to want to go on holiday, even though it would mean us getting into debt?

[darleneoconnor]

I know the general consensuson these types of threads is AIBU but...

-DP and I have been together for 6 years and have NEVER been on holiday together

-It's been years since I took DS away and he is itching to go on holiday again

-DD is still pre-school age but would love a pool and beach everyday and 24/7 time with all the family

• we would do it very much on the cheap (this desire was sparked by seeing ads for £120pp deals)

-financially we are 'living in poverty' but have a low outgoings so dont have to scrimp and save every week or anything. We would easliy be able to pay it back within a year, including interest, without cutting back. Other than the mortgage we dont have any other debts atm.

• DP has only ever been abroad once in his life and I think it'd be great for him to experience a bit of the different culture (food/language etc)

So, is a teensy tiny wee bit of debt really that bad? (It wouldn't cause us stress btw)

YANBU to want one, but I think YWBU to go into debt for it.

What happens if you have your lovely holiday, then you come back and the washing machine breaks? Or your DH is fired? Or the house needs repairs, which are just under your excess but enough to hurt? Or interest rates increase? Do you have an 'Oh fuck!' fund?

It sucks, and of course you can do whatever you like without justifying it to anyone, but you did ask.

Don't get into debt for a holiday DEBT is a curse on any families happiness.

Get a old biscuit tin Christen it The Bank Of The Biscuit Tin in a formal ceromony then every week on a Sunday night put all the loose change in the house in it. By next May you will have saved enough for your holiday.

Keep your family finances right you don't want the bums(baliffs) in do ya

I agree with meditrina if you never manage to save for a holiday then you'll never manage to pay off the debt on one either. The way the costs mount up for these holidays is frightening. You might think you're getting a holiday for £120pp but I can guarantee it will end up costing you an awful lot more than that. Assuming that covers flights and accommodation you will need to get yourselves to the airport. If you drive then you will have to pay (an arm and a leg) to park your car there for the duration. Food and drink abroad is very expensive now due to the exchange rates. You will want passports (huge expense) clothes to wear, suncream, entertainment and food for the airport and the flight (remember you can't take your own stuff through security controls), and so on and so on.

It's a far better plan to set up a savings account and be disciplined about putting money into it. That way you won't be paying the bank as well as the holiday company for your holiday.

Sorry.

yabu to demand that this has to be a non-UK based holiday, by the time you include extras/passports/spends that £120 per person will probably end up more like £1K overall. And since the Euro has got stronger, countries like Spain/Italy are quite dear for eating out etc.

I would say wait. I hate the idea of having debt so have made sure to never have any by never doing anything like this.

You should rather (though it sucks and is boring) save up the money over the next year that you would have ended up using to make repayments. Especially if the repayments would have been with interest on top.

To be honest it sounds like you have made your decision anyway and looking for people here to validate it rather than talk you out of it.
Having read a bit more, it sounds like you have credit issues anyway so in that context I'd have to say slapping it on the never never so you can enjoy something NOW, isn't a good idea.

Well I am usually the first one to say "yes, go for it!" to a holiday - but the costs do mount up.

First of all I bet the advertised £120pp will have lots of extras such as transfers, departure tax, luggage allowance etc to be added - which will bump the initial costs up, so check this out before getting your hopes up. We have been looking for a cheap break for September for 2 adults and an infant and have struggled to find anything for under £1000 by the time you add in all these bits (admittedly for half board).

If you are going self catering - prices abroad have gone up dramatically over the last few years - so its not going to be a cheap option. All inclusive can work out much better and less stressful. There are lots of forums on tripadvisor that you can ask about local costs to get a proper idea of how much you can realistically expect to spend on stuff.

Do you have the stuff you need to go -such as decent suitcases, a buggy if your little one needs one and passports (about £80-ish I think), holiday gear and sun lotions.

Travel insurance is probably going to be another £50+ and parking/getting to the airport could be the same again.

I would agree with people saying save up before you go - I saw one advertised in a travel agents for next summer that was £100 deposit and £4 per week until you went which seemed really sensible and do-able - but if you are really set on going this year I would work out what its going to cost to repay and start saving that (and a bit) NOW!

No YANBU to WANT a holiday. I hope you get your sunshine break - but do be realistic about what its going to cost.

Loathe to tell you to get in over your head but I don't think debt is automatically a bad thing. If you are confident you can pay it off comfortably in a year and your or your DP's income is stable enough that you don't have to worry then maybe go for it.
I don't buy the idea that a British holiday is cheaper, tbh. In fact a cheap package to somewhere like Greece or Spain at the moment would probably be cheaper given that you can get all in deals and their economies are in the toilet at the moment.

Blimey!!! I agree with niceguy.

I don't mean to be harsh, but I think you want us to validate something which deep down you know would be wrong.

No way are you worse off than someone on benefit if you can contemplate a foreign holiday. If you lost your job with this holiday debt you would be up shit creek. Sounds like you would struggle to pay it off as it is. Debt is a worse misery than going without a holiday. Save for years if that's what it takes.

