To ask how you actually afford to go abroad

[lavenderpekins]

Aibu to feel fed up? Not going away again.. nearly everyone I know is going on a family holiday to the med this summer holiday.

Sort of lighthearted I know we're very lucky to live in this country, able to buy good/nhs/school.. I'll get over it too..

0% credit card. Just put a holiday on there and have 32 months to pay it off. I then pay X amount to the Credit card and X amount to a savings account for spending money.

I'm 'lucky' enough to have a good credit score and be able to spread the cost.

There are no smug people on this thread, just posters answering the OP's question. Don't come on threads like this if it bothers you so much!
We love holidays and travelling and we simply have enough money from our household income after bills and essentials to fund a few holidays and short breaks a year!
We are off to
Italy soon for our summer holiday, and DH and I have just booked a few days in Porto for September.

We are also going to Amsterdam in October with DD and I have booked a week abroad for next Easter.
Love love holidays

I use Tesco credit card for most shopping, paying off in full each month. This earns me club card pints which I convert to airmiles. This generally pays for a holiday outright every 4-5 years or so.
I use loyalty points for eurotunnel or flights.
I use cashback sites for most shopping, which earns me around £200 pa.
I save small change in a jar.
We use eurocamp a lot, book as early as poss to get cheapest deal.

Saving and husband working overtime.

We like to travel, so we spend less on other things like utilities, daily living, other hobbies,clothes etc

We earn good wages

Book flights in advance, some bank accounts offer cash back on some airlines
or
Last minute deals
or
Use air miles
or
invest in savings, shares etc to maximise return on money earnned
or
utilise offers for parking, hotels, flights

Examples
£150 each for a week, self cater in Majorca including flights in low season

£150 total for 2 in hotel in UK , 3 nights

£350 flights only to long haul destination that would cost £550+ in peak season

Some people earn s lot

Some people prioritise holidays

Some people have large family support or inherited money

Some people want to keep up with the joneses and will just get themselves into dead

Some people get good bargains and are thrifty

Some people earnt bit a lot but have very low outgoings eg enjoy low rent, get free childcare from grandparents or grandparents pay for their holidays

We are going to Paris for 2 weeks as do relatives live there. They are going on holiday and we are sraying in their flat. Ferry was 100 for 4 of us.... bargain!
Before my inheritance paid for holidays... so worth it!

Dps relatives

We have very good incomes, no kids, small mortgage and now we can go out of season since I don't work in education anymore. We have had a couple of spectacular holidays but we've shopped carefully for deals, and we both put a lot of savings away each month. When I earned a lot less, I went camping or on cheap last minute breaks. Also stayed with friends and just paid flight and food.

For abroad holidays, it's often cheaper to book with the hotel direct. We go to travel agents find a hotel, get a price for 10 days all inclusive then go home to think about it. We used to then book off Expedia but found we can contact the hotel direct and book cheaper. Next year we are going to Menorca for 10 days all inclusive. The hotel is 4 star and cost us £910. The same hotel with our nearest travel agents was £1750. We just need to get our flights now.

Holiday goes on interest free credit card and we clear it in 10 months.

We looked at a caravan in Dorset for 7 days for the same week. £1100 for that. One in Tenby was £980. Both of those don't include food and for 3 nights less.

We find it cheaper to go abroad, we can get exactly what we want that way. Aside from our holiday credit cards, we don't have any other debt now apart from our mortgage.

Next years holiday is booked already and will start looking for 2019 around September to get ideas! It's all about prior planning!

I don't have kids. And I live in the north but earn less than the "average" salary.

Also I tend to stay in cheap places, apartments and so on in less touristy destinations.

This year I'm probably having a two week holiday, a weekend in Scandinavia and a weekend away maybe in Scotland or similar.

Have to agree that holidaying abroad usually works out far cheaper than here in the UK.

We really are stitched up when it comes to paying for decent accommodation here

It really hadn't for us, but we tend to go Easter or half term and happy to walk, do national trust etc.

It seems most people here are spending far more than we are!!

ie not a caravan in Dorset for 1100!!! We've caravanned for about 400, ate normally with the odd meal out and explored the area, uses the pool with the kids etc!

Cornwall we love walking and playing on the beach and exploring and national trust . Don't need to pay for expensive attractions just as we wouldn't need to abroad!

Isle of Wight was 69 for a weekend including ferry beginning of season plus tickets to blackgangchine and sands and a meal out and picnic etc.

We've been abroad a bit but to visit friends, I can't see with flights /ferry it can be actually cheaper than here!!

I'm one of those people who find that going abroad is cheaper than staying in the .U.K. Happy to do a weekend here and there in the UK, but I would never have my main holiday here.

Got some real bargain flights to Amsterdam for October. We then found an apartment a few tram stops from the main centre which was also a real bargain.

If you look around, plan, and be prepared to book when the prices are right, you can have some really decent holidays for affordable prices.

I have a friend who is always complaining about the cost of going abroad.
Whereas we book flights early on when they are released, she waits until a couple of months before she wants to travel when obviously the prices have risen and there are fewer flights available.

I've told her this time and again, but I've now given up. I think she just likes to whinge

I live quite close to a regional airport, so once dates for holiday have been blocked out by me and OH I start with flights. Which flights are really cheap for those dates and do I fancy going there? If yes, book flights then book accommodation separately. I like self catering, but am happy to stay in a cheap hotel if I can't find a cheap villa or apartment. I am only going to sleep there, so don't really care if it has a spa or fancy restaurant.
Might need a hire car but will check all providers for cheapest deal on smallest car possible.
Self catering is cheaper for food but eat out some nights. If it's a warm weather holiday usually buy nice bread, cheese, wine etc and have picnic lunch.

Plenty of ways to not spend too much.

I haven't found going abroad is cheaper, it's been much more expensive in my experience. I suppose it really depends on the sort of holiday you're taking and the location/distance.

not a caravan in Dorset for 1100!!!

That's what we were quoted through a holiday park for the same week as our foreign holiday next year. I'd never pay it in a million years though.

We also holiday in Cornwall. I'm not against holidays in the UK but we do like guaranteed weather and exploring new countries. I've spent many a wet week in a caravan and love it but I love the sun and the atmosphere of being abroad too.

Our honeymoon was the best. £1295/£1300 all in to New York the week before Christmas. All because the hotel direct was 80 dollars a night compared to over a hundred on Expedia and over 150 with Virgin holidays

Oh I believe you if you were looking at summer holidays - I just wouldn't go when they were that price! Just as I look around for good deals abroad I do for the UK (ie isle of Wight 4 days for 69 was the best! Couldn't go abroad for that!!)

I'd never pay 1100 for a caravan either and I understand wanting to go for sun, but that isn't saying it's cheaper to go avroad. ita saying yiu prefer to go abroad for the sun rather than my 400 cottage in Cornwall at Easter!!

I love exploring abroad too, but yet to find it cheaper!!

We knew when we had a large family and I gave up my career that we wouldn't be able to travel much, especially abroad, partly due to reduced and stretched funds and partly because the idea of herding them all around when small abroad was not a relaxing prospect.

As they have got older, we have managed two foreign holidays, and the dcs really appreciated them having not been abroad before.

My philosophy which helped me through the passportless years was that we could aim to be happy all year and not just on holiday. We called it happy Wednesdays, just because it's a random day.

So we live in a lovely part of the country which is itself a holiday destination and have an outdoorsy lifestyle.

Holidays are great but I like to try for the holiday feel at home any time.

My youngest three have never been in a plane, which seems quite unusual compared to many of their peers at their very normal state comp.