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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how you actually afford to go abroad

598 replies

lavenderpekins · 11/07/2017 23:48

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..

OP posts:
BrieOnAnOatcake · 14/07/2017 21:02

I dont work and husband is slef employed. is that something I can claim? I didn't think there was marriage anything these days.

Zoflorabore · 14/07/2017 21:04

Dianag Flowers I sincerely hope you have an amazing trip and make tons of memories with your family, puts things into perspective when I'm moaning about needing a holiday and I've had one already this year, you totally deserve the best time, have a ball :) zoflo x

Bedsheets4knickers · 14/07/2017 21:10

I get the med although we can't do it this year but I don't get how many people manage Dubai so often . I've priced it up . Clearly we are doing something very wrong

Blowingthroughthejasmineinmymi · 14/07/2017 21:17

brie it depends what tax threshold your dh is - but my dh can bascially use my un used allowance...its something isnt it!

Blowingthroughthejasmineinmymi · 14/07/2017 21:18

www.gov.uk/marriage-allowance/how-it-works

Blowingthroughthejasmineinmymi · 14/07/2017 21:22

brie if you are due it - you can even get some back payment on it!!

Diang Flowers

BrieOnAnOatcake · 14/07/2017 21:41

Wow. from 2015, that's up to 460£ thankyou!

4yoniD · 14/07/2017 21:43

I've already been saving for a year to go abroad for my 40th birthday. I'm currently 36. I put aside a set amount each month.

Dianag111 · 14/07/2017 21:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

The80sweregreat · 14/07/2017 21:51

I know people who think they are short changed with 'just the one trip' this year! They are not being ironic either.

UsedToBeAPaxmanFan · 14/07/2017 22:07

Confused yes, £6 each way to Romania. The train fare from Cambridge (where we live) to Stanstead was more than that Confused he went Thursday to Monday so basically a long weekend. And he only took hand luggage

I'm not sure how much he paid to go to Sweden but it was a similar amount, maybe a bit more. But under £20 each way. He basically plugged his available dates into the webite and bought the cheapest tickets available. I'm quite tempted to do thd same!

Cailleach666 · 14/07/2017 22:21

Bedsheets I don't get why many people want to go to Dubai so often .

Want2bSupermum · 14/07/2017 22:35

DH travels a lot for work and we are a high income household. We have had one 'holiday' in the past 6 years. We go home every year and I go to my Dads in England once a month. We consider the annual trip to Denmark a holiday.

We set a budget in September every year and save up. For our holiday we paid for we used points for everything possible. When we go to Denmark it's expensive. We rent a car, accommodation and do trips with the kids. In England I keep our own car which I got for £450 and my Dad now drives it. It's an old Renault.

We also benefit from perks such as DH taking customers on a cruise. We go along so all we pay for are the DC. He also has various conferences and exhibitions to attend in some great places. We all pile in the hotel room so we are paying for flights, food and spends only. The flights are paid with points and I do a supermarket run to get water, milk, fruit, prepared veg and breakfast items in for our trip.

thekillers · 14/07/2017 22:36

It is all relative. I spend twice the amount going on holiday that I do on my mortgage. It is by far our biggest expense.

I book 11 months out- as soon as flights are released.

Do a long haul 1st class using air miles each year with BA plus a Virgin upper class to USA on airmiles.

Every penny of our spending other than the mortgage gets put on a miles earning credit card.

We decided that we would travel and spend money all our money that we earned whilst our children were growing up. We both grew up in houses that didn't spend and prioritised paying off the mortgage but then by the time they had they money to travel they were ill or dead.

goggygeeah · 14/07/2017 22:38

We do driving holidays to France camping. As a family of 5 even with decent income flights are prohibitive and I don't get how people do it and go in school hols! Even the overnight ferry was silly money (nearly £1000) but eurotunnel is about £300 so for 5 of us pretty good and worth the extra driving. Though I must say fuel & tolls add up. Once there there's a big range of campsites and costs. Significant outlay for the camping equipment but then very cost effective holidays.

gluteustothemaximus · 14/07/2017 22:39

Thanks Wombling Smile

Actually, this thread has inspired me to keep going. I'm going to find more stuff to sell!

Yes, we shop at Tesco. We use our vouchers to eat out sometimes. We went out for our anniversary last month, and it felt like the biggest treat. Not sure what we'd do without our Tesco vouchers TBH!

auserinamillion · 14/07/2017 22:46

Liinoo it is just about priorities isn't it.

I do think each time I book an expensive holiday that it could of come off my mortgage however I Have that other thought that we never know when our time is up and should make the most of it.

Me and my husband were talking about this tonight. Probably 20k a year on hols 😮

But we're only young once xx

Cailleach666 · 14/07/2017 22:56

auserinamillion

just about priorities

20K a year.

Thousands of people are relying on foodbanks to feed their families in the UK, they struggle with rent, will probably never be able to afford a mortgage,
Telling people who live hand to mouth that they need to prioritise is arrogant, and makes you sound ignorant.

Want2bSupermum · 15/07/2017 02:58

But that's the thing. It's about priorities. auser could pay down their mortgage, put money towards retirement or go on holiday. They choose to go on holiday. My DH and I could easily afford to spend double that and it have no impact on our lifestyle. We choose not to. Instead we are approved to borrow a relatively small amount to buy our second building just outside of NYC. We have one car, fully paid for by DHs employer. We could afford to have a second car but choose not to. I prefer using a car service and at $250 a day I think it's a better financial choice for us too compared to owning a $50k car.

There are people who will never be able to afford to own a home and are using food banks to feed themselves. We donate heavily to such causes in addition to paying our taxes.

Cailleach666 · 15/07/2017 06:25

want2- I will ignore that thinly disguised stealth boast.

You seem to miss the point.

For many people it's not about priorities. A holiday is simply unaffordable for some.

BrieOnAnOatcake · 15/07/2017 06:37

Wow 20k a year on hols! But presumably on a high enough income to do that someone isn't scraping by elsewhere to do that, they have financial security.

Someone whose whole annual income is 20k is not going to have the same level of security are they. (hence agreeing with posters who say it's all about priorities!)

We could probably go abroad if we didn't have music lessons (300) and swimming lessons (200) although actually that still only adds 500 to the budget and most people are spending more than 1k total when they go abroad!!!

BrieOnAnOatcake · 15/07/2017 06:37

NOT agreeing with posters who say it's all about priorities. For many there simply isn't the money.

Cailleach666 · 15/07/2017 06:59

Someone working on minimum wage will earn £13K a year.

Some of us are not living in the real world here.

PrimalLass · 15/07/2017 07:30

I don't get how people do it and go in school hols!

I check prices severals times as day in the couple of months before we want to go. This year the price of flights fell through the floor. Flights to where we are now, for the approx dates, went from £800 to £300 over a day or so (for four of us). That was about 6 weeks before departure.

My friend is sitting in a 3-bed house on a lovely complex in Spain just now that costs £50/night. Don't know what flights were.

Cailleach666 · 15/07/2017 07:37

Thankfully the schools in Scotland break a couple of weeks earlier than English, often at the end of June.
So we have a two week window in which prices are still low for holidays, ( European schools have not broken up by then either)
So we fly a day or two after the beginning of the summer break, 1st or 2nd of July, and can save a huge amount on the cost of the holiday.