To be surprised by the number of holidays?

[brondary]

I have been really surprised by the number of holidays some people on MN go on. I would not have the money or the annual leave to go on that many.
Last Summer people were commenting saying how since the first lockdown in March, they had already had to cancel three holidays. Various people talking about how they normally go on five or six holidays a year and are really missing them.
I must mix in different circles as I did not realise any except the super-rich went on this many holidays.

Everyone who is employed is entitled to 28 days holiday so it’s 7 days extra. Lots of companies give extra days if you’ve worked there a while.

@Dishwashersaurous my thoughts exactly!

I can see if you are well off and have a well of family you are more likely to be able to use relative or friends holiday cottages or have family pay for holidays.
We do okay, we go get abroad every year so much better off than those posting who have not had a holiday for 20 plus years. But I thought a weeks or fortnights holiday plus some visits to family were pretty normal.

Sadly, vacations during school holidays are much more expensive than in term time so we go away once a year for 10 days plus maybe a long weekend.

@SwimBaby that legal allowance includes bank holidays.

Yes I know that, lots of people tag holidays into them. Four days leave at easter can give you 10 days in the Caribbean etc.

My leave equates to about 7.5 weeks - but I have been with the same people 26 years so lots of long service days and we can buy an extra week.

I also work Mon-Weds so have longer weekends

I'm off to London tomorrow for 2 nights - a festival in June for 3 nights -Liverpool for a weekend in July (my birthday) - France (likely chance!) August for 10 days and Wales for a weekend in Nov - also would have booked a couple of weekends camping but everywhere is full!

Not too mad - kids are mainly grown up - youngest with her day Thursday-Sat, I get good deals online and save for treats

Civil service is not seven weeks leave

also a surprising number of people on mumsnet don't have children.

Or their children are grown up and thus not constrained by school holidays.

That makes the price a quarter of school holidays

Just for the sake of balance, my last holiday was 11 years ago.

Pre- Covid we would usually have a few holidays a year. A week at Easter, 10 days abroad in summer, a week abroad in October and a few weekends away in this Country camping or at Center Parcs.Our household income is approximately £50k but we have a very small mortgage compared to some (£280 a month for a 4 bed semi in North West England). We have a lovely home but do very much look forward to our holidays instead of perhaps getting a bigger house for example with a bigger mortgage which would reduce our income available to spend on holidays.

You have to be passionate about your holz & work at getting the best DIY deal. I’ve spent years studying form & have travelled far & wide, I don’t earn anywhere 90k either. Being more adventurous helps, I once went to Hawaii for 5 nights the lag was murder but I’d do it all again.

Some people are able to take toil time for overtime and bigger companies allow people to purchase more holiday days sometimes. I am lucky that I can accumulate toil time and I also go back to work the next day after my leave so I can squeeze more holiday in.

And sometimes its about what's important. I earn a very average salary but I prioritise holidays. I don't get my nails done, I dye my own hair, drive an 11 year old car and bring my own lunches into work. My colleague who does the opposite and who also buys a vat of Costa every morning often says she wonders how I afford so many holidays. I don't think she realises if she just stopped the expensive lunches and coffees she could afford to go away more if she wanted.

Whanganui try South Africa another time, no jet lag.

I have no children at home and to be blunt am on a decent income. I am not restricted to school holiday time for holidays, which in fact is appreciated at work because the three of us without school age children means little or no arguments about who has which week off.

So I can afford more holidays than average.

I get 28 days holiday partner l think 32...we would in normal times have one holiday abroad and one week one in UK. We also do a few 3 or 4nights in city breaks. We are lucky that we don't work fixed days so often have say a Monday to wednesday off so hotel's normally cheap midweek. It doesn't have to be expensive...our combined income about £30k.

I'm a very poor single parent, holidays are important to us as a family so I prioritise them, find great deals and miss out on other things!

I seem to know a lot of people who get no holidays, or maybe a week in a caravan at Yarmouth from a friend at Mates' rates.

We can afford but I can't get enthused in last 2 years for many reasons.

@Cheeseandlobster I used to get annoyed when people blamed coffee drinking and lunches out for people not having much disposable income, but then lockdown happened and I stopped both! I noticed such a financial difference I can't believe it... About £150-200 a month. Sounds terrible but it didn't feel that extravagant at the time. It was almost the same financial impact as when I gave up smoking 8 years ago.

Depends what you call a holiday! If you include weekends away etc

To add I am referring to pre covid. Obviously it's not been the same lately and there's only so much camping I can muster the enthusiasm for

The lady who does my nails and her partner go away about 8 times a year. They are both self employed, I don’t think on a particularly high joint income. They go on Groupon deals and fly EasyJet to places they can get cheap hotel stays.
Another couple I know are rich, probably earn quarter of a million, no mortgage, put their DC through private school (they’re grown up now), they’ve been on maybe 5 holidays in the 30 years I’ve know them, nearly all to France. I think some people just have the holiday bug.

I have never bought coffees and take my own sandwiches to work. We take picnics when going out too. And do scratch cooking and rarely have takeaways.
It is true that some people waste a lot of money, but many do not.
We also have to go on holiday during school holidays so it does make it more expensive.

Purely as a holiday, I go away 4-5 times a year. I travel a lot for work and often tag 2-3 days on either end as unpaid time away, so I guess those also count.

How can I go away so much - I'm self-employed and work strange days, hours and patterns throughout the year. I might have 3 straight months with no weekends off, not one single free evening, but then I can have a whole month off so I can do 2 breaks during that time.

Package deals are expensive as a single person. So I fly low cost or find a good deal through one of the multiple frequent flyer schemes I'm a member of. I book cheap accommodation even if it's at the other end of town. I don't mind taking a 6am flight which requires me to leave my house at 3am. I don't mind crossing the country to fly from another airport if it's much cheaper. I can do a big supermarket shop when I arrive somewhere and live off sandwiches and Doritos for a week, I'm not that fussed about eating or drinking out. I visit countries or cities where I have relatives or friends, or a friend of a friend, so I can get cheap/free accommodation.

I'm not on £90k or have multiple children to take on holiday with me, so I guess that's why I can be so flexible. I don't mind sacrificing the quality of the holiday for having more of them, or staying somewhere longer. For me a holiday isn't about doing 'luxurious' things, it's about a change of scenery and experience a new place, as cheaply as possible.

I currently have 4 trips planned within 7 weeks this summer (2 of them are for work), and I'm still trying to squeeze another one in. Waiting to see what the Scandinavian countries will require in terms of tests and vaccines.

[quote FartleBarfle]@Cheeseandlobster I used to get annoyed when people blamed coffee drinking and lunches out for people not having much disposable income, but then lockdown happened and I stopped both! I noticed such a financial difference I can't believe it... About £150-200 a month. Sounds terrible but it didn't feel that extravagant at the time. It was almost the same financial impact as when I gave up smoking 8 years ago.[/quote]
Its bonkers isnt it? It all adds up £3 here £4 there. I reckon my colleague easily spends £8 -£10 a day on coffee, lunches and posh granola pots. And if that makes her happy then thats brilliant but I know what I prefer

@EileenGC sounds like me as a young twentyish single and childfree woman. Not the self-employed part, but the bit about accepting lots of things such as very anti-social hours to fly, very basic and out of the way accommodation, etc. It is different with children as some of those things are just not worth it with young children.