To think it's more of expensive to holiday in the UK?

[hibbledibble]

Like many, I holidayed in the UK this year, due to covid complicating trips abroad. I work in person for the NHS, and can't risk having to isolate on return, if a country's status changes.

I do feel utterly ripped off though. The holiday hasn't been anything extravagant, just driving to a self catering accommodation. The accomodation costs are astronomical, as are eating out and day trips (many days were nearly £100, and that wasn't even including food). I have looked at TUI and it would have been cheaper to get an all inclusive package, and that way I wouldn't have to cook, clean, and could even have used the kids club for some child free time by the pool.

Instead I've had tepid to cold weather, rain, and didn't even get to go to the beach on our seaside holiday as it was too cold.

Not sure what to do in future. I can't afford expensive UK holidays anymore, but not can I risk letting down my department by having to isolate.

It's a missed opportunity to show reluctant people what a fantastic experience a uk holiday can be, and a kick in the teeth for people who always holiday in the uk and really try to champion British holidays.

I'm genuinely interested in some advice around this. Everything we had planned this summer was cancelled due to covid. I've been wondering whether we could find somewhere for the October half term. I can't think of anywhere worth going to and would love some pointers. I have some mobility issues so can't walk too far or do physical activities. I like the odd stately home, but not more than one a week. An afternoon of board games is fun too, but not every afternoon. If I'm just sitting reading a book (which I love to do), I'm happy to do that at home. I have 2 teenage kids. Could anyone suggest places to visit for 5-7 nights?

We were lucky to have really good weather on our uk holiday and on the days where we spent majority of the time on the beach we barely spent more than a tenner on icecreams and maybe another £5-10 for parking.
I did feel we paid slightly more than normal for meals and snacks in some places but I didnt begrudge it (too much!) Because I imagine those places have really struggled during the lockdown. (We rarely ate out - mainly cooking our own food/making picnics or a burger or fish and chips at the beach)

Always more expensive if in school holidays, not so otherwise from my experience.

We must just have been lucky this summer and/or booked early. We paid about £800 for two bedrooms in a Lake District house with relatives- admittedly the accommodation was basic but for an extra £50 we had use of an 8 person hot tub all week and sole use 2 x daily of a swimming pool. We had amazing weather ( last week of June) and ate well at some great pubs and an excellent Turkish restaurant in Cockermouth recommended by a mumsnetter.

Then we had another great week in Whitby - 2 bedroomed luxury apartment with parking for just under £1000. Ate high quality seafood in the Magpie restaurant every night ( although the fish and chips were also pretty good), did activities such as E-mountain biking and days out at the beach. Again lucky with the weather.

When going abroad we would generally pay £600-800 for flights for 3 of us, then another £1000 on accommodation, then things like water parks abroad are not cheap at all and food is also expensive and rubbish ( except Siam Park in Tenerife).

DH and I have also had a couple of nights away in mid level hotels in Scotland and had excellent stays. We're just back from a night in Killin in a great value hotel with an excellent cooked breakfast. Again we were lucky with the weather.

But you are comparing self catering with all inclusive at a cheaper country. I tallying up all my holiday costs and my trip this year to the Isle of Wight is cheaper than the trip to Europe two years ago. Eating out is similarly priced too. I would agree the weather is cold here, but I find even Greece sea water cold to get into in the morning.

Just been trying to find something in the canaries for what we paid for two weeks in Northumberland. I could get a week and I wasn’t too impressed with the look of any of the accommodation. We had lovely weather and we had a couple of expensive days out but mostly we were on the beach or nature reserves.

(Western) Europe is cheaper IF you stay at a hotel that does very high volume canteen or buffet style eating. such places barely exist in the UK

Generally speaking, over the last few years, partly due to Brexit, Europe has become a lot more expensive. try eating and drinking out for every meal in France or Belgium.

@rattusrattus20 indeed, the trip I was comparing was Belgium and the Netherlands in 2019. Eating out is very similar to the UK. I actually still like going abroad though. Different cultural experience. And I like cycling in the Netherlands a lot more. I’m not a big beach person but beaches in the Med have much warmer sea water.

Just had a week on Gower for £900 plus about £200 because I decided we'd eat out every night instead of me cooking.

