Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
BoredOnMatLeave · 12/07/2017 15:32

We don't even treat it at a luxury expense, we treat it that it needs to be paid like the mortgage. Standing order comes out into a savings account each month just for holidays. We usually do 2 a year but always book flights and accommodation separately and are happy to rent a villa put of touristy areas. We usually book 10-12 weeks before. However we can go at any time at the moment as DD is only 1. When she gets to school age we will probably only afford 1.

Donostia · 12/07/2017 15:34

We live in Spain. In the seventies my grandmother bought a flat in another part of spain, and now it's mortgage is paid the only cost we pay is the petrol to get there. We go 3/4 times a year and often have one night in a different spanish city en route. We're really lucky to have it, as I don't see how we could afford to holiday otherwise, but i'd love to explore more places i don't know. The other thing we do is tack a holiday on the end of dhs work conference, as his flights are paid for so we only cover mine and kids. We don't get a choice where it is though! Joint income around 40k (euro) but we have expensive rent 😔

blukite · 12/07/2017 15:42

Holidays have never been a priority until my children understood what it is. I've booked a haven holiday for 4 nights next year and a holiday to Italy for 4 nights next june, and one for October. All 3 come to under £600.

chopper23 · 12/07/2017 15:51

We are DINKYS (double income, no kids yet) and I'm very lucky to have a yearly bonus. This year it's taken us Skiing, Marbella, Portugal next weekend, New York in winter & Orlando for xmas/new year :-) BUT I go without other things; clothes, expensive hair colours ect. I know we are very very lucky though.

rookiemere · 12/07/2017 15:57

Oh and another thing is to not be princessy about what airline you fly on.

To me flight money is dead money, - particularly if it's less than say 5 hrs, so I go for the cheapest flights possible. Flight times do matter, so I will pay a little more not to have to get to the airport at 4am or land at midnight, but other than that I really don't get people who refuse to fly budget airlines.

I'd much rather be a bit cramped on the plane, not necessarily sit beside each other and pay for my sarnies ( which are generally around £5-6 or get them in advance) than spend £100s more to have an allegedly better experience, and to be fair I prefer Jet2 and Norweigan air to many more expensive carriers.

Whereas quality of accommodation does count so if we need to, we'll put more towards that.

BrieOnAnOatcake · 12/07/2017 16:02

wow chopper sounds ace (although I don't think the savings on hair and clothes would finance Orlando!!)

Sciurus83 · 12/07/2017 16:10

No kids!

timeforabrewnow · 12/07/2017 16:11

theres a lot of smug people on this thread.

'We make it a priority'

'We save so much each month'

Yeah great - well done you. If you have 3 teenagers, and 2 parents -read 5 adults - one crappy wage coming in (mine) and no - we can't afford a holiday abroad, no matter how much we would have 'prioritised'. Bollocks.

Can you tell that I'm pissed off about not having a holiday this year and having to suck it up?? Shouldn't have come on this thread as of course lots of people like chortling on about their marvellous holidays.

BrieOnAnOatcake · 12/07/2017 16:15

But if you just had your hair coloured less you could go abroad;)

BrieOnAnOatcake · 12/07/2017 16:15

Same as private school threads!!

araiwa · 12/07/2017 16:18

I choose to

I have a job. I dont spend my entire salary each month. I can then use the money saved to go travelling.

gluteustothemaximus · 12/07/2017 16:29

Agree regarding priorities.

When you've already cut back just to survive, there's no extra anywhere.

Unless we should all go without food a couple of days every week and save that for a holiday Hmm

I don't have an issue not affording a holiday. But I do have an issue with people saying it's all about priorities. For some, it really isn't.

rookiemere · 12/07/2017 16:31

Timeforabrewnow - you remind me somewhat of an acquaintance who always mentions how much cheaper it is to go on holiday with one child rather than three.

Of course she has no way of knowing that we desperately wanted a bigger family and I went through a number of medical procedures to support that, but sadly it didn't happen, so yes indeed three is cheaper than five.

