AIBU to think that it's disgusting that companies don't sell cheap holidays to single parent families?

[spacester]

I am not a single parent. But I am thinking about taking both the kids (DS2, DD6) on my own on holiday for a week next summer to give my DW a well-earned break without them. She doesn't want to go away - would rather take it easy for a week putting feet up with a book, than get on a plane to some hot foreign country (she hates the heat and travelling!).

So I go to Expedia, ZERO package holidays for 1 adult + 2 children, but plenty for 2+2. Go to Thomson, and "children go free", unless only 1 adult travels (seems for a £560 per person holiday, I would be paying £1800, despite the "kids go free" advertisement all over the website).

Am I being unreasonable in thinking this isn't on?

Like I said, a number of rooms. Not every room. Let's say 10-15 rooms out of a 100 room hotel designated for single occupants. That leaves 85-90 rooms that would be available to couples. It still means the hotel would be running at profit, but it would mean less discrimination towards the singletons who are visiting. Is that really such a radical idea?

That's their business model. If you don't like it don't buy from them. You miss out on ABTA/ATOL protection so make sure you use a credit and not a debit card.

DontCallMeFrothyDragon If a hotelier with 100 rooms can sell to 100 couples that's 200 eaters and drinkers. If 10 of them are occupied by singles that's 190 eaters and drinkers. A profit, I dare say, but less of one, which is why I wondered if you understand the concept of running a business at a profit.

I priced up a holiday online with a package tour company recently for 2 adults and 3 children in two bedrooms. The children were going to cost more each than us two adults, even though food and so on was included in everyone's holiday. I think the problem is companies don't give a toss about kids at all. And actually that DOES matter. Other countries manage to cope with this a lot better.

I understand that, obviously (studied Hospitality and Tourism at college, and subsequently for a year at university)

And not neccessarily. If the hotelier is selling each of those rooms to a single parent with at least one DC, that's still 200 meals, maybe a little over. They'd have a slightly lower profit if each lone parent brought just one DC (a few pounds in each case, if we use a set menu) BUT I find I tend to spend more on desserts if I have DS with me than if I'm eating out with friends (When I was with xDP, never ate dessert, nor did he; When I take DS out I find he has a dessert and at least one more drink, and I tend to follow suit.)

Then there's the bonus of customer feedback. Most hotels do not run at 100% occupancy. But, if you take into consideration feedback, then single parents are more likely to reccommend a hotel to both singles AND couples if they had a positive experience as a lone parent at a hotel than if they felt discriminated against.

DontCallMeFrothyDragon I see all that but it is for the hotelier to decide where the best interests of the business lie. In a holiday resort that may be achieved by as many adults per room as possible. Obviously a business hotel is another proposition; there single-occupation is the norm.

It's the suggestion that somebody should be imposing a set-aside which got my goat. If that's not what you meant, sorry; if it is, then ffs who should be doing it?

'Most hotels don't run at 100% occupancy' - good point. Why would they then allocate rooms to singletons and potentially make even less money?

The only package holidays we have ever taken were free Tesco holidays. We're a family of 6 and therefore we don't fit a "typical" business model for package holidays, so therefore we opt every year for the cheapest option which gives us the optimum pleasure for our Summer holiday!

Camping in tents and mobiles in Europe can be great fun with children, the sites vary from beaches in the south of France and Spain to quiet sites up the mountains, to ones set around lakes, there are sites for everyone. Easiest way to camp with limited resources and/or transport is to go for a Dutch company like Vacansoleil or Rentatent. We did 10 days in France for £300, so £5 each per day. It cost us about £200 to get there and back (admittedly we only drove a total of 400 miles each way and had no ferry to pay for). Try beating that price on a package holiday. We had great fun, the kids did free archery, canoeing, biathlon, kids club, lagoon pools every day, made friends we will stay in touch with. We would need to remortgage the house to afford a package holiday, just don't understand the attraction.

Vote with your money if you don't like the package holiday prices, go an book independently elsewhere and consider alternatives. You are not force to buy package holidays where you effectively pay for the "missing" occupants in accommodation.

No, no, didn't mean they should, it's something I'd like to see happen though... but only if the hotelier can deem it viable to do so. Shouldn't be a statute, but an option.

I also think the holiday resort would depend on where it's target lie. The costing I mentioned earlier was for Disneyland, in Paris. Now, considering the main expenditure there is based on children, you would assume their pricing would reflect their targets; eg. Single parents can't be avoided, but we don't want to appear too money grabbing... I'm not 100% sure, btw, but I would have thought the park would see more expenditure from a room occupied by 1 adult and 3 children than 2 adults and 2 children, although I may be wrong (was basing this on souvenirs, refreshments, etc) But, then their's is a pretty unique premise, compared to a beach holiday. Sorry, losing track of myself, atm. Had a point, and it'll come back to me in a minute year or two

DontCallMeFrothyDragon We don't disagree, then.

