To not understand holidays

[RandomlyChosenName]

Aibu to not understand how people choose and book holidays and what they do when they’re there. Except millionaires...

My childhood was spent self catering in the UK. I get them! And as a couple we went on short city breaks. I get them too. And we had an expensive all inclusive chill out honeymoon. Also easy! But I can’t work out how to do an abroad family holiday without being a millionaire.

All holidays seem to cost £2,500+ for the family for 2 weeks- I’m looking on First Choice, Tui etc. And the cheaper ones are a self catering room and a shared small basic pool. My children would be bored after an hour or two. Whilst they love swimming, they’d need to do something else for some of the day. Do everyoneelses children just happily swim non stop for 2 weeks? All the holidays seem to be miles from anything. Everywhere with lots of things to do is horrendously expensive.

I can’t work out where you find self catering villas abroad- I looked at AirBNB but couldn’t understand it. I thought it might be cheaper we could maybe go sightseeing or on walks or something. I cannot work out how to even start finding something!

AIBU to not be able to adult enough to even find a family summer holiday that won’t leave us bankrupt? And to not understand how everyone else does it?

We've had some great and cheap holidays in Greece, Cyprus and Spain in the past. I've never spent more £500 per person all inclusive in good hotels in August. Usually booked with travel agents. But holidays seem to have gone up a lot in the last three years and we mostly holiday in this country now. This year we're going to Cornwall, it has cost me £500 for a very nice hotel for 5 nights.

When we're there we will swim in the sea, make sandcastles, explore the local attractions, eat nice food, read, relax, shop.

Laughing at the people who think saving 500 a month is easy

Who said that? I said that being able to save £500/month didn't mean you were rich.

I fly out to the Far East. Flights can be booked at best prices by searching google flights to get best days to fly, then book via kayak.

I book a hotel resort a few days before we fly, or at the airport if I’m feeling more laid back even than normal.

We swim, we do some sight seeing, we walk on beaches,read, DC might do kids club if there is one and they want to. We do free museums/parks, go out for lunch. All
Sorts of things! Then DH and I sit
On the balcony and drink some nice booze, play cards and chat.

I don’t plan much, we just do.

OP I hear you. When people tell me they got a bargain holiday I am sure it’s not my idea of a bargain. My DC get bored too and I would not want us all to be stuck in some hotel in the middle of nowhere with a 2 hour airport transfer, by myself as the only adult with no other adult to talk to for 2 weeks is my idea of hell 😂 and pay £3k for it!

OP I am so with you

The Miranda “holiday” episode is also my favourite!

£500 a month is a lot to save! We can do it but we're earning in 6 figures. Even then it's not easy for us! Depends on so many things like how much your mortgage/rent/childcare costs are. How ignorant to assume £500 a month is easy for people to save!

Another vote for Eurocamp, well, finding the site with them and then booking direct. Also have a look at Yelloh campsites. Last week in August is often cheaper in France we have found. Last one we did was in the Dordogne so plenty to do locally, swimming pools on site which the kids often hit after we’d been out, kids club for a couple of hours in the afternoon and we drove which worked out cheaper than flights + hire car. Just play around until you find location / dates etc that fit the bill.

Wrong thread

We do 10 or 14 nights self catering abroad every July with a 15yr old plus a week in the canaries in Oct/Nov without said 15yr old. We always book through jet2 holidays. I find it so much cheaper than trying to book everything separately like I used to years ago. Had a free child place for the last 4 yrs with them.

Did all inclusive a few years ago, never again we much prefer to eat at different restaurants & visit different bars & there are always really good offers on.

Got next years July holiday already booked, cost just over £1000 for 2 weeks in Lanzarote with free child place. Never had a bad/boring holiday yet.

Oh! And there’s no chance of us being able to save £500 a month! I wish.

£500 a month is a lot to save! We can do it but we're earning in 6 figures. Even then it's not easy for us! Depends on so many things like how much your mortgage/rent/childcare costs are. How ignorant to assume £500 a month is easy for people to save!

