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..

We often find travelling abroad a much cheaper option than holidaying here. Check out the European Centerparcs, have been to a couple and they are great. Fraction of the cost, and that's including taking our car! Also love the European campsites, there are some lovely sites around, and much for affordable than a regular package deal.

**usedtobeaoaxmanfan"

Did you mean £6 each way to Romania?!

Its always difficult because there is a tendency to keep up with the jones but we always try and plan well ahead - at least 1-2 years ahead - this gives time to save up and also something to look forward to when your going through a tough time.

Also internet flight/holiday bookers re best nowadays like ebookers or www.flyusanywhere.com

@Dianag111 Britania and the Fjords wow. Have a fantastic time, she's a beautiful boat. Sorry that the circumstances leading to this aren't the sort you dream of alongside the dream holiday.

I find the peace of the Fjords amazing. I barely slept a wink when on them because I didn't want to miss anything and had the curtains open being amazed by the views day and night.

We took blankets and snuggled up on the deck from early doors, helped with warm todys boosted by alcohol we'd taken for cabin consumption.

Certainly lovely memory making.

1. earn a lot & save as much as possible all the time.
2. drive old non-premium brand car while rubbing eyes in amazement at number of people driving new audi/bmw etc on finance plans
3. shrewdly take advantage of any shortcuts eg use airmiles racked up on work travel
4. live cheaply. I mean seriously. No sky sports. Rubbish phone on sim only contract. Cook meals from scratch using thrifty ingredients. No expensive hair/nails. No gym membership or pricey classes. No lunches out, few coffees etc.
5. do a clear out and sell anything with value you're not using.
6. earn a lot. At the end of the day in the south east where I live, household incomes over £100k are comparatively common.

Wow at household incomes over 100 being common! I don't think we'd have problems finding a holiday on that!!

I do all of those except that I have no car at all, and am seriously lacking on nos. 1 and 6, it seems!

Brie - yes but it goes hand in hand with stupidly high house prices so the mortgage can eat up a lot of that imcome for many people). A 3 bed semi is at least £500k where I live (and that would not be in catchment of a desirable school).

100k sounds like a silly rich banker amount but in London two classroom teachers each with c 10 yrs experience who are heads of year/department will often have this income.

3 bed terrace is at least 450 - 500 where I live in the SE but 100 in comes are not that common!

Lots of people on over 100 k where live ( we dont) and they all moan they are skint! Its a commuter town,so probably lots go on fares tobe fair and houses prices are stupid.

I think people (like us) who already have cut back, and already have 14 year old car, buy cheap food, cook from scratch, don't buy clothes/shoes (I have one pair of trainers, and clothes 20 years old), no sky sports or sky anything, very cheap internet, we all have old second hand phones off eBay, no contracts, top up pay as you go about twice a year, no haircuts (we do them all ourselves), rarely drink, don't smoke, no gym membership, always make lunches, no takeaways, no going to the pub, no going out at all... the list goes on.

We already do all of that. But there are no funds for holidays.

I think when (some of us) read about those saving for holidays in those ways, it reads to us, that we maybe didn't realise those things and it's our fault we can't afford a holiday because we choose to prioritise different things.

But we have been very lucky in the past when we earned more money, and we were able to go away, and make some amazing memories. We even had a free holiday last year (long story) so we felt incredibly lucky.

We are starting to sell bits on eBay, and have £165 so far in the holiday fund, but that's not going to get us very far

Anyone we know who is going on holiday abroad, either benefitted from buying a house a long time ago, or benefitted from the very low interest rates.

We're going to put the £165 towards our garden and have a staycation

Thing is @gluteustothemaximus, the OP asked how people afford to go abroad, and that's what people were answering. How they do it. Not how they think other people should do it. I mean, I could offer to look at your budget and see if I could save you money, but that would be presumptuous and not what the thread is about. However, unless you are massively in debt or have a huge mortgage, I don't understand how you can literally have no money to spend on anything if you have an income (unless you are both on JSA). That doesn't mean I think you are wrong or lying. It also doesn't mean I'm judging you at all, it just means that I don't get it. I don't have to get it though, it's your life. Same as everyone else is talking about their life.

