year).

We won't spend anywhere near 200 euro per day, probably about half that, but we don't go clubbing or anything like that.

We'll probably have lunch out each day and drinks and tapas in the evening, then buy breakfast/snacks/drinks etc from the supermarket and then swim in the sea, go for walks, read, relax and perhaps go for a couple of trips on the local bus, eg Ibiza town and to the north coast.

I think people hide it (as I would) because if I told people our summer holiday cost £45k they’d think I was insane, loaded, stupid, getting ripped off, and much more besides. I look at a £140k Range Rover and see crazy spending, then realise they drive it every day and they may love it. Holidays are not as overt as a car, but just as indulgent.

This sounds amazing. We have the same definition of travel 😍

So I've come back on here to do an update on what we actually spent!
I've just gone through my credit card and added up EVERYTHING.
Sri Lanka, 18 days, 4 people (2 adults, 2 teens 15 &17). Total spend £4800.
Rough breakdown: £3100 flights, £400 (insurance, Sri Lanka visas, travel to London airport) Guest house accommodation in SL, averaging £35 a night for 4, breakfast included. Local travel (buses trains tuktuks). Eating out for all meals in local type restaurants. One big expensive tourist attraction £100.
If I adjust the cost to take into account what we'd spend at home on food/groceries and entertainment (eg a couple f nights in the pub over a 3 week period, I could reduce the spend by around £300. So the actual cost of the holiday was £4500 for 4.
So all in all - I think that's pretty good value. Long haul holiday, for the same or less than 10 days by the Med. We do travel very 'local/backpacker' style though!
Oh - and it was worth every penny - fantastic trip🙂

£1k for 5 people, one week
That includes travel, accommodation, insurance, parking, petrol etc

So either cheap flights at Easter/May/Oct half term, plus an Airbnb
Or a self drive/camping trip in the Summer holidays

I have never gone away for more than 10 days, I just can't justify the cost. Usually it is 5-8 days.

We also have a few camping/visiting friends/caravan weekends each year, each costing a few £100s. So I estimate we spend around £.15k on holidays. Our income is slightly higher than the OP, but I find 3 children quite expensive day to day.

Next year we are saving for a train adventure across Europe, and taking just over 2 weeks. I estimate we will spend around £2k.

Next year we are saving for a train adventure across Europe, and taking just over 2 weeks. I estimate we will spend around £2k.

Wow how will you manage 2 weeks in Europe for 5 people for £2K by train? Interrail alone will cost a big chunk of that plus accommodation and food. That's impressive if it's possible.

It's just me and my teen daughter and we used to do AI holidays for around £1000 (plus around £500 spending money) for the two of us in Rhodes, Tenerife, Turkey, Bulgaria and similar.

This August we're away for 3 weeks - 2 weeks in Greece (half board) and 1 week in Germany (staying with family). Flights and accommodation were around £1500 for all three weeks plus probably another £1000 spending money.

This October half term we're going to Japan (Tokyo) for 1 week and it's again £1000 for flights plus £500 for hotel and probably another £1000 (or more?) spending money once there.

2 weeks in southern France ((eurocamp by the beach then Airbnb apartment in the city), ferries with cabin each way, cost of petrol and tolls, comes to £3000. Then for groceries shopping we had our usual weekly budget (£150 a week) and then £750 spending money.

About 4 grand for 4 of us.

About 3.5k for 2 weeks in Portugal, beach holiday. Myself + 2DC. Town house, self catering. Fair few dinners out, trip to waterpark. Bike hire.
I struggle to see how you can get a couple of weeks anywhere nice abroad for much less. If there is I'd like to know!

Family of 4 here. Dc are 11 and 8 and combined income around £120K. This year we did 10 days AI in Turkey for just under 6K.

Interrail passes give you 2 free under 12s with each adult, and have 20% off each March (stay vaild for 11 months).
It will be less than £1k for travel, even once you add seat reservations. I'm then going to try to spend max €100 per night on accommodation.
So roughly £800 on travel, and £1200 on accommodation. It may well come in at a a bit more though.

We did a week in Turkey AI for 5 in the may holidays £8k

Two weeks in Spain in August. 6 of us first week and 5 of us second week (eldest dd went home after a week) was about 7k then we budget around £500 a day for spending and meals out.

@Goodenoughisgoodenough thank you for updating us, I love it when an OP thinks to do that

Family of 2 adults and 5 children.

Disneyland Paris trip- £600 for flights. £185 for a night offsite before we go to parks. £2040 for 3 nights onsite, club level room. Including tickets and 2 character breakfasts. £170 for private transfers. That’s for next month, so not school hols.

We tend to do short breaks, I budget for £750 a night as a rule - me plus a young adult DC. That’s doing a city break abroad for three or four nights or three nights in the uk in a decent hotel.

We’re staying in a nice cottage in the uk in October @£250 a night. We haven’t self catered for years, I expect that we’ll eat out twice a day min so at least £125 a day on food, plus a couple of afternoons in the spa that’s connected @£250 a go plus another thing I want to do so £500 a night when we’re done.

My job is full on and stressful (I know I’m not alone in that), nice breaks are important to me, we probably have five a year. Since COVID I’ve learned that I want pure luxury in a shorter break rather than a longer break that isn’t as much of a treat.

Just home from the airport

5 of us - inc 3 children aged 3, 9 & 16

£3.5k for a week in Marmaris, Club Exelsior. £380 for 5 days HB package.

Spent £1350 on everything else - £100 on private transfer, £100 on air con, £70 water park, £70 boat trip, £50 buggy driving

Wow that's amazing value!!