To not want to spend £5000 on a holiday?

[roland83]

There's only me and my partner, we both earn 30k a year each.

When we look at holidays I hate the idea of going Turkey / Spain etc for £500-£1000, but everywhere I want to go such as Las Vegas, Canada etc are just ridiculous money! £5000 for around 10 days, not including food and drinks.

We are savings for our first house, so it's not really a big issue as the choice between house deposit and holiday is obvious.

I've been Turkey, Egypt, Spain and similar and I find it a bit crap. I don't want to sit by the pool/beach all day getting a tan, I want culture.. but all the day trips are rubbish and crowded. I want to go to Las Vegas and visit the Hoover Dam, Area 51, Grand Canyon but when you work out a realistic price it's astronomical!

So, is it me? AIBU to think all the decent holidays are overpriced and now I'm in my 30's £5k on a holiday seems crazy when I could get a lot more for my money on other things?

[Only1scoop]

There's not much to see around Area 51 either ....although a road trip through Nevada is an experience.

[roland83]

adsy - Oh do be quiet. You've judged me based on a few paragraphs?

How am I behaving like a spoilt child by having a discussion about something. If anyone is acting childish it's most definitely you by being so abrasive.

[rookiemere]

Gosh if only I could go out of school holidays, the world would be my oyster.

Have you tried skyscanner for flights to Vegas? If you're prepared to go a slightly different route, or aren't stuck for a set number of nights, then you should be able to get flights reasonably cheaply. Hotels in Vegas can be inexpensive provided you avoid the real biggies - so the Luxor or MGM are excellent and shouldn't cost mega bucks. If you priced it up yourself then I'm sure you'd get it for a lot less than £5k.

And yes going to Canada is expensive. We're doing it this summer and the cost for flights, car hire and nice accomodation for the 3 of us for 3 weeks will run to around £6000 minimum, then there will be trips,meals and petrol on top, gulp, so probably nearer £10k in total. Meanwhile our house is crumbling gently around us and the bathrooms could really do with replacing. Ho Hum.

What you spend your money on is up to you. A big holiday is going to cost money and if you have different priorities, well then yes, it's off the agenda for a few years.

Have you thought about the wonderful sights and things you could do nearer to home. I've had fabulous trips to Rome, Madrid and Barcelona. All with cheap flights from a local airport ( going with friends out of school holidays so not megabucks) and renting apartments through flip key or similar. Plenty of culture to be had for much less than a grand per person.

[adsy]

I know I sound like a moany childish git do you not want me agreeing with you, then?

[unweavedrainbow]

Well, as others have said, it depends on what you want. My DH and I are going to the Rhine (Germany) in the summer. Train tickets (Eurostar/DB) and a weeks self catering is less than £1000. It's going to be brilliant-churches, museums, boats... However, I can see that other people would hate it. What do you enjoy doing? Work your holidays around that.

[EverySingleTime]

Use sky scanner to find cheap flights. Then book accommodation separately.

If you are looking for a 5 star experience you are going to pay for it. The way we have found deals have been through soft openings, out of season, even groupon.

There are still bargains out there. A friend recently went to Vegas, Grand Canyon etc all in including trips less than £2000 each. I think she used dealmonster or similar?

[roland83]

Thanks for the constructive advice.

We go to Cornwall for a year for a week and I love it, I look forward to it and enjoy it so much, it's so relaxing and peaceful.

When I look at holidays abroad I don't get that feeling at all, I don't see the "value" in it.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, or pricing it up differently would be better.

I found Vegas cheaper online too, until you see that you have to stay over at an airport for 10 hours between transfers, which isn't something I want to do.

[OnceUponATimeAgain]

where are you transferring to/from?

just go to cornwall, thats what you enjoy

[irregularegular]

I don't see why you need to spend that much on a US/Canada holiday.

Flights - £600 each.
Hotels - £100 per night for two
Car hire - £500 per week.
Bit extra for entrance fees etc, but for 10 days I would say £2000 per person should do it.

[roland83]

I'm in Yorkshire.

irregularegula - so that's £4000, plus food and drinks and all the other little bits.