Just as well no one has said that then.

Cruising. Every time. All your food and drink (and ice cream!) included, entertainment, kids clubs, lots of activities, pools etc. Yes it's expensive if you have huge cabins, but we have never done that. Its been adults and two kids in one cabin and we managed fine. The bonus is that whenever you leave your room even for a few minutes, when you get back its been tidied! Most relaxing holidays I've ever had.

OP - YANBU I feel the same way. Glad I'm not the only one.

We booked Eurocamp (last year) in Feb to go for a week in August for £150 in Switzerland. The tents are large (big enough for 4ppl) and have full sized beds, cooker, fridge etc (more like glamping). We got cheap flights on skyscanner (much cheaper if you can fly on a Tuesday usually. Flights were £70 return pp.

We have a touring caravan and holiday in the UK. I am taking DD aged 8 to Paris (her first trip abroad) in Oct half term for 4 days. The price of that made my eyes water!

I went to Tenerife a couple of years ago. Apartment throughnowners direct was I think £400 for a 2 bed one with nice balcony. Flights were about £450 for 3 of us.

We were walking distance to Costa adeje. Pool at the apartment complex. We hired a car for the week for a crazy low price of about 30 euros. We did stuff most days. So we went to the beach, went whale watching one day, drove up to Teide and took the cable car up one day, there's a water park, we went hiking one day.

Have to admit food wasn't as cheap as I thought, we ate out all the time though so could have self catered to keep the cost down....there was a kitchenette but we didn't use it! I think AI can sometimes be cheaper than eating in restaurants all the time.

Like Bigchris (on first page), we used to go to North Norfolk, Holkham Beach is seven miles of sand and it's beautiful. Children seem to like crab fishing at Wells next the Sea which is quite a quaint place with an interesting high street (I always felt sorry for the crabs but they seemed OK, were put back in sea). There are other beaches up there too and interesting places to see, it's quite restful. We used to rent cottages.

meant to add feb is the best time to book Euro camp (for the coming summer, lots half price)

"I would imagine lot of people would find saving £500 a month beyond their means."

Definitely.

Or a city break can be lovely. We did Barcelona really cheaply once. Cheap flights with easyJet, stayed in a hostel in the middle of the gothic quarter. Hostels are great for city breaks and you can get private rooms rather than dorms. Loads of museums, galleries, etc.

What kind of holidays do you like OP?

My kids are young and like the beach. I'm a fan of city breaks so we combine both. Choose a country and then price flights and find cheap accommodation.

I find the all inclusive hotel abroad holidays way out of my budget and I''m not a fan of pools or theme parks so they wouldn't me for me anyway. I don't think we have ever stayed anywhere with a pool other than an offpeak weekend stay at home.

We manage trips abroad as we only have one child. We love cruises but would prob cost more than your budget. I would agree with PP try eurocamp type holiday

@Lifecraft

A holiday abroad for 2 weeks, family of 2 plus 2. You need flights plus transport, then probably either all inclusive or a villa.

of course it's £3k. At least. I think it's amazing what you actually get for the money in Spanish all inclusives, if you are careful and read the tripadvisor reviews.

In England you pay 1200 a week for a decent cottage, with no guarantee of the weather, and that's self catering. You would pay far more for a hotel, with no drinks included.

The only thing really affordable is to a self-catering self-drive mobile home, or canvas holiday in France. We've have had plenty of those, and the kids would love it especially.

Just keep looking around, I was looking at Spain in mid August yesterday and found a Jet2 holiday for a week all inclusive for 2 adults, 1 child for £1500 that's with a free child's place and was 4* on trip advisor, they're there but it's looking and looking and knowing when you've seen a cheap deal and making sure you book it before it goes up again!

Also 2 of us going to Croatia for one week early Sept (air bnb and skyscanner) for total of around £600.

I find going for one week makes it so much more accessible, plus I've had enough by then!