You cant just say its a rip off etc, its just a price you could pay if you went to Thompson or other similar companies which pence per mile is very good value .However its never crossed my mind to book a package holiday.Book flights and accom seperate be flexible on airports even if you have to travel 200 miles, its entirely up to you wether you pay to much. I go to crete every year booking early or late never pay more than £150 for a return flight including baggage self catering accom aprox 150 euros to 250 euros per room sleeping up to 3 people if your not fussed about location there are other cheeper islands or grab a real bargain in spain the choice is yours .My july trip was a thomas cook from Cardif at £106 return !

I was going to suggest the same as natation. Drive to Europe and hire a tent or mobile home.

Vacansoleil are a great company (they really really should have given me a free holiday by now ;)) Canvas can also give some great prices. There's loads with great pool complexes.

I don't know how old the kids are but this one always looks interesting to me

www.vacansoleil.co.uk/camping/info/the-netherlands-north-brabant-south/hilvarenbeek/campsite-beekse-bergen/VGB/5/2603000/

It's not one of the cheapest, but you get access to 6 local attractions in with the price of the mobile home rental. I've often gone away with the kids on my own and it's good to have places to visit during the day, especially when they're young. It's not too long a drive from Calais, or you could always do one of the crossings to Holland.

Simple - pay for 2 adults and get 1 x child free. I would be surprised if the travel company gave you 2 free child places anyway even if you were going as 2 adults + 2 children. I have had a free child place in the past and always had to pay 2 x adults, 1 x child and 1 x free child. Also, when mine were younger, it was sometimes cheaper to pay for 3 x adults and 1 x child because of under occupancy in rooms - check out all combinations and book the cheapest.

Free child places, and indeed any child discount, are marketing tools. Their point is to increase revenue for the company. They are not altruistic acts on the part of the company.

Tour operators run on tiny margins and they have formulae that they have set up to keep them solvent. They do not offer a bespoke service because that would cost them more. If they offer free child places, it is for a set family unit. They cannot afford to make exceptions because they don't have those margins.

The old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is to good to be true.

Sorry, but yabu, a lot of these complaints smack of entitlement culture to me.

MollieO,

This has nothing to do with children's meals in restaurants.

Children's meals are not available at all restaurants - just those that are targeting the family market. They usually have a fixed price, without conditions.

If you do find a 'child eats free' off, it always has tight conditions. I've never come across one that gives you more children's meals than the number of adult meals. I've never seen one that can be used with other promotions.

I know that for us, there are certain restaurants that are better value for money than others. We don't expect them all to be the same, and we, as consumers, make our choices.

No one says everyone has to go on a package holiday. There are many other types of holiday available.

I wasn't talking about package holidays. I was talking about the inability to book a room as single adult with one child without getting charged for two adults. I have never been to any hotel where that hasn't happened. It means we rarely stay in hotels which also means that we have to self cater. That means it is not much of a holiday for me. Just doing the same cooking, cleaning etc that I do at home but without home comforts. I'd love to have good access to a broad range of holidays at reasonable prices. Most holidays I look at are the same for 2 adults and 1 child as they are for 1 adult and one child.

I feel the same way about trying to book with any children at all. I tried to book for me, OH and 2 under 2s, and was told that we would have one free child place, but there was an 'under occupancy' charge for the 2 children. Which basically made the free child's place null and void and the children were charged about £5 less than us as adults.

Absolutely ludicrous, and don't even get me started on term-time holidays.

Try On The Beach. ( otbeach.com)

There you can buy one adult place and get 2 free kids on all accommodation.

Book flight and accomodation separately - we hardly ever do package holidays, much more expensive.

How about something like Eurocamp, that way you pay for the caravan not for the number of rooms? May not sound too relaxing but with the age of your DCs, it would probably work out to be as your older DD may play with other children and your DS can potter round the pool.

Or have a look at iberostar hotels, I was pricing up for my friend and her son and it was half the price for the two of them to share a room as it would have been for two adults.

We have one child and find that all tour companies automatically assume that we want to share a room and have no interest in adjoining rooms or any other arrangement. When we went to sicily we had to pay as if we had two children to get access to a two level family suite. It's just the way of the world unfortunately.

Thanks all. It's decided. Holiday by booking flights & accommodation separately! Maybe it won't be flights - might ferry to France!

Good luck, spacester, enjoy the trip. Ferry to France is good, depending how far you have to go to reach the coast, better than flying with DCs, but then what isn't? Or what about the shuttle through the tunnel which is quick but a bit tedious as they are stuck in or near the car.