Holidaying abroad is not an option for most people - is it???

[Heyduggee123]

So looking for next year - looking at Ibiza in June for 10 days AI - costs for a half decent hotel, not in the middle of nowhere are coming up at nearly £4k!!

By next year I'll have 4 year old twins and haven't been on holiday outside of the UK yet. This isn't even in the school holidays. How on earth does anyone afford this?

For context yes there are cheaper options, but anyone wanting anything other than just a room with separate bathroom for 4 of us with half decent reviews the costs just spiral.

I think I'll have to stick with our annual 2 weeks in Wales for a few years longer

As you can tell from my username, I've always been tied to school holidays, even pre kids. I would agree with others - don't do AI, don't do a package, and don't fly if possible. Personally I've always found SC more relaxing with kids, as well as cheaper. If you've got 2 weeks to play with and you're going in June, I'd go for a self drive down to the middle of France somewhere. Or if you really want to fly, book flight only and hire a villa with a pool - they don't have to be really expensive if you're not the luxury-only type. We've done Italy for about 2k on that basis (flights plus car plus villa with pool).

British Airways often has very good value package trips. I went to Ibiza during half term for £600 (flights & 4* hotel for 2 adults) just before Covid, but still, peak time.

@Gwenhwyfar

As a single person who doesn't drive, holidaying abroad is MUCH cheaper. This is because of the cost of flights compared to trains. I can see how camping in the UK might be cheaper for a family with a car. I get fed up of people making out abroad is always more expensive.

Even if you do have a car I expect camping in France would be just as cheap.

We mostly went SC when DC was young. Typically gite in France, sometimes drive ourselves, sometimes fly and hire a car. Even now sure that would be cheaper and, like a PP, found SC easier with small children

Don’t stay on a resort and never A1. Book in a village - gite or Airbnb and eat in the restaurants where the locals go. Much cheaper and better holiday.

Having seen these threads before and wondering, I fully costed our summer holiday last year.
£1600.
That was everything. Food, entertainment, travel and things like takeaway coffees and ice creams.
We spent a bit more on accommodation and travel than usual because my Dsis wanted to go to Devon and also covid.

Can I really get a holiday abroad for that?
Me, DH, 4 kids aged 10-16?

(Last year was a static van, but if we hadn't been going with DSis We would have got a house in north yorks for £200 less, and would have had room in the house for my other sister and her 4 teens.)

It depends where you go and for how long.

I'm taking my son to Greece in July for 7 nights and it cost us about £600.

Try other places. Ibiza in June is bonkers expensive. It's a bit like passing your driving test and then wondering why a Bentley costs £200k.

@Mulhollandmagoo

I think June is stinging you, as lots of countries (including Scotland) start their summer holidays in June, so you will be hitting some school holiday times, try April/Early May?

Not really. No one bats an eye lid about school holiday dates in Scotland. Everything is geared up to English school holidays. Always has been.

I agree with you on all sorts.
I went to Ibiza when my ds was 2 and had a brilliant time.
For years now, I have spent 5k on a holiday - flights for 2 adults, 2 kids, car hire and accommodation.

I have tried all sorts of combos, hotel, self catering, campsite etc and this is in nice places but not luxury. Always ends up same price.

This year due to wanting a holiday but having to reign it right in - we are going to a euro camp in Barcelona in a 2 bed mobile home -£1500 and flights were £800 for us all for 10 days. No car hire needed.

So that is still £2,300 before food and going out … if anyone know how to do holidays cheaper I would love to know.

If anyone has ideas how too

@isittheholidaysyet

Having seen these threads before and wondering, I fully costed our summer holiday last year. £1600. That was everything. Food, entertainment, travel and things like takeaway coffees and ice creams. We spent a bit more on accommodation and travel than usual because my Dsis wanted to go to Devon and also covid.

Can I really get a holiday abroad for that?
Me, DH, 4 kids aged 10-16?

(Last year was a static van, but if we hadn't been going with DSis We would have got a house in north yorks for £200 less, and would have had room in the house for my other sister and her 4 teens.)

Yes, absolutely. Shop around. Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt are very cheap. You can get a 4 or 5 star AI week for under 2k for 4 of you and won't have to pay for anything on top as the resorts are fully AI and usually have a choice of restaurants in them too. You might need to play about with dates, airports and travel provider but you can certainly get a holiday for around 2k easy. Go to Tui and search by cheapest in those countries

Then why don't you holiday in another part of the UK for a change?

We go abroad every year - obviously not since Covid though 😬. In 2020 we had an Air B&B in Northumberland for a week and just that (no food/travel) cost more than a week in a five star hotel with breakfast plus flights in Italy in 2019.

We used to shave off a couple of days and fly on a Tuesday and return the following Thursday or Friday and that would save a lot of money.

@Heyduggee123

I've been told that old town ibiza is absolutely beautiful and not at all to be associated with the clubbing and hedonism that most people associate it with

A lot of Ibiza is lovely. We went out of season, one October, and it was beautiful. Lovely beaches, great weather, amazing sunsets. And we loved seeing all the flamingo too.