I do agree wombling, but I was just explaining how I felt when reading replies. It's normal to feel a little judged (even if no one was judging at all) and they were just explaining how they could afford it.

And yes, that was what the thread asked. I'm just saying I understood why some posters felt there was smugness coming out of those who could afford it. I disagree with the smugness, but can see why some of us feel like that.

I hope that makes sense!

(And yes, we are massively in debt, another long story. But it was £30,000, and now it's about £13,000 and I feel positively ecstatic that I have cleared £17k. And one day, will be debt free!!)

One thing I have learnt from this thread, is that an awful lot of people cut back a huge amount to afford a holiday, which says more about wages and high cost of living, and high cost of holidays which is sad. And how much store we put by holidays and memory making.

It is out of reach for a lot of parents I think, and somehow parents feel they are letting their children down by not giving them those experiences. This is also sad.

We couldn't afford to go away so we've just started house swapping-it's great and makes holidays very cheap www.guardianhomeexchange.com

Also, and for some reason we feel we have to justify ourselves online to strangers - we both work full time, and wages cover bills. Just. Been on Money Saving Expert a million times to find out how we can save and cut back more.

Recently filled in a PPI claim, and got my cheque this morning. £67. Woop de woop. Spent all week dreaming of thousands, but no.

Still, going in the fund of things to do in the holidays!

gluteustothemaximus Fri 14-Jul-17 14:58:12

Thats roughly what I was able to save - when we had our year of austerity, by year two I had managed to get enough to get us abroad on the ferry for 4 nights to holland. ( using tesco vouchers for ferry), taking breakfast and loads of snacks with us - to keep eating down whilst there.

So if i was you - keep your 165 and keep going and by next year yo umay be able to have a few nights away, also sign up to YH emails, in January they had a fabulous sale, and I was able to book a room, in Illam YH which is a gorgeous old manor house over looking the most picturesq part of Derbyshire peak district, for 35 ish pounds, usually 109 or more, really really nice room and again you can self cater.

ps another good boost was selling aftershave nad perfum given at xmas amazing what you can get for it - dont open it! ebay.

You deserve massive kudos for clearing that @gluteustothemaximus! That's a huge achievement (and I'm not being patronising, honestly). I hope you treat yourselves to a mega holiday when it's all paid off.

I've just never seen holidays as a sacrifice, because we never had the other stuff in the first place. Holidays were important because when the kids were little, DH and I worked opposite shifts because we couldn't afford childcare, so we literally saw each other for an hour some days. For that reason, holiday savings came top of the budget after mortgage, utilities and food. Any bits of overtime, bonus, coins down the sofa, went in the holiday tin. Even the £5 a week Family Credit went in. People earning £75000 a year literally have no idea what it's like have to save on a micro-level.

Oh and shop at Tesco. You have to shop somewhere, and we literally haven't paid for a Eurotunnel crossing or a birthday meal out for about 10 years.

saving on a micro level indeed.

we also save our marriage allowance - its only 22 a month however over a year...264 or thereabouts.....

I also used to save £2 a week - again £8 a month however by xmas time.....£96 - not bad and we dont miss £2 a week. agree with tesco, its been invaluable to us - I used to loathe tesco but I have to admit their scheme has really helped us with ferry crossing, eurotunnel and days out - however we have given our cards to other people...to help boost points when they shop too.

Marriage allowance?

Marriage allowance?

I'm guessing the transferrable tax allowance when one person in a marriage isn't using all of theirs (or the OP is over 90 and still entitled to the protected marriage allowance vrom the 30's)

If one of you earns under a certain amount you can transfer your tax allowance to your spouse/partner/civil partner.