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Original poster

Cost of holidays during school holidays is outrageous...

150 replies

MarieKondo · 21/01/2019 10:34

We can only go on holiday during school holidays. DD’s school is crazy strict about holidays during term time so paying the fine isn’t an option. Are there any tricks when booking that I don’t know about or is this just life for the foreseeable future? One option I’m looking at is literally half the cost if you could go 2 weeks earlier. 😤 any suggested websites or other ideas?

OP posts:
AngelsWithSilverWings · 21/01/2019 12:06

We found that Eurocamp at Easter ( if Easter holidays fall later in April) were always really good value. We once got a week in Normandy for £350 for a family of four including Ferry and it was excellent.

May half term was also really good value too. We went to the Loire Valley and also to Duinrell in Holland and had fantastic holidays.

Last year we went to Corfu for a week in May and it was £600 for the villa and £1300 for easy jet flights for four of us.

We always do overseas holidays at Easter or May and have camping holidays in the summer.

Camping is getting expensive though. This year we are paying over £800 for two weeks in our tent in Devon. Last year in Dorset it was £600. Another campsite we were looking at was £1200 for two weeks! I love camping but those prices just for a camping pitch are madness.

ThanksItHasPockets · 21/01/2019 12:08

You can go away for a week without being fined.

Do you have a source for that?

AngelsWithSilverWings · 21/01/2019 12:09

And just to clarify - the Eurocamp holidays I mentioned were in their top grade accommodation ( not tents!)

tabulahrasa · 21/01/2019 12:12

Go from Edinburgh or Glasgow - we only have long weekends in May, no half term week.

Trampire · 21/01/2019 12:13

I have teens now. There's no way I'd go in term time even if the school didn't fine. It's just too detrimental.

We manage by going away every 2 years or so and just save. We haven't been on a hot beach holiday for 5 years.

We are this summer though - have splashed out for AI too. Can't wait.

evaperonspoodle · 21/01/2019 12:14

We generally do caravan holidays, book well in advance when they have a deal on so we can get a decent price

Last year we wanted to stay at home to save money so were looking at caravans in Dorset. Cheapest we could find was £1000 per week and that was starting before the schools broke up. IME unless you want to go somewhere fairly remote cottage/caravan holidays are not cheap.

OP we have started going away in December instead now. We do take the last 3/4 days off school but they aren't doing much anyway and we get £9.99 flights and accommodation is cheap at that time too. We book everything separately rather than a package and for 2 adults 3 children we get 10 days all in (including car hire) for under £2k. We have gone around Spain, Canary Islands, Morocco and Algarve in the last few years. Everywhere is quiet which is great as attractions are much easier and it takes the pressure off christmas too.

Invisimamma · 21/01/2019 12:20

Scottish holidays are earlier so first week in July from a northern English airport is cheapest way for us to go. Could you do the reverse? End of August flying from Edinburgh or Glasgow should be cheaper.

sanitygirl · 21/01/2019 12:21

I try to book flights/trains as soon as they are released to get the best price. A couple of years ago I researched the cheapest way to to get to the Mediterranean in the summer holidays as I was desperate for some warmth and a bit fed up of holidaying in the UK. The cheapest option ended up being the Eurostar direct from London to Marseille and then hiring a car - going at the end of August. We stayed the first few days at an airbnb inland and then 5 days at a campsite on the coast (prices drop the last weekend of August as all the French go home then). It was a really sucessful holiday and we did it again last year. Another cheaper holiday we did was to fly to Milan Malpensa and then get a bus direct to Lake Maggiore - you can always find fairly cheap flights to Milan and then find airbnb accommodation on the lake. Also you can get better prices at mediterranean campsites in the May half term holidays and it's already warm then - just need to book the flights as early as possible.

sanitygirl · 21/01/2019 12:23

Just seen you're looking at May half term. Venue holidays prices for Marina di Venezia (adriatic coast near Venice) are v good for then. Worth a look?

Invisimamma · 21/01/2019 12:23

Caravan holidays can be really cheap if you book now. We've got a week at a Haven site for £300 (including deluxe upgraded caravan) for first week of summer holidays. We booked 2 Sun holidays back to back to get this price but booking direct would've been around £350 for standard caravan which is still cheap.

