Booked flights for a holiday but now can't afford it. WWYD?

[Cheeseer]

I booked some flights to a European country 6m ago for the summer. Was planning to take the kids to their first ever holiday abroad. They have never been and really want to go. The only holidays we get are in the UK for a week per year if we can afford it. The kids do love them but they yearn to go abroad.

I thought if I booked the flights early, I could put aside some money each month to save up in time for the summer.

However, each month something comes up and I haven't put anything away. If I start from now, I would have enough to cover accomodation which I haven't booked but nothing left for food, fun, travel etc.

I know Ive messed up but things are so expensive and prices are going up month to month and I just can't seem to have any money left over at the end of the month.

Should I plan to go to the hol and see what happens, can't do excursions or anything, very basic food or should I just leave it and lose the flight money and never plan a holiday unless I have the funds for it.

As others said it can be done cheaply

you would buy food here anyway

so it’s somewhere to stay - cheap b&b and to work out where to visit /go - parks -beach’s - place with a pool be nice

so where are you going @Cheeseer and people local /know it can offer advice what to do for free

I wouldn’t want to waste the price of flights but I get the extra accommodation May push you over budget - unless put on a credit card etx but to pay it off !!

Depends on where you are going. Have you paid for travel insurance?

Given that you've paid for the flights already it seems silly to write the whole holiday off. Let us know where you have booked. I am sure you can find reasonable self catering accommodation. Plus also you will need to buy food in the UK anyway so you're just buying food somewhere else. Supermarkets like Lidl and Aldi are located in most European countries so you can get reasonably priced groceries there. For just one week I would be inclined to give it a go.

I’d go, there’s usually lots of free things to do unless you’ve picked somewhere very obscure, beached, museums…. Kids aren’t fussed about food and expensive meals out they’ll be as happy with sandwiches on a hot beach in another country!

If you’ve no spare money it’s best to let it go rather than get into debt. However if you already have passports could you look for a family room in a hostel? You’d have cooking facilities and be somewhere new; it can be cheaper to use public transport for transfers etc.

Go but find either cheap sc accommodation and use supermarkets as you would at home or all inclusive where you don’t need to spend to go out or eat. Travel insurance won’t cover a change of mind or poor budgetting,

Those talking about supermarket shopping overseas- it rather depends if OP is hiring a car or needs to eg use a campsite shop.

I would guess you haven’t sorted passports op
that must be top priority in your budgeting

if its somewhere with a beach or free stuff to do, then id go and challenge myself to spend no more money than you would at home.

If it’s in the school holidays then of course your accommodation is going to be really expensive. It sounds like you won’t have enough for everything so having been in the sane situation a couple of times I would change the flights to another time in the future which would give you more time to save. Being on a very low budget whilst on holiday is shit for everyone.

I wouldn’t put the spending money on a credit card as you’re clearly not on a high income and maybe a lone parent?

I see it's not been mentioned, but where I live if we need to cancel flights then the airline will allow the funds (minus a cancelation fee) to go into a wallet of the airline. So basically a credit. Which is valid for 2 years here, so a certain length of time.

I only know about it as I called to cancel and was offered it. It wasn't routinely advertised.

So maybe it's worth a try to ask. And then you have time to save for a later trip.

I wondered this, if the the children haven’t been abroad before getting new passports is going to be a hefty additional cost.

Sorry I should have written in my original post that it's Lisbon.

Aaargh some of you are saying that I should leave it and others saying go for it.

With regards to passports we actually do have passports made last year due to some inheritance from my df in another country. They needed to see passports for id.

I have provisionally booked accomodation on booking.com so I know I can afford that if I save up from now. It's self catering.

Depends on airline and how long it is before travelling. Some will reschedule or change names for an admin fee and any difference in flight costs, others won’t. Op could cancel the flights and reclaim any taxes paid.

I'd go or you will have wasted the flight money. If it's self catering you would be buying food at home anyway. Just do some sightseeing, find lovely parks and just enjoy not being at home in the same four walls!

I have looked at rescheduling flights to another date but school holidays are expensive and id need to fork out £30 for each of us for each flight so that would be an extra £300 just to change and also pay the difference if there is any.

OP if you're saying you tried to save up previously but couldn't, in the nicest way possible, why do you think you can save now?

I have looked at rescheduling flights to another date but school holidays are expensive and id need to fork out £30 for each of us for each flight so that would be an extra £300 just to change and also pay the difference if there is any.

Have you sorted passports?!

Because I'm going to really be frugal for the next few months, which I know I can be. I'm hoping to set up a standing order to my other bank account which I don't touch so the money Def comes up every month.

Yes we have passports. See post above.

Having read your updates I would definitely go. I don't know Lisbon but most cities have free stuff on and it will be easy to get food to cook and a lovely experience. I have done holidays on a strict budget and still had an amazing time just by being away. It sounds like you are in a position where it won't be much different next year so don't waste the money that's already been spent and just go for it.

I would go. I’d get a credit card or something. It can be an amazing, once in a lifetime holiday. You can buy your food cheap out there and try and do as many cheap things as possible.

I would go - Lisbon is relatively cheap and you have to buy food at home anyway. If you already have passports and flights covered and know you can save for accommodation, you have done the main costs anyway! Have a wonderful time x

I haven’t been to Lisbon for years but it’s lovely and loads of stuff to see, you can get a train to the beach v easily and I think food would be relatively cheap