to wonder htf people manage to afford foreign holidays in the summer?

[TheBolter]

Please tell me I'm not alone here...

£4000 for a family of four to holiday in a self catering studion in Tenerbloodyrife!

I don't even want to go to Tenerife, but my expectations are getting lower... started off looking at villas in Sardinia but knocked sideways at the price. Now looking at anything... ANYTHING! that will ensure a reasonable standard of accommodation outside of the UK during July/August but cannot believe the price!

I know I must sound naive, but I really didn't think it would be this much. I was think a couple of thousand would be enough...

I know I may also sound a little self-entitled, but we have DONE camping and holidays in the UK for the last six years, and I thought that now I'm working again, and dh and I are on a combined salary of roughly 60k, and our mortgage isn't too much, that we would finally be able to afford something this year!

So AIBU to think that families who do manage to stump up the extortionate prices for a couple of weeks in the sun are a) loaded b) being ripped off or c) both?

Any advice as to reasonably priced holidays also welcomed... I know this isn't the travel section but I'm suddenly feeling too poor to rub shoulders with the travel lot!

Things we have done to cut costs:

• Taken DC on hol in term-time when they were younger

• Booked early to get deals

• Taken them very last week of the Summer hols - prices seem to drop then.

Could consider going with another family (not for us but others don't mind)

• Avoid packages and book your own appt with owners direct or holiday rentals and hunt for some cheap flights

Sorry meant to say we use the websites already mentioned.

OMG, just found Marrakesh 4 star leaving from local airport for £1000 for all of us two weeks end of July... you guys are great...

Be very careful there. Marrakesh isnt exactly the best destination in the current political climate.

Thanks Squeaky, not sure if Monarch fly from our local airport, (we aren't London based and it's important I find local flights).

Try these guys as well

on the beach

www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/morocco

Squeaky I'm not sure either with children...but I can dream...

Which airport are you going from? Most of the low cost airlines fly from every UK airport.

I reckon it must be two ample salaries that allows people to spend that much on a holiday every summer.

We are a family of four going to Hawaii in August with flights only costing £3,700 so you must be looking at the wrong websites.

Try Onthebeach.

It's too early to be booking flights for August, imho.

I booked flights around about Easter for August 2 years running, having surfed around since Christmas. The flights shot up in price to over £500 per person mid January and by April, I was able to book all three of us for £604!

Squeaky, low cost airlines fly from our local airport but the flights don't seem to be as cheap from here, but not an impossibility.

Thanks lenak, just doing a search...

Oh that's interesting Maureen... who did you book with? I thought Easyjet etc ramped their prices up more and more the closer you got to the fight dates. Do they drop their prices again?

If you drive, it is sometimes worth driving to a different airport and leaving the car there while you are away.

Ferry to france £85, petrol + tolls £250, owners direct villa say £750. Or rent a ski chalet and do a holiday based round a lake - 2 bed apartments for £300

Sometimes you have to lower your sights a bit.
We're going to Cala D'or in Mallorca in August for a week, all inclusive.
Ok, so some of you will prob write the destination off as common, but I've looked on Trip Advisor and it doesn't look like it will be too full of boozed up brits abroad.
Booked through Jet2 from Manchester but could have gone from Liverpool for same price. £800 per adult plus a child free.
I booked it last Sept and have been putting £50 a month away since, it's the only way.

YANBU

I was too really surprised at the prices of holidays. We are booking an apartment direct now and driving to France...but it took ages to find something reasonable.

Last year flights to Malta with Ryanair came to £519 all in for us all. And actually we could not fault Ryanair one bit.

We always go away in the October holidays and it works out far, far cheaper than July/August.

We love Lanzarote. It gets a bad press and nicknamed Lanzagrotty, and to be quite honest nothing could be further from the truth.

In ten years of going there 2 or 3 times a year, we have never seen rampaging hen or stag parties. Never seen a fight.And never seen anyone really really drunk either.

It is very family orientated. It is also very "green". It is very clean with no litter, and the beaches are beautiful.

The restaurants are excellent, and we have never stayed in a bad apartment.

Weather is always good, all year round, and because it isnt in the EU, prices are a lot lower than in many other holiday resorts.

Cant fault the place at all.

www.jamesvillas.co.uk/tenerife/chayofa/casa-feliz-305/?CTA=sr_details_button

Don't know where you were looking but a week in this villa is 2700 there are a lot cheaper on that site an others.

I think they're the kind who don't buy much in the way of "crap" such as clothing, extra toys for the DC and houshold things....I spend too much on all of the above...I suspect other people save up.

Usually with Iberia.

Thank you so much everyone for your replies, all very useful stuff.

The On The Beach site is fantastic and I think I could be on my way to finding something.

(Squeaky, my parents have just come back from a cruise of the Canary islands and they said Lanzarote was beautiful).