I'm not totally clear from your original post whether you have any savings or nor? You say you could easily pay it back, within the year without cutting back...Does this mean you have spare money each month which you are already saving. If you do have savings from surplus each month then it wouldn't be long before you could go on holiday. If you don't then I don't think the idea that you can easily pay it off within the year will work as all your money is used up and so how could you realistically pay it back with interest without scrimping.

Why bother posting? You've already made your mind up.

I agree with everyone saying save up for next year.

I agree that it would be much better to save. Have you actually seen a real holiday in the med in a hotel or apartment with a pool for£120pp at tge time you want to go or have you see an advert saying from £120pp? Also, do remember to add up all the extras and spending money to calculate the real price.
Family holidays don't always live up to expectations in my experience (and it does sound as though your expectations are high). It would be very crap to be paying for something a year later which wasn't even very good.

What niceguy said. You've already made your mind up, you just want us to give you some warm and fuzzies about it.

Nope.

Save up and go next year - if you need the discipline of a repayment to make yourself save then sort out a DD to a building society account and hide the passbook.

If you say every year "maybe next year" and fail to save up the money to pay for it, then that shows that you can't afford to pay back the debt.

I would book and pay the deposit for next years tbh.

Half the fun is choosing where then knowing you are going.

Plus it gives you a year to save spends and get nice holiday clothes.

What trillian said

Er - banks charging a higher interest rate is called 'commercial' not 'exploitative'. It is your choice to get a credit card - no-one forces you to have one. And therefore you make a decision about whether the interest rate is acceptable to you or not.

You get credit, the bank/credit card company gets revenue. A commercial contract.

And to all those saying a bit of debt is not a bad thing - fair enough if it's for essential things (repairing the car, fixing the washing machine, etc) - but for a holiday? I'm sorry, it's hardly the same kind of thing.

But as niceguy and others have said, you're obviously just wanting us all to agree with you.

Sorry. YABU.

I am the same, want some sun. I have only just paid off last years disaster holiday to Bulgaria. I am wary of going abroad so have booked a caravan for this year. I bet it pisses down the whole time.

If anyone wants to pay for a family of 5 to Turkey i may be swayed

You have no idea what the next year might hold. So though right now you might think you will easily pay your debt off, well what happens if the main earner in your house falls ill? Then you will quickly find yourselves up the creek. Had I known what this year had in store for my family I would not be mere weeks away from having DC2, because I need to be out at work while DH's health returns.

Save up for the year and go then, without the debt. Holidays are not a right, they are a luxury that must be earnt. I find the attitude of people in Britain absolutely appauling when it comes to holidays overseas.

And for what it's worth since DH and I have been together, the only 'holidays' we've had have been the the In-Laws (who, lovely and helpful as they are drive me up the f*ing wall). Suck it up and get over yourself.

So here's the thing, last year we had what we thought would be a cheap holiday, we went to Eurocamp in France with some friends we still spent 1800most of it on wine in the end, although the initial outlay was more like £500. We went to Ireland the year before and the cost was similar.

This year we've decide to book an all inclusive as the cost is a little more but we know what we're spending and it will be more of a holiday for the grown ups as the kids can go to the kids clubs. I'm not booking it until i have saved the entire cost so will end up being pretty last minute but although its tempting to put it on a credit card i know what happens, something comes up, broken boiler etc and it never gets paid off.

If you can save for a year, book a very nice holiday and enjoy it. I know how desperate you can feel but my kids love camping and if you keep an eye on groupon they've had some good weekend break deals.

Agree with the "don't do it" folk. If you save up for next year then you get interest on the money saved. If you take out a loan for a holiday you pay them interest. If you can't afford to save up for a holiday then you will be even less likely to pay back a loan for a holiday, as it will be for a larger amount.
Some cheap holidays can put you somewhere groooy where the walls are paper thin and you can feel every spring in the mattresses.
You can do the UK on a budget, you just have to plan it, or do it as a series of days out, buying nicer food during that week and not doing boring stuff.

I don't think that not being able to save necessarily means you can't afford the debt.

I'm not very good at saving, but it's just a lack of willpower. As soon as it becomes a proper commitment I have no problem keeping up with payments.

Like everyone else says. Save, then instead of paying interest, you'll be getting some interest (unfortunately only a little bit at the moment, but still in the right direction)

Paying interest is a mugs game. Sorry.

We do this every year. I have paid the 300 quid deposit on a cottage 2 months ago, now paid it off the overdraft

Then I pay the balance next month and go in august, it then takes us til November to pay off spending money.

Then Christmas is the next expense, pay that off in January (we have a very frugal January) , then the next 4 months is paying for car mot's/insurance/services.

And then back to April/may for holiday deposit.

We don't go if we are still overdrawn end April (so if something unexpected has happened)

I saved all year to go on an all inc and it ended up being the holiday from hell and i still spent my £700 spending money and nearly £1000 on a credit card and had £100 robbed. If you book anything in advance research it and do it properly, dont just look on trip advisor. Where we stayed got took over the year we arrived and was horrendous even though it had good reviews.

If i go again i will be saving up and going on a last minute deal