To book a holiday even though we're in debt?

[HalalPork]

We haven't been away at all this year or last year. The year before our lovely ILs took us away for the week (not abroad).

We've had a really tough time over the past couple of years, illness, job loss, general stresses. We've never done a foreign beach type holiday.

From a quick browse it looks as though we could book a villa with a pool for next year for a couple of grand. This amounts to four months roughly of credit card repayments at the current rate we're clearing it (all 0%).

Would this be mental? I'd like to give the kids the experience before they're too old to want to come with us (teenagers already).

We're not on the bones of our arse, Dh earns good money and all the bills etc are paid before we look at repayments, and we do still have some fun money, we're not sacrificing ourselves at the altar of debt.

Would it be madness at this point to stick another £2k or so on the credit card?

I've only read the first page of this thread and have to say that I was 21 before I had my first 'sun' holiday. I was working and paid for it myself. I didn't have a holiday in the sun anywhere with my parents and it didn't do me any harm. If you have debts of as much as you say you do, if I were you I'd be servicing the debt with any 'extra' or 'spare' money. The sooner you can clear down the debt the sooner you don't have to ponder or wonder about holidays abroad.

I really wouldn't be booking a holiday, no matter how much I really really wanted one.

My kids adore a camping holiday, but then they are only 3 and 5. I imagine perhaps for a teenager it may not be quite so fun, however if you want something more luxurious then I honestly think try and save something each month from now until whenever next year, and do it that way.

Don't do it yet! Save up for the holiday & go either May or October half term. You will still be able to get somewhere in 4 months time & shop around a bit more for good deals. Private hire via Owners direct or Homeaway are good sites.

OP, could you save some of your 'fun money' each month and then grab a last minute deal next summer?

Do you use Tesco/ Sainsburys? You can convert their loyalty points into air miles or eurotunnel tickets? We had an amazing 5* apartment for 1 week in uk for 600worth of air miles this year. It was the only way we could afford a holiday, and it felt like it was for free.

What about a deal out of the newspaper - eurocamp can be great.

It doesn't have to be 'all or nothing'. Compromise on where you go.

But to be fair to your family I don't think adding debt onto your credit card is a sensible option.

Airbnb in Spain or Italy or France on the coast for a week. You are looking at a grand max. The canaries are also very cheap if you look around.
We are skint as anything but still manage to go abroad, it can actually be cheaper than holidaying in the UK!! I think paying that much for a villa with a pool is a bit extravagant but each to their own. I do agree that memories are more important than money though so as long as it doesnt leave you homeless and foodless id say go for it. You may have to struggle when you get back though but it seems like you realise that.

So am I the only one who has read through the whole thread and am still sat wondering where you can get a family of 4 to Cyprus all inclusive for £1600 and a private villa abroad including flights for £2K.

Both seem reasonable to me.

maybe also look at campsites in european coastal destinations. Some of them have pre erected tents that are more like little huts that you can stay in and its actually very nice.

We're going to a very good hotel (some say 4 some 5) all inclusive, 2 adults, 1 teen, 2 kids in Crete for just shy of £1900. But that's October, not the height of the season. £2k in summer sounds v reasonable, but that's not the point of hte thread.

What a bunch of Puritans on this thread

Did you read the comment from the OP regarding running up the existing debt due to mania related to mental health issues? The same mental health issues that have seen her hospitalised 6 times this year and unable to work?

Still think tooting the 'life's too short' trumpet is a great idea?

YABU, I think deep down you must know that.

It's irresponsible behaviour. 15k is a large amount of debt and your perception must be skewed if you think it isn't.

holidays are a luxury not a necessity.

SpaceUnicorn - no sadly a lot of people don't seem to be able to understand Why this is not a good idea.

We won't have paid it all back for another two and a bit years. Ds1 will be 18 by then and will never have had a holiday abroad with us. That just makes me a bit sad.

2000GBP for a villa, plus flights (or ferry & petrol & motorway tolls) plus food (eating out? Even if you self cater you need to eat), plus spending money..... It's far more than 2000 grand you are looking at - and if you book the villa you'll be forced to pay for all the rest so as not to lose your initial outlay, even if something else happens that you need to pay for (broken washing machine? Crashed car?).
I know, I'm a real bundle of joy, but I don't get this sense of entitlement to an expensive "beach holiday" that prevails these days.
We never had a beach holiday with our children who are now students and doing their own thing - but we spent plenty of quality time together - you could do days out, meals in restaurants or even a last minute bargain holiday for a lot less than the cost of the villa rental..... yes, you'd have to go where there was availability, but by the time you came to pay for it you would have paid off more of your initial debt.
It's not worth living beyond your means for something as frivolous as a holiday.