Just a shame everywhere was so hideously busy as full of all you moaning people who'd rather be abroad. Hopefully next year you'll all go to Benidorm and leave those of us that like UK holidays with some space.

@ChildrenGrowingUpTooFast

hmm, I dunno. maybe depends on whereabouts in the country. Bruges or Brussels is definitely more expensive to eat or drink out than London, it costs the absolute earth. maybe provincial Benelux is cheaper than provincial UK, maybe, I'm not sure.

a fair point made by a number of others is that lounging round a pool, not really viable in the UK, is a potentially very cheap activity.

unless you do camping or find a cheap b and b etc uk is always such a rip off....rarely do uk holidays....weather and prices put us off ...we do camping for a week with our van club...its £40 for the week but we all help out on site and cook together etc so its a very cheap week....booked turkey for late october..10 nights,.4 star hotel with breakfast and inc flights and transfers its costing us £204 each !

Depends where you go and what you do. Been away camping for 2 nights - total cost £150 inc eating out twice (fish and chips one night, 2 course good quality pub lunch). Also a 6 night break in Yorkshire - hotels £250, National Trust days out or exploring, spent probably £300 on food and incidentals. And 3 nights in Shropshire - about £500 all in, inc a night at a fab restaurant with rooms for a special occasion. I don't think we could have done 11 nights for £1200 abroad to the same standard.

This thread has been rehashed 1001 times this summer. If you compare like with like then holidaying in the UK is cheaper. It's daft to compare 'all inclusive' at a beach resort with self catering and a series of days out.

For comparison our last holiday abroad was in Florence in Oct half term 2019, our first in this country since the pandemic was Oxford in May half term 2021. So comparable expensive tourist destinations and comparable times of year (opposite ends of the holiday season). Our flights to Florence were ~£1500, our petrol to Oxford was £150. Our 3 bedroom apartment in the heart of Florence was £1500, our 4 bed architect designed detached house in a nice part of Oxford was £1000 (both airbnb). Both trips were culture heavy with trips to art galleries, stately homes, famous gardens etc. Prices comparable. Eating out once a day in each place comparable costs. So overall a week in Oxford was cheaper than a week in Florence, mainly due to the cost of flights but also the Oxford accomodation was cheaper.

U.K. holidays cost more because you are spending money on entrance fees and often have a significantly larger property than you would have had abroad eg a family of 4 going to an all inclusive is often in one room, very different to a whole detached cottage.

Those of us who can't SI are being ripped off over and over.

Oh, and the weather in Oxford was better than the weather in Florence!

For those saying I'm unreasonable, please pm me details of these cheap self catering accommodations you have found. I have looked extensively and not found them!

Never seen this thread before either, and I've been on MN a long time.

Also not had a larger property either. Stayed in a tincy tiney cottage for a not small price.

@hibbledibble

For those saying I'm unreasonable, please pm me details of these cheap self catering accommodations you have found. I have looked extensively and not found them!

Never seen this thread before either, and I've been on MN a long time.

Send me the cheap flights and self catering accommodation you’ve found abroad, as our holiday abroad was far more expensive than our holiday in the U.K. this year!

Have holidays been made compulsory?

never rains I just did a quick search on TUI, filtering for all inclusive. Lots of very reasonably priced options.

@hibbledibble

never rains I just did a quick search on TUI, filtering for all inclusive. Lots of very reasonably priced options.

Ah ok, I meant like for like with our U.K. break so self catering. I don’t fancy all inclusive.

I'm not sure where you guys have been to have had terrible weather?? There have been plenty of nice days where i am and i have a better tan than i ever get when holidaying abroad!!!

Granted I'm on maternity leave but there have been many sunny days and I've worn shorts since June!

I do agree about the expense though. Days out in the UK can become very expensive, same with eating out.

Plenty of self catering options on TUI too, which are even cheaper.

@Jangle33

Anyone thinking of the environmental cost of flying…?? U.K. holidays are wonderful, sunny weather here in the south west, beautiful beaches and lots of fun.

I don't want to fly, I want to hop on the Eurostar, or a Ferry. I just want to go to Europe again. Having said that, have had two (separate) cheap weeks in UK for under £500 each self catering cottage (not on the coast though). Weather was fine, not boiling but we like it temperate anyway. Seville in 37 degree heat - argh.