But yes we should be aware for a lot of people a holiday is not a financial possibility even though they are working hard and cutting their finances back as much as possible.

mollyminniemo · 12/07/2017 16:33

I personally said they were a huge priority for us.
There are also a lot of very good tips on this thread of how people budget.
House swaps are a potential idea if you cant afford a hotel/self catering too.

araiwa · 12/07/2017 16:34

It is all about priorities
House, bills, food etc are the priority
Anything left over can be spent how you wish. If theres nothing left over then i would be reviewing finances

Neutrogena · 12/07/2017 16:36

If your household income is over 150k, you should be able to afford a foreign holiday once a year. However, not everyone proirtises them/likes going abroad etc

Unode50 · 12/07/2017 16:59

DP and I are in Spain at the moment. Both of us for 2 weeks for just over £1k including car hire. Self catering so could have dinner in our lovely villa but we saved up extra so we have been eating out.

I booked everything independently and stayed away from popular resorts - we're in a small town which each year is becoming more popular with tourists.

We haven't been on a holiday in the UK together as I find it just as expensive as going abroad.

Ecureuil · 12/07/2017 17:01

timeforabrewnow to be fair, those saying 'we save x amount each month' are just answering the question, which is 'how do you afford it?'. Of course people know that not everyone can save money each month, they are just answering about their own personal circumstances.

Unode50 · 12/07/2017 17:01

Should point out I'm a teacher so have to go in school hols. We save at least £100 a month plus any overtime money from DP's job and any spare money at the end of the month.

TrollMummy · 12/07/2017 17:19

Set aside money every month - old car, we don't go out much!

Book independently - self catering private rental away from main popular resorts but near accessible airports. Book flights for next summer as possible. They get more expensive nearer the time.

Self catering - we can do a big shop for lots of food, snacks, drinks (cheap wine)🍷etc. I spend as much as I would on a weekly shop at home. We sometimes eat in and sometimes eat out.

It doesn't have to be expensive. I am always in Shock at how much people spend on a holiday.

grandOlejukeofYork · 12/07/2017 17:33

theres a lot of smug people on this thread

Because they have what you don't, your envy makes them smug? That isn't fair. Neither is "I have 3 children and only one wage, we can't make it a priority"...well I have 4 children and one lowish wage, and we can and do make our holiday a priority, and have one every year.

You should apologise.

Patapouf · 12/07/2017 17:40

2 income household. One above average wage the other below so not a huge income.
No kids
No pets
No social life

We love to travel, and never put it on a CC.
We rent, but still save half of disposable income each month.

Hellothereitsme · 12/07/2017 17:46

It's a bit like keeping up with the Jones. Not possible amd depressing if you try to keep up with other people. It is a fact of life that there will always be other people who earn more, spend differently, save differently, prioritise school fees over holidays, holidays over a new car; use credit cards to pay flights etc etc. Food and rent/mortgage are the priorities and in this climate just paying those can be hard. Did anyone see the Phil Spencer programme on homelessness last night. Made me appreciate what I had and also how difficult it is for anyone on minimum wage.

WomblingThree · 12/07/2017 17:47

timeforabrewnow I'm far from fucking smug. In fact if you AS me, you'll see I apparently have a chip on my shoulder because I told people to stop boasting about how much money they have.

The OP asked how people afford holidays. Most people explained. We have one (low) wage coming in, but I'm not going to apologise for the fact that holiday savings is a "bill" that is worked into my budget, same as gas, internet, groceries etc. That's what I mean by prioritising it.

As ve already explained, we have low housing costs. What you pay in rent or mortgage, say it's £300 more than I pay, that's £3600 a year. We worked our asses off to overpay our mortgage when we had two incomes, hence lower costs now. That's not smug, that's just the benefit of buying a house in a depressed market 20 years ago. 😕

KERALA1 · 12/07/2017 17:51

Yes am in a tourist city but to Austrians or Spaniards where you live may seem excitingly exotic.

Swipe left for the next trending thread