We are off to Cornwall this year, I guess I just feel like I'm missing out on the world..? Perhaps I'm not though.

Adsy - reported you. No need to be like that at all.

[irregularegular]

But I'd go for longer. Given the cost of longhaul flights you don't really get value for money on a 10 day holiday. There are plenty of interesting destinations that will cost you £200 or less to fly to - it doesn't just have to be lying on a Turkish beach!

[climbing]

What kind of hotels are you looking at?!

I could head off with my backpack for 6 months with £5000.

If you can't afford the places you are looking at then look at cheaper places! Cut your cloth &c

[countessmarkyabitch]

So, you want to go to expensive places but you want to pay the amount to go to cheap places?
Uhuh, good luck with that!

You don't make a lot of sense really..>>>>I've been Turkey, Egypt, Spain and similar and I find it a bit crap. I don't want to sit by the pool/beach all day getting a tan, I want culture.. but all the day trips are rubbish and crowded.

[Mammanat222]

OP, you seem to be the common denominator in all these "shit" holidays! Maybe you should stay at home??

[adsy]

reported me for what? Being a little tetchy, aren't you?

[Boobz]

What about Italy? You can fly Ryanair return for less than 60 quid, and then you are surrounded by culture, architecture etc., and can do Rome for the city bit, Venice for the toursity bit, and then Tuscany/Sicily for the sunny relaxing bit. Amazing food, wine etc, all really cheap at the mo as the economy is a bit up the spout, and you can stay in some lovely cheap boutiquey hotels whilst in the cities, and agriturismos when in the country-side. You could do a vair nice holiday for £2.5k between you I reckon.

[adsy]

Ooh, you better report mamman and countessmarky too

[JustMarriedBecca]

Trail finders is awesome. Cheaper flights than sky scanner. Last year we flew into Boston for a few nights, hired a car and drove to Cape Cod for a few nights, went whale watching, drove back to Boston, took the Amtrak to New York for a few nights and then onto Washington. The whole thing cost £1,500 each including spending money and trips to Yankees Games, whale watching wtc. And I like NAICE hotels so it's so easy to do a USA trip in either June/September (out of summer holidays but close enough to feel like a summer holiday) for less than £5k

[rookiemere]

No I get what you are saying OP. I love holidays and would gladly prioritise them over new car or getting things done to the house, but they ain't cheap ( particularly now DH has me used to fancy 4/5 star places )

Ski/Snowboard holidays are very expensive sadly, and much more so when you have to go at half term or Easter holidays. However again you can use your ability to pick non school holiday weeks to your advantage, I've been looking at ski holidays and say I was able to go on 28th Feb for a week if I booked now I could get half board in a 4 star hotel, highly rated on trip advisor for around £500 pp.

[adsy]

Better you should have posted in the holiday section rather than AIBU

[climbing]

YABU for finding Turkey, Egypt and Spain "a bit crap"

Did you see Cappadocia? The pyramids? The Alhambra?

And they're a bit crap?! You sound a bit like those people on Trip Advisor who say "this Spanish hotel had too many Spaniards and the beach was too small. Spain is crap, avoid!"

[MorrisZapp]

You sound surprised that flying for ten hours costs a fair whack more than flying for three hours.

I've been to the USA many times, including Las Vegas. It's a fantastic value holiday if you enjoy the things I
enjoy (mid range, popular hotels, food attractions etc).

If you don't want to go there then don't?

[HubertCumberdale]

Could you try something a bit more humble, say Berlin, Rome, or Vienna?
Go to unlike.net and have a look around. There are some incredible places in Europe that don't require you to fester on a beach.

[adsy]

quick,add climbing

o the list to report

[lastnightiwenttomanderley]

What is it about Cornwall that you like? (trying to find similar places, i love Cornwall too).

Not sure if active is what you're after but DH and I had a fantastic holiday in Provence on year staying in a few different places, we walked the Verdon Gorge which was amazing. A stunning gorge with sparkling turquoise water.

Also, what about South Africa?