We go abroad and find self-catering is best for us as it gives us the option of far more space. My dc are now 17 and 14 and the youngest has autism and severe learning disabilities, hotels don't work for us as there isn't enough space. I like cooking and enjoy making simple tasty meals and lovely salads from local ingredients. The kids love fruit and I can stock the freezer with ice cream.
We have had some amazing holidays, apartments with views over Lake Garda, country gites in France, mobile homes on campsites in France, apartments in Spain, and villas with their own pools.
I do shop around for cheap flights and accommodation, we always go for 2 weeks during the school holidays and rent a car for the duration. I have not spent more than £2000 on flights, accommodation, car hire, insurance, airport parking, etc.
This year (fingers crossed) we are flying to Alicante and will pick up a hire car at the airport to drive to a villa about an hour away along the coast. We have been to this villa before, it is large with 3 bedrooms, a garden with fruit trees and has its own swimming pool. It's a few minutes drive from the nearest beach and local town, there are no amenities near by only a few other properties and farmland.
This will be our most expensive trip yet at £2500 for everything before spending money.
You can go abroad for less but you do need to be a bit flexible and creative.
Our trip will be spent relaxing by the pool, playing scrabble and cards, watching movies together, dh and I will enjoy our wine and beer! Some days we will go out to explore the area or visit the beach.
I appreciate my perfect holiday would be a nightmare for many but a week of all-inclusive in a family-friendly hotel sounds like hell to me.

We're going to majorca in May, 2 adults plus dd age 3, it's only costing us 1k for a week AI in a 4* hotel

It depends how fussy you are.

Of course if you want top quality resort and accommodation and not to have the family in 1 room, but 2 rooms, it will cost more.

Lots of families go abroad much more cheaply than your figures. They often make compromises by being in an AI place that’s a lesser star rating, or going for 10 days not 14, or by researching really carefully to find cheaper locations. Many will be willing to squash up in one room or make other compromises.

Booking now for the summer will be expensive.

We tend to holiday in cottages and holiday houses in expensive UK destinations - looking for places which are fairly central to lovely and popular holiday coastal towns. We like those where you can easily walk to the cafes and restaurants. We book a year in advance and can get a place for under £1k for 4. We often go with another family and a place for 8 can be had for about £800 for each family - and these are good quality places. We have a healthy budget for days out, coffees and cream teas and will probably eat 3 meals out during the week. Not paying for travel insurance, journey to airport, parking etc is quite a saving.

We also tend to do 5 day city break - somewhere like Barcelona or Rome with the kids (bit older) and stay in a hotel. We will squash into 1 room and have breakfast in hotel, but eat out each evening in local restaurants. With flights, accommodation, eating out and entry fees, a trip like that comes in at under £2k for our family - often more like £1.5k. It’s long enough for that kind of trip and we choose location of accommodation over top quality.

Well ours this year is less than £2K for 2 pre schoolers and 2 adults for 10N in Majorca, 3 star AI also in June. Are you picking very nice and expensive hotels? Most folk can't afford £4K so would either go s/c or look at lower star hotels etc or look at a different location.

Outside of school holidays there is lots of cheaper options so long as u aren't set on a particular place. We cld have gone for self catering for around £1000. I've been before 4star HB for about £1200 to Spain for 10Nights end May into June.

Ibiza in general can quite pricey.

Yes, absolutely. Shop around. Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt are very cheap. You can get a 4 or 5 star AI week for under 2k for 4 of you and won't have to pay for anything on top as the resorts are fully AI...

There are 6 of us.
Also £2000 is £400 more.

(Also that doesn't include travel or entrace costs for sightseeing. If we are just going to be in the hotel, we may as well be at home with home comforts)

We don’t holiday abroad, it’s just too expensive. We have several short breaks in the uk each year for a fraction of the price.
We went to Wales last year for a week and it was £800 😬, that’s the most we have ever spent, usually less than £500 for a week away or we camp or travel lodge for a couple nights for under £100.

I have never been on an all inclusive holiday in my 43 years on earth

There are ways of doing things and saving money but they require more effort and some compromises.

There are 5 (2 adults and 3 kids all over 2) of us and I got quoted £3200 for 10 days all inclusive next October to Spain in a family hotel. It sounded pretty reasonable to me. Look at jet2 they often have decent deals and free child places. Scottish schools close end of June normally so try go early June if possible.

Be flexible on where you go and when.
Pick a location based on a great price for what you get, not pick a location and have to pay the price. I don't mean go to any rundown/awful location, I mean just be more flexible - does it have to be ibiza or could it be any of Spain? Could you go to Italy? (we are going to fuerteventura for a wk AI 5* hotel for £1100 for all 3 of us - I wanted the canaries but didn't really mind which island and we were flexible on dates for the full month)
Fly from Manchester, 99% of the time its much cheaper
Book before they start school prices are considerably more during school holidays

There are plenty of options for holidaying abroad that don't cost 4k. The credit crunch is causing many families problems but an inability to afford a suite in an expensive decent hotel on the Mediterranean island of your choice is hardly one of them.