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.

Yes, people have said that quite a lot.

OP there is some good advice on here, much of it now being repeated, but this holiday is possible.
I am going to go agree with pp and wonder if the struggle and/or risk of debt is worth it? Only you can make that call, but if it's possible to cancel, it may be worth considering.

@Cheeseer Lisbon is eminently walkable and public transport is relatively cheap (very cheap compared to UK). Depending on the age of your children and their interests, there are also lots of places to see for free (general sightseeing, be prepared to walk a lot - which I would say to anyone going to Lisbon). Tram 28 is a great old-fashioned tram and will take you to some of the best sights like Castelo de S Jorge and the Moorish quarter.

Belem is a good area to explore, as is Parque was Nacoes (old Expo 96 site). They have regenerated the water front which is nice and you can get a train to various beaches along the coast for a beach day out (get the train from Cais Sodre - on the water front) - Carcavelos is the best beach, Estoril is good and Cascais has a tiny beach but a lovely marina and other things to explore - my favourite park in Cascais is called Parque Marechal Carmona.

Eating out can be cheap, top tip is to avoid the touristy places around Praca do Comercio and go for more authentic places in Bairro Alto. There are also some chains which serve pretty good quality Portuguese classics - often found in shopping centres. These include Lusitania, A Merendera (specialises in called verde and pao con chorico - kale soup and hot choricou rolls, delicious!).

Edited because I forgot to mention supermarkets - generally good. Look out for Pingo Doce and Continente as they are the biggest chains and have the best prices. Like everywhere, food prices have gone up, but buy local and seasonal and it will be much cheaper than the UK.

If you want any more tips, message me... I know Lisbon well. Hope you have a great time

Don't go to Sintra. Packed with tourist coaches, expensive, crowded, uncomfortable and an absolute nightmare with small children (extremely low walls with sheer drops that promise to plummet you to a picturesque death) or anyone who has a fear of heights.

When are you going? Depending on when you go, there is still time to make some money...

How much is your accommodation?

Could you switch bank accounts? DH and I have both done so recently and made £360. Have a look on Money Saving Expert as they have a list of switching deals.

I use Mistplay and FreeCash apps, so far this year I've made £150 in Amazon vouchers, you could probably make £50 in a couple of months so worth a look.

What loyalty points do you have:
Boots - suncream, toiletries etc
Supermarket - divert these points to shopping and transfer what you would have spent to the holiday fund

Is there anything you could sell on Vinted/Facebook/music magpie? Even if you made £10 that's ice creams paid for.

If you do go, I'd take teabags, coffee, squash drops, and as much food as you can pack. Take foil, cool bag, ice blocks, ziploc bags, then it's easy to prep a picnic. Do a foodshop when you get there but meal plan - breakfasts, lunch stuff, tea - pizza, pasta, jackets etc - take the kids and let the pick out fruit, ice lollies, a type of snack each.

You can do this, but you will need to think it through in terms of budget - aim for £280 spending money: £150 on food for the week, £130 fun money.

It depends what your actual budget is but would it be cheaper to go out from Lisbon to one of the nearby beach resorts. Then you could have beach and maybe pool and do the odd day trip into Lisbon.

I agree. Cities are more expensive in terms of things to do than beach/pool

Lisbon is expensive.

But if you still want to go, you can book elsewhere away from the city and the kids will have a brilliant time for sure. Even more so if they’re not fussed about having a beach holiday.

Look up river beaches - the further north you’re willing to go, the cheaper. And the food is better.

A penny pinching holiday will be awful - and with holiday spending money, you generally need to add an extra couple of hundred to what you think you'll comfortably need.

It's a shame, but I would chalk it up to experience and take the hit on the flight money.

Campsite and local supermarkets kind of set up? Especially if it’s somewhere with an Aldi or Lidl nearby. Then visit local playgrounds.

Go onto chatgbt and it will tell you the cost of daily transport and free museums, things to do, nearest beaches and how to get there etc.

Sorry, just seen your update that it’s Lisbon. Could you manage this eurocamp? And go to the beach and other onside activities?

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/portugal/lisbon/orbitur-costa-da-caparica-campsite

https://www.holidaypirates.com/travel-magazine/uk-the-best-free-and-affordable-things-to-do-in-lisbon

A can-do attitude and lots of encouragement is all very well, but you are repeating your original planning mistake.

You intended to set aside money each month, but didn't manage to do so, because 'each month something comes up'. What if that keeps happening, as it almost certainly will?

You need to budget for all known expenses, plus have a plan for all those unexpected surprises, plus set aside money for this holiday. If you can realistically cover all these, go ahead.

It doesn't sound like you can. So it might be better to cut your losses altogether, or reschedule the flights for a far-off date, and start budgeting properly for that.

Because that is obviously another expense.

I wonder who is the idiot here.

I’d pack tins ,cereals, sweets, biscuits. Plan some cheap meals in. Buy a small shop when you get there. Take your weeks shopping money for spends plus any extra money you have. Is there a pool? You can buy inflatables cheap here. See what parks/beach is nearby too. You will need transfers money. Plus any activities/ice creams.

Sorry, I was only trying to help. I only read through the first two pages and hadn’t seen it suggested there, so I apologise if it’s been suggested a lot since.

OP, I know Lisbon quite well, family live there. It can be very cheap to self cater in and the public transport is reliable and affordable (plus very cheap and plentiful Ubers).

On the basis that it is Lisbon, I would go for it. There are lovely lovely beaches, easily accessible on the metro and the DC will be very happy with that a lot of the time. Avoid the aquarium (so crowded and overpriced) and things like the Lisbon story world/quake (nice but totally unnecessary) but most other things are inexpensive and you can ride on the famous tram etc. As others have said, you would need to buy groceries at home anyway and supermarkets are cheaper there.

Oh and I understand OP. Life is so expensive atm. You are doing your best!

Seriously don’t pack tins. Groceries and booze are very cheap in Portugal (minimum wage is about £800 per month there). But take stuff for packing picnics like freezer pouches and insulated bags which you can take to the beach.

I repeat that the metro is great so consider staying near a metro station line at the outer end, nearer a beach maybe. You absolutely don’t have to be in the centre

Yes, I suspect it does say something about being impulsive. To book a holiday for 5, when you live on a budget, without basic researching first.

I agree - who willingly wants that tedious mindset of ‘We can’t afford this, we can’t afford that’ during a break in a pretty expensive capital city, especially when it’s the kids first time abroad? Eating food from supermarkets most or half of the time is no fun.

Thanks everyone, especially those of you you who understand that you would like to give your dc some nice fun experiences. I'm not a big spender. We don't have a massive household income. We get by. Prices for food, bills, just everything has gone up so much, it's been pretty rubbish for most people lately.

Im going to really have a good look at things to do and realistically see what I can afford. I think if I plan ahead really well, that will give me the confidence to make a decision to go ahead or not.

I haven't yet got travel insurance but will definitely get it if going - any tips on where I should buy it from, please let me know as I can't remember the last time I went abroad!

Get your travel insurance through Quidco and get cashback.

From now on adopt the mindset of can I get cashback from quidco. House insurance, car insurance, holiday insurance, grocery shopping etc etc.

Pingo doce is a great supermarket that’s all over Portugal - rather like aldi prices but better quality imo. Amazing pastries.. you have to eat at home so you could just go to the supermarket there and take a picnic cool bag on days out. Fresh bread is so cheap from supermarkets - id gladly live on that with butter, mackerel pate and pastel de nata..

We're all different, we all live differently, but my approach to holidays is they're a week (or two) of yes days. I just wouldn't enjoy it otherwise.