Holiday providers who hike prices in school holidays should be fined

[Mystuff]

.....and not parents who are just victims of the system!!

Parents are easy targets, but the real problem IMO, is that it is ok for holiday providers to hike their prices.

So Aibu to think there is a way of fining these companies?

IMO family holidays are of huge benefit to children and it really angers me that parents should be forced to spend so much more than other people, or that kids should miss out on that quality time with their families.

Targeting parents is so wrong IMO, they are victims of the whole situation.

As has been said many times, and will be said every year when parents start getting huffy about holiday prices, it's not that prices are put up in school holidays, it's that they are dropped in term times. If you made holiday companies match their school holiday prices to term time, all they would do is put up the term time holidays (or stop offering term time holidays). It's the school holiday bookings that make the profits, the rest is discounted, often to break even point, to fill them.

There's already talk in the industry that if the fines for taking children out of school start to reduce the demand for term time holidays, this year they might slash prices (so it's still worth it once you've paid the fine) but from next year, offer shorter seasons and less packages in term times. Force them to put up the prices so they aren't able to fill the holidays at all, they'll stop selling them.

Only if they get rid of single supplements for those of us who don't have a partner or children to go on holiday with as well.

Oh, and how about reductions for those who are colour blind, who might not appreciate the view of somewhere as much as those with normal sight.

Oh, and how about people who are terrified of flying can have cheaper fares on cruises.

We've never taken our children abroad as it's too expensive in the holidays, we do however have fantastic holidays in the uk that are within are budget.

Really it's just a case of decide your budget and find a holiday that fits, it might not be the holiday you really really want but it's still a holiday and time spent with family.

A lot of comments moaning about the no term time holidays are those going "but this means we can't afford to go to Florida" "but we're are a skiing family. Don't the schools understand that?" Wan wah wah. Most of these people can afford to find a holiday it's just not the one they wanted.

Oh and people that pull the "our holidays are very educational" also make me snurk

Although I am genuinely sympathetic to people who have their holiday periods dictated to by their employers.

Ifcat

Hey, whats wrong with educational holidays.
We are taking dd to 10 to Rome in May/June and it will be for educational purposes, but it will be loads of fun too.
I know what you mean but don't judge everybody who says their holidays are educational. You can learn a lot on holiday.

Yes I know you CAN learn a lot on holidays (depending on where you go and what you do) but I think most people who bang on about their holidays being educational are usually talking out their hat.

Our holidays aren't educational, they are about relaxing, having fun, enjoying the outdoors and sunshine, eating out etc. All these things I think are valuable experiences but not necessarily educational. If my children happen to learn something on holiday then great but for me that's not the purpose of going away.

I also don't believe for a moment that you sat down and thought "hmm it's really about time we educated dd about Rome, let's book a holiday there"

In fairness ds did learn last year that there is no ice cream too big for a seagull to carry off.

If Gove pushes through changes to the school holidays as he seems to want to, prices might get hiked up all year round as schools set their own holidays or simply reduce them so there are no blocks of time during which most schools are off.

I'm a teacher so I guess my human right to a cheap holiday doesn't count for anything anyway .

I'll go against the grain a bit. I agree with the sentiments of the OP, and always have. Nor do I care who thinks me unreasonable for that.

We don't always go on holiday every year do to financial constraints. We don't take our children out of school during term time, and that makes many holidays out of our reach anyway.

It would be nice if there wasn't such disparity between the prices in school holidays and school term time, but there is and always has been. It smacks of profiteering for the sake of it and is surely one of the factors which drives parents to book term-time holidays. It must be part of the root of that particular problem.

Not so unreasonable to suggest it could be evened out. Flame me if you want to.

Surely the solution isn't to fine the holiday companies, but to tweak when the peak season is by staggering school holidays?

That is possible, tempus.

If the holiday providers were acting in collusion and "deciding" that the school holiday prices should be very high, then certainly you would see some variation among the more "democratic" outlets i.e. online owner-rented villas?

It's supply and demand.

You are being unreasonable. Why should holiday companies not raise prices in the holiday season? They are businesses. It is more that they reduce prices out of season anyway - to fill spaces when not many people go on holiday.

I agree it sucks that prices are so high during school holidays.

The problem is that holidays are set up such that everyone is on holiday at the same time within the UK and so vast holiday bandwidth goes unused during term time. It would be far more sensible to stagger holidays times around the UK, a win-win situation.

Sorry cross posted with Tempus.

dont be so ridiculous, the camp site we use in the south of france charges 36,000 euros to keep a caravan there, they have to make their money somewhere to cover that cost, supply and demand.

This is capitalism. Its the system we've all bought into

'capitalism sucks'.

there are still some communist countries, off you go. I don't think you'll like it though...

I really like the idea of schools choosing their own term dates (that was mooted recently wasn't it?). Automatic staggering. Win, win . It would need to be all schools in one town I guess to accommodate siblings in different schools.

staggered holidays would be a disaster

two kids at different schools with different holiday dates. even if you cluster for schools in the same area there will always be people on the boundaries
teacher parent with kids on hol at different times

itll just mean the prices are hiked for longer periods.

Cat She is learning Italian and music she is keen to experience the culture. We are visiting The Vatican and of course will be looking at History, geography, fine art. Its a holiday for humanity based subjects.
So yes, we did decide on Rome for the educational benefits.
We will hopefully have a leisurely holiday elsewhere in Sept/Oct

This has got to be a joke, no? No-one is actually that stupid?

of course if it is so easy to arrange cheap school holiday holidays, set up your own company and have a go?

Fine holiday companies for charging extra on school holidays, i dont think so. Its supply and demand, if more people (not just families) go away the of course its peak time and comes with a tariff.

Some seem to get so entitled when they have children. God forbid the school dare ask for money, the child need new shoes etc.

Holidays are not essential in any way whatsoever and if you cant make family time without going away then obviously something is wrong.

I think this message is a great idea OP. While we're at it, my peak tube fare is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive compared to off-peak and I am sick of being a victim of greedy LU charging little old me so much just because I have to get to work by 8.30. Fine them.