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.

Lisbon has lots of free stuff, does the accommodation you've booked have a pool? I wouldn't worry about doing excursions - my DD just loves been in a pool when we go away! Have ou factored in costs of getting to and from the airport, accommodation etc?

I'm wondering about things like money for entrance fees for things ( everything can't be free!( , taxi, buses for getting around, the odd coffee, ice cream, there are 5 of us so things add up quickly. It's stuff like that I'm thinking what if I run out of money! How much do I need!
Admittedly, I haven't done much research so no clue if there are indeed,.lots of free stuff to do and how cheap/ expensive it is.

Could you try getting on a housesitting website like trustedhousesitters, and see if you can get accommodation funded that way? I’ve used it heaps to save ££ and it’s worked very well. Just a thought

How many nights have you booked for? How old are your children?
Lisbon is a lovely city and is much more reasonably priced once you get there than any holiday here in the UK.. You can also get out to the beaches in Cascais from Lisbon and other parts.
I'm with the go for it but wouldn't want you to stress about it.

If you can afford the accommodation I'd still go. Book self catering and do it in a budget.Is it somewhere you can spend time on the beach or going for walks rather than expensive activities?

If you book self catering and cook your food, the food cost will not be very different to your normal bill, at home you’d have to eat after all. You don’t need to do fancy excursions, instead think beach, walking, parks … all free, and use public transport and you legs to get places. Where are your flights to? Sometimes with a bit of digging you can get unbelievable deals

Lisbon as far as European countries go is quite cheap. There’s lots of things to do that are free too, so you could just pay for food when you’re there and self cater.
Do the kids have any savings/pocket money you could use and let them choose an activity each or to spend on ice creams/snacks. And pay them back. You would be eating here anyway if you don’t eat out there.

I would go.

Take some basic supplies with you. Breakfast bars, juice drops noodles etc.
Anyone have a birthday coming up? Would they be happy with money as a gift that they can spend on holiday.

Really try and cut back more than usual for the next few months. See how cheap you can get things to save some money.

You could stay outside of Lisbon in Estoril or Cascais (there's a nice hostel in Estoril). Then you would have free beach on your doorstep.
The trams in Lisbon are a sight in themselves so if you got a travel card, you can do all of these and they are great fun.
Is 5 of you, you and four kids (ages of kids?) or are there two adults?
Do you have other expenses at home while you are away - pet sitter, etc?

I'd be inclined to say go for it, but check all your outgoings before deciding. Have you booked travel insurance (not expensive but really is necessary)?

churches are your friend when it comes to attractions, most are free to enter, also online you’ll find websites dedicated to free and cheap family activities.

https://in.hotels.com/go/portugal/budget-things-to-do-lisbon

Where are the flights to, look at eurocamps.
Also, look at the Sun £9.50 holidays.
You can google for the codes, just google sun holiday codes and they are available in various websites. They have a large number of overseas holiday camps to choose from there mught be some in your destination.

Also look at housesitters websites, they have overseas properties.
Also campsites, air bnb and self caterjng accomodation can be cost effective.

If you definitely can't go there are facebook groups where you can sell flights, have a search.

How old are your kids? Are they old enough to discuss that money will be tight and make finding things to do cheaply a bit of an adventure/challenge?

book accommodation through hotel.com
and possibly booking.com and you can pay via Klarna app interest free.

The public transport in Lisbon is very cheap and easy to use. You can buy navigate cards which you can top up from the machines in the metro literally under the airport. Then you can use them to travel on bus, metro or tram. My kids loved going on the trams, you can even head out to the beaches.

https://www.lisbonguru.com/viva-viagem-card-metro-bus-tram-ferry-train/

I would say you could budget for one or two attractions depending on what the kids like. We did the Aquarium, Quake museum and the castle but otherwise just got trams and explored. Budget for some pastel de nata though. We found eating out a bit cheaper than the UK so maybe budget for a meal out one night too.

Also for ice creams think about popping into supermarkets for a multipack rather than buying them individually if you want to keep costs down. Take refillable bottles and make the kids carry their own backpack.

Look at hostelworld.com for youth hostels.

Sorry but you are coming over as a bit of a spendthrift. There is absolutely no need for excursions and coffees out. Or taxis. I'm not surprised you haven't been able to save money. You need to have a good look at your budget and stop spending money on extras. At home and on holiday. You will lose money if you cancel.

I’ve just come back from a self catering holiday in Faro (Portugal) Uber taxis’s were super cheap! Food in supermarkets, were cheaper than uk. Eating out was also cheaper and very good quality.

You don’t need to spend money on expensive excursions, or attractions as lots of lovely things are free!

You said there are 5 of you going. Is that you and 4 children, or do you have a partner going too? Could either of you get extra shifts before you go to boost the savings pot?

Lisbon has some lidls, which might be a cheaper shop to buy from. Take some bags along too.

Its likely cheaper there, but you could take along some basics in your bags, pot noodles, mini squash, snacks etc.

We often used to buy multipacks of ice creams from the supermarket and take turns in choosing. Way cheaper than buying them out and about.
There may be multi day travel cards. A lot of cities have them and they often come with discounts for museums etc.
If you take a few things like boil in the bag rice and cous cous it can help self catering feel less of a chore.

What are your plans if someone injures themselves, e.g one of the kids cuts their leg on glass at the beach and needs a few stitches? Even with decent health insurance you could be expected to pay up front and claim the costs back from your insurance.

I’d go, but check supermarket prices before you go and see if it is worth taking anything with you. Snacks, things like that. You’d be feeding them at home anyway, so that isn’t an extra cost. Look to see if there are any offers on attractions, and buy tickets in advance if you can get a discount. Make a plan for the days that you are there, and have a realistic budget for each day. Buy some ice cream in the supermarket, and take drinks bottles and shopping bags.

I often take a pack of herbs/ spices/ stock cubes with me when self catering so that I don’t have to buy extra stuff when I’m away.

Insurance is a good point. You should also get GHICs if not already.

I'm heading to Lisbon in a few weeks time with a limited budget. We are going to a sporting event but have budgeted for eating out and for Uber/bolt to get around. Eating out looks to be cheaper than the UK and if you are self catering then head to Aldi or whatever budget supermarket is near you and you can spend the same or less than you would at home. We will be going to Aldi for all our snacks and lunch things.

Lisbon is cheap and walkable. If you stay in the city you can get commuter trains to nearby beaches (the water is really cold but it’s fun). Sounds like you’ll need to be self-catering and take your own food for lunch out, but it’s a great city! You’d need to eat if you were at home, you already have the flights and passports. Go for it!