To wonder who can afford this? What do you spend on your holidays?

[Bridgeofpies]

I was flicking through a travel magazine and having the usual envy of the people enjoying sun drenched beaches, bustling exotic markets and artistic sunsets etc. So I had a look through at all the places to stay.

Almost all the hotels and accommodation (or a large proportion) were from £400 per night for a double room! Some were up to £700. It got me wondering - who actually stays in these hotels? They look amazing and I can imagine doing it for a one- off special occasion like a big anniversary or birthday but are there people who spend this on their “normal” holidays?

We are definitely well-off by most standards but wouldn’t consider this for a holiday! (Especially with 2 kids, it would be insanely expensive). Our last big blow out holiday was around £3500 but that was 2 weeks, all-inclusive, with flights and for all 4 of us!

So, just got me wondering, is it just billionaires and business travellers on expenses who stay in these places?

That's exactly it *FancyABrew", with no added subtext of meaning intended!

Bold typeface fail

I didn't exactly mean that you were consciously implying that lots of other people on this thread could afford to spend 20-30K on holidays if they cut back elsewhere. More that it's kind of irrelevant to say "oh but I don't spend money on XYZ" because it is a small minority of people (especially parents) who have 20-30K to spend on either holidays or the other luxuries you list.

Your choice isn't even remotely unusual - I know a few people who probably spend around the 20K mark on holidays, I don't know anyone who spends 15k on jewellery/handbags and 5K on holidays. So it's just not really worth mentioning.

Instead it would be good to show some awareness of the fact that your holiday budget is not primary because you don't spend money on other stuff, it's because you have lots of money.

But don't worry, I've seen a lot worse!

Whilst I do not stay in hostels or 2 star hotels, and have stayed in a hotel that Barack Obama stayed in two weeks afterwards, I never pay anywhere near £400 per night for a double room.

Like most ordinary folks, we have two or three weekends a year with old friends: infrequently we have had great holidays but more often it's a self-catering cottage with cheap beach activities and pizza. Now DS is independent, it may rev up, but staying with friends and doing things low key is still likely to feature more than grand luxe in exotic locations, although I am well aware that this is more than many people can manage to afford.

irregularegular I think people mention it because it does occur (despite you not knowing anyone). My budget is 8-10k but I know people far richer than me that will happily buy a Rolex or a vintage car but wouldn't dream of spending anything near what I do on holidays as they value physical posessions over experiences.

I also know people who think nothing of spending hundreds of pounds on clothes a month, as well as shoes and expensive make up. They don't spend as much on their holidays as I do because the way they look day to day matters more. It isn't a right or wrong thing just different choices. When I was younger and had less cash I made different choices as did they.

Guess I mix in circles that generally value travel over clothes and rolexes!

Ahhhh, I was about to be absolutely at your saving £1K per month to spend on holidays. Then I remembered that this is considerably less than what I pay as my proportion of school fees (these being the reason I haven't been even on a weekend away for almost ten years). I guess that anyone who has enough money to exist reasonably comfortably, never mind spend extra on holidays, school fees, university fees, handbags, beauty crap, clothes, whatever is very fortunate - and anyone who can do more than one of the above is even more so.

A terminally ill person I knew blew tens of thousands on an exotic holiday after their diagnosis.

Wouldn’t want to swap but some of the decadence on this thread is distasteful in this age of food banks.

@Sevendown

Wouldn’t want to swap but some of the decadence on this thread is distasteful in this age of food banks

People who can afford them having nice holidays isn't the reason that other people have to use food banks.

Inequality is far more complex than that and it's disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

Sevendown

Do jog on there's a love we have been together nigh on 28 years and have only been truly solvent for the last five.

Seriously is there a point that people are not allowed to strive for ? and when they do relax and kick back slightly ?

Holiday Pirates is your friend here.

We cut back on everything imaginable. No hair cuts, no trips out, no takeaways, no restaurants, no cinema, no pubs, no contract phones, no sky, second hand everything...you get the idea.

Our holiday budget if we have one, is around £300. Usually that gets us 4 nights away before christmas in a lodge with hot tub. And it is heaven.

If we manage it this year, we will feel very lucky indeed.

We've just spent 8k but not been away for several years took a lot of saving

We’re going AI for a week it’s costing 7K for 5 of us. Yes it’s more than I could spend but I wanted a particular resort and that’s what it cost.
Dh and I are going on a weekend break together and with spending money will cost around 1.5K
For years and years we couldn’t afford to go anywhere so I’m grateful that we’ve got the opportunity now.

Sevendown I have had no money and now I am fortunate to be able to do things without worrying where my last penny is going to come from. I make no apologies for that. and this thread is about holidays not the economy and food banks

Wouldn’t want to swap but some of the decadence on this thread is distasteful in this age of food banks.

What is distasteful about spending your own money?

I had to listen to an MD in my office moaning last week because he couldn't afford to spend £50k per year on vacations any more. And that work only contributed £10k pa to his pension now instead of £35k. So yes. There are. Lots of city people earn £300k plus. And still think they're hard done by.

One of my friends asked me for advice where to go in the summer because she was thinking about Mexico. I told her truthfully that I was too tight to pay August prices most of the time and if I had to, it wouldn't be anywhere luxurious. Obviously, this was mainly due to our choice of burning a large proportion of our annual holiday budget on a week's skiing. I also don't have a cleaner that I pay £40 a week for so that's a £2K "saving" there plus her £5K per year more on grocery spending. She's not willing to compromise on either which is her choice. (We've been friends a long time so we can be occasionally bitchy to each other and laugh about it!) Horses for courses

Then, I showed her quite a few of the places that we've stayed in over the years at summer/autumn half terms and bluntly told her that I wouldn't be prepared to pay the July/August premium for them.

You're 'budgeting' on £80k a year??

FFS. Honestly. There is a level of some ridiculousness on this thread.

I think it depends where and more importantly WHEN you go. We are paying nearly £8k for a 10 day trip to Florida in peak season(I work in a school so have to go then plus have children in school) but that includes flights, hotel, car hire and we paid for the theme park tickets upfront as it was cheaper in Sterling. However, we never been abroad with our family and didn't go away last year.

You're 'budgeting' on £80k a year??

FFS. Honestly. There is a level of some ridiculousness on this thread
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It's not ridiculous automatically though. If this poster lives in the SE for example, has a medium-large mortgage, 2 children that need childcare and a credit card or loan to pay off, once bills have been accounted for too then they will hardly be rolling in it. It might be necessary to budget if they would like a holiday abroad.