I never had an expensive beach holiday when I was young.

I have lots of happy memories from my childhood swimming in the freezing lido in our town, playing with friends outside, camping in my gran's back garden with my best friend, going camping a bit further afield with friends from the age of 15.

Lots of happy memories, none of them were costly to my parents.

It's a dream you are chasing, sold by holiday companies.

Can your teens do NCS? That is largely gvt. funded.

We had beach holidays in Spain/Balearics/Greece when I was growing up twice a year, but that was because we'd never go in August (we'd do May and October) and I'm an only child, so on package deals I was "first child goes free" on a camp bed. Honestly once you have three children, for a lot of people those costs are prohibitive (as you noted saying that hotels would require several rooms).

I just think we could all do with a nice calm break away. A week in a caravan doesn't really scratch the itch.

But you owe so much money! Yes, it would be mad to put another £2k on a credit card. And you're almost certainly kidding yourself about the true total cost - will it really cost the same as being at home or will there be treaty foods from exotic supermarkets and meals out?

Do your kids a favour and teach them to live within their means. Maybe you could get a genuinely cheap all inclusive for October half term in 2018?

OP I have just caught up with the thread and your extra postings.

I think you need to get the sort of help and support that you wont find on an internet forum full of strangers. if you are just looking out for those posts that say "do it you only live once" then of course you are going to find them.

I wish MNHQ would step in and perhaps give you some advice about posting here. I suppose this is the problem with being able to name change. you can just go on and on posting and posting. Please see this as the start of a slippery slope you don't want to go down. I hope you find someone outside of your immediate family that can give you some help. good luck.

Op, I don't think you are well enough to make rational decisions about holidays or anything else at the moment. Please concentrate on getting well.

I think YABU. But I am someone who is very much looking forward to her caravan holiday by the sea. We are driving there in one of our two fully paid for second hand cars, leaving from our modest house that has more than 50% equity in. The only debts we have are the mortgage and our student loans. We have more money saved than you owe on credit cards. It would be fair to say that we have different outlooks regarding money and debt.

We could easily afford a snobbier holiday, but I think these photos show that even something affordable can be wonderful. I think YABU to not consider something more modest, particularly considering your huge debts.

HalalPork
There's about £15k spread across a couple of long 0% cards. It's high but not unmanageable.

I'm shocked that you think 15k debt is no big deal. If I had that amount of debt I wouldn't be able to lay my head on the pillow at night.

But hey, you want a 2 grand holiday, what's 2k more debt. I could do with a nice calm break flying in a private jet to my own luxury yacht for a holiday but can afford neither so tough shit for me but at least I have no debt.

Its crazy, what if your kids want to go to college? You can have a good long weekend break in the UK.

Sorry you've been through this. It's tremendously difficult for anyone who does not understand hypomanic states to know how the unstoppable spending compulsion grips a person. You say that you have got things in place now for that not to happen again but then you say that you can put 2k on a credit card so maybe you haven't really got safe conditions in place for you yet?

By the way, there's a consultation paper out at the moment you can participate in if interested www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/in-control/

The above poster who talked about how the fantasy of the holiday is likely better than the fact talked sense I think.

If your DC have been aware of what has been going on with spending and have been troubled by it they may spend a good part of the holiday worrying about the spending and your health rather than making lovely memories. Not your fault you are ill but life can be a roller coaster for DC when a parent has bipolar, consistency and no surprises may be of more help to them.

Techncally we can afford it. If you still have this mindset despite a credit card debt (spent on nothing particularly necessary) which is going to take longer than two years to pay off, then you've learnt nothing and should still be considered unable to manage your own finances, op.
I really hope your DH has the wit to veto this nonsense, tbh.
You can't afford it.

Being in a position to access more debt and being able to afford something are two different things entirely. You seem unable to process this

Can MUMSNET intervene here please? OP needs help and she isn't going to get it here

I am currently in a splendid UK cottage that cost us < £700 for the week in a very desirable UK tourist zone. Sleeps 7+. PM me if interested.

I can't work. Or at least not for a while yet. I'm too unstable (more depression than mania).

Do you know if you're making a good balanced decision or if it's your illness making you think this purchase is a good idea?

There are so many ways to build great family experiences. Expensive villa somewhere hot & expensive is not only or best way to achieve that.