Sirzy · 21/01/2019 12:24

I have just looked st haven. A week in the middle of August at one of their Dorset sites for £899 at the current prices.

I have paid £1200 for one of their top of the range caravans for a week in August this year (I think it ‘should’ have been £1800 but we booked early)

alwaysthepessimist · 21/01/2019 12:27

I didn't know that but will look at it as an option for us this year - UK centreparcs are ridiculously expensive I think

LisaSimpsonsbff · 21/01/2019 12:28

As someone married to a teacher, and so who hasn't taken a holiday not in school holidays for nearly a decade and won't do so until retirement - my advice is to not even look at the prices for outside the holidays! I assume we've paid a fortune more for our holidays than if DH wasn't a teacher, but I'm much happier not knowing the figure!

Missingstreetlife · 21/01/2019 12:29

Schools in France (maybe other places in Europe) go back before ours after summer holidays. Book the last week just after August bank holiday, ferries, flights and accommodation all go down. Try eurocamp if you like caravans or camping.

YeahSorryBoutThat · 21/01/2019 12:34

AirBnB and UK holiday is probably the best bet for a cheap school holidays holiday. But even that won't be cheap at the high demand times.

TheBreastmilksOnMe · 21/01/2019 12:35

Why are we allowing schools to dictate how we live our lives as families? I will do what the hell I like with my children and go on holiday when I want and if they imposed a fine, I’d either refuse to pay it or remove my children from the school.

busybarbara · 21/01/2019 12:36

It's not about them putting the price up for the fun of it. It's that they have to discount so heavily during term time otherwise no-one would go then.

If everyone wants something (e.g. holidays in August), the price is what it is otherwise people would have to book years in advance or take part in some sort of lottery handing out the few places to the many people who want them.

Artesia · 21/01/2019 12:36

Try centerparcs in France too OP. We’ve always had amazing weather and much cheaper than UK

GreenTulips · 21/01/2019 12:37

Not sure where you live but one of our weeks falls differently to neighbouring LA - have a look - so we can book cheaper flying for their airport than our own IYSWIM

ThanksItHasPockets · 21/01/2019 12:37

Why are we allowing schools to dictate how we live our lives as families?

State schools have no choice but to implement the rules introduced by the government in September 2013. Kindly direct your righteous indignation at the Department for Education.

Maryann1975 · 21/01/2019 12:38

You can go away for a week without being fined

Hmm, yes, if your child goes to our local secondary school you can go away for a week without being fined. however, if you are at the feeder primary school, prepare to be fined for taking the sibling out for the same week. How does that work and who has thought that it’s right to be finding some schools and not others. (Both schools in the same town/LA etc). It’s a ridiculous policy.

Figgygal · 21/01/2019 12:39

Agreed it is ridiculous our eldest is in year two how I wish we had done more holidays before he started school

We are looking at almost £4000 for a week in Tenerife for 4 of us I'm just not paying it

GabsAlot · 21/01/2019 12:39

not the end of the worlds and u want a sunny beach well i want an aston martin -start saving up

my bf goes every other year saves up inbetween and goes every other august not the end of the world if u dont go every year exactly when u want to

m0therofdragons · 21/01/2019 12:41

Take a look at canvas holidays - you can go in a tent (with memory foam beds) or a caravan (which we usually go for) and get a ferry to France. They have really lovely sites all over Europe so Brittany is great or Loire valley (where we went this summer). Lake Garda in Italy was beautiful too. It's perfect for may half term.

Cost will always be increased by demand. My parents used to take us abroad every other year. People's expectations are too high these days. It seems everyone should have a package holiday to the med, a new car and own a house.

Figgygal · 21/01/2019 12:42

Today 12:35 TheBreastmilksOnMe

Why are we allowing schools to dictate how we live our lives as families? I will do what the hell I like with my children and go on holiday when I want and if they imposed a fine, I’d either refuse to pay it or remove my children from the school.

I assume your children out of school age? it is just not that simple maybe you will need to look at home educating if you think you're exempt from the rules