AIBU to say you can't afford to go abroad on NMW?

[AlphaBravoCharlieDeltaEchOFoxt]

If you are a working parent how do you afford to go on holiday abroad?

My teenagers and toddler have never been abroad. Family of five. I want to change this and COVID or no COVID I want to save up for an overseas holiday. How can people on the national minimum wage budget so they can go abroad? Please advise! Or am I right in thinking that if you earn NMW you cannot go abroad on holiday?

Yes - I am BU and it can be done on NMW.
No - YANBU and it cannot be done on NMW.

I used to go on last minute package holidays to Greek islands, £500 for a fortnight including flights, accommodation, and breakfast. Cheap dinners and snacks from supermarkets. But there were only two of us and we could go outside of school holidays. Minimum wage isn't the problem, the family of five is the problem.

@Handsnotwands

I earn considerably more than NMW and so does my DH. we’ve not been abroad for 13 years and I can’t imagine we’ll ever be able to afford to. But I’m here for the tips cos I feel really awful that my children haven’t ever had a proper holiday (bar camping)

What's wrong with camping?

My DD aims for every three years. She saves the credit union and uses her savings and a partial loan. I take the children to Blackpool every year, which they love and luckily we've got relatives in tourist places. So every three years is enough. She does a weekend city break with the eldest on her birthday, Amsterdam, Barcelona etc.

My parents never went abroad on holiday & are elderly now

However, they were keen for me to travel & I went on some foreign school trips

I've always been a keen traveller

@JackieWeaverHandforthCouncil

‘My DD is on NMW. She works full time. English is her first language and she has great GCSEs, A levels and a first-class academic degree from an RG university.’

You’re most likely leaving out some very key facts if this is the case. It’s quite unusual to have all that going for you and be on NMW unless you really want to be i.e. you want to work in a job you really love that pays hardly anything because you care more about the job than the money. That’s different from not having any other options.

This was the first job she applied for after university that she actually got. She was offered it, so she took it. So, no key facts have been missed out. She had worked through A levels too, so had experience as a teenager too. She’s not new to the world of work.

I am on just above minimum wage with 2 kids. We go abroad few years, by saving up a bit every month. Def couldn't afford it every year though. We don't smoke, don't drink much and aren't big spenders generally. We are lucky our school is ok with term time holidays though(as long as the kids have good attendance). We are off to Crete next year but it'll be 4 years from our last holiday abroad.

I did, but it was only me + 1dc, and I had good credit and no other debt so I was able to book holidays on a 0% credit card and pay it off monthly in the run up to the holiday. In terms of having enough spare cash to book and pay off a holiday abroad in one go - no, I could never do that when I was on minimum wage.

It depends. A teen on NMW could save and go abroad on school trip. One adult trying to pay for family of 5 much more difficult. Do you just want to experience being abroad? I did a bogof coach trip to Disneyland Paris on groupon was £99 for 2 of us inc tickets. I’ve also done overnight ferry trip to Sweden from Newcastle in past - optimistically called a mini cruise. Again very cheap and cheerful.

YABU, a lot of overseas package holidays are cheaper than UK seaside.

"My DD is on NMW. She works full time. English is her first language and she has great GCSEs, A levels and a first-class academic degree from an RG university"

There is something missing here. Why would someone with all of this settle for a job that pays NMW?? There is something that has been left out here. My DS has the same qualifications ( is mid 20's) He certainly isnt on anything like minimum wage.

It depends what your ambitions are career wise. Some people just want a role where they can potentially make a difference (charity work etc) or just dont want responsibilities. That is fine but its misleading to say that this person had all these qualifications but can only earn NMW.

It totally depends. We do it with four kids, but we don’t go every year, rather every second year.

Also, we don’t have sky television. We drive very cheap cars, we don’t tend to go clothes shopping often, we don’t get phone upgrades, we don’t have anything on credit/hire purchase etc.

It depends what your priorities are, how you save up, and everything like that. Obviously it isn’t ‘impossible’ because some people do it. It’s certainly more difficult than it would be if you were rich but that’s no surprise.

Oh yes, we also don’t drink. So no expensive nights out.

I think you can afford to go abroad. You probably need to save for a few years continuously. You also need to cut any other treats eg cake at a cafe, daytrips to the bare minimum.

I would not bother with a uk holiday. It ends up costing nearly as much, weather is unpredictable and eating out is expensive.

I would recommend going half board to eg Salou in slightly off season eg May. Weather is still good. Eating at the hotel is nicer than self catering. Alternatively go self catering with cheap flights to a more unpopular resort.

We go abroad every 3 to 4 years. We both work fulltime and have 2 tween dcs We have no takeaways ever. We eat out only when on a daytrip. The years we don't go abroad, we spend 3 nights in a hotel in our own country and that counts as our summer holiday. I bring lunches to work, do all the usual stuff. Dh and I have a night out with drinks once a year at Christmas. I drive a 14 year old car. I think you really have to go hardcore frugal to get your holiday. It is well worth it, and some sun is needed especially working fulltime and not being able to garden or sit out during the short bursts of uk sun.

@daisypond that’s actually quite normal depending on the field. Graduate jobs are competitive.
You can apply at the end of second year for a job after you graduate so many people who get jobs after graduation have already had a ‘year’ of rejection. They were just still in uni at that time. So it didn’t count.

@Franklin12 see above

Anyway this isn’t a thread about NMW 😂😂😂

Very much doable and no need to go outside of term time either. People who are too lazy to shop around complain it is too expensive but I've never paid above the odds. They are cheap if you put the effort in to search but expensive if you want and instant hit online.

@Awalkintime

Very much doable and no need to go outside of term time either. People who are too lazy to shop around complain it is too expensive but I've never paid above the odds. They are cheap if you put the effort in to search but expensive if you want and instant hit online.

This.

The issue may be the size of your family makes it more expense. Clearly people on nmw do go on overseas hols, but having three dc will impact the cost of flights and hotels.

There's nothing wrong with hols in the UK though. We earn above nmw and have 2 dc and still can't afford to go overseas every year. We've had some lovely hols (including camping).

Its challenging with school age kids to do anything last minute which is where all the bargains are. But if you are willing to go term time (no judging from me...) you can get cheap and cheerful weeks in the Med for around £300 each booking now with someone like Jet2. Go for one of the Greek islands with week day flights (Corfu, Zante) get a studio apartment (Kids on camp beds, not much room- but a fridge and kitchenette for cheap breakfast and lunches). Compromise on location- longer walk or bus to the beach- but get a pool for the kids.

Stock the fridge with supermarket soft drinks and beers so you can chill in the evenings. Look out for happy hours for an evening treat. Pasta and Pizza evening meals for the kids are cheapish in Greece - look around for early bird offers etc. or takeaways.

Jet2 - no luggage charges but pack lightly - start saving and have a fab time

It’s not so much that it can’t be done on NMW, I’m guessing you’re still stuck in the school holiday rip off era. Until recently, DH and I had this with 3 kids and despite 2 good salaries struggled to spend less than £5k for a week.
Definitely feel for you. It’s criminal how much the companies put the prices up.