To cancel our holiday?

[Chantin]

We booked a 5 night all inclusive trip to a European beach resort in 2019 for the following year- after being re-booked several times we are now due to go next month. Only now DH and I will also have a 5 month old in tow…

The holiday has long since been paid for but now we are facing additional costs.

Baby’s passport has not been processed despite sending off for it months ago- I have been stressing about this and we may be able to ‘upgrade’ application to get before we fly but calls seem to be coming to get the passports the day before flight and is going to cost us £100+.

Boots has suspended click and collect at its airport branch so now we are going to have to take check in luggage for formula milk- extra £100. Manchester airport yet again does not look pleasant to be travelling through with a baby.

Once we are there we won’t have use of a kitchenette so are going to have a bit of a faff preparing her bottles and relying on ready to feed.

A caravan holiday in Cornwall the same week would be £250- so same as these additional costs and without stress of fighting passport office, getting through airport etc, would have a kitchen to prepare milk, can Jack it in and go home if baby is having a rough time with her teeth…

However this will be our last chance for a while to have an abroad holiday- we won’t be able to afford it when I’m working part time after May leave- it will be UK caravan by financial necessity- so it makes me think we should go for it.

We could be sat wet and miserable on a caravan wishing we were sunning ourselves…

We won’t see the money back for the beach holiday either way but trying not to think about the sunk costs. WWYD?

I honestly didn't find this at all when dd was a baby. Holidays obviously werent the same as when childless but still able to have a lovely relaxing holiday. I think the thought of it is much worse than it actually is. When they start walking though, that's a different matter......

Just go. Can't imagine how a single hold bag is £100, which airline? Would also mean you take less hand luggage which is easier with a lo.

Could the little one stay with grandparents?

if you add on a hold suitcase beforeyou go it wont be as expensive

how ar eyou fitting everything in a cabin bag for 5 days i need some tips

Maybe you shouldn't go. You don't sound in the right frame of mind. All the things listed are so easy to sort. But none of this sort of stuff stresses me out. What's the worst that can happen? As pp suggested you can take through tons of formula in buggy. How much is hold. If it's cheap £25 then it's so worth it.

Add one bag for hold luggage- is it genuinely £100 for this ?
I'd go, you've already paid most of it. When you say next month, how many weeks do you have before passport needs to arrive?

A single hold bag is £100!

Trust me trying to get this passport is stressful and not easily sorted and the reason I started looking at caravans in the first place! There is a reason people are handcuffing themselves to the passport office!

Who are you flying with? We've added two hold bags onto our next trip and the return price for both combined is under 100.

This thread has brought back memories of stuffing our maclaren seat full of nappies etc, duct taping it closed & wrapping it in a bin bag to check in (used a sling in the airport IIRC).

We definitely had a good time on holiday with a 6mo - yes, we took it in turns for a long afternoon walk, but it meant one of us got an hour napping in the sun & that was bliss. We also perfected the art of putting a child to sleep in the buggy on the way to the restaurant, meaning we actually had some nice meals together.

I think I've blocked out the hard bits 😂

I wouldn't have gone but then DS was a high needs baby - didn't sleep well, had various issues such as lactose intolerance, started getting lots of little bugs etc from about 6 months onwards etc etc. Plus he had eczema and an allergy to sun cream so really not very relaxing in any shape or form.

Why would OP be paying extra for eating out in the UK? Surely self-catering is an option / takeaway etc?

Dd was 5mths when first went to tenerife. We had an apartment - she slept in the buggy in the shade by the pool
/beach or in travel cot in room and we sunbathed on balcony for those 2hrs

milk unless has cmpa is the same regardless of brand so local will be fine in
powder

what brand is she on @Chantin

or as someone said take a new tub. They usually last a week at that age and store under buggy and grab a bag in duty free

a week in the sun v a possible rainy holiday where you need to eat out or cook isn’t a holiday

15kg is £30 each way so £60
23kg is £40 each way so £80

just checked our flight and figures above

uou will only need a 15kg

I'm sure if OP says it's £100 for a bag she is correct.

Is the issue with Boots not doing click and collect any more that you don't know if they have the product you need ?Could you ring them un advance and ask?
TBH I'd still go even with the cost of an extra case and emergency passport.

She is on cow & gate- tbf now I've realised I can get away with a tub in the buggy basket I'm not as worried about the hold baggage..
...however yes, I can assure you it is £99.98!

Lol more great tips thank you!

if the passport call comes through we will probably pay the money for it and attempt the trip.

Flying in 3 weeks.

Yes we would stock up on easy to cook things M&S dine ins etc- but I can see how it would add up

Who are you flying with OP?

Just to warn you Ryan air now charge almost £50 for cabin bags if you're not a priority customer. We were on a package with EasyJet out and RA back last week; stung for pis perfectly acceptable cabin bags on the way back. Bastards.

I say go. Your baby can have other formula but they sell C&G abroad. It'll be worth it and 5 mo is a great age for a baby to fly - no toddling up and down the aisle 😁

I was going to say the budget airlines ahve changed their rules since last year-i know easyjet are charging now for cabin bags over a certain size another way to make more money

Now you know you can get away with cabin baggage then go. Honestly going to Menorca when DS was a baby has been the easiest holiday ever as a parent!
He lay in the shade in his buggy or on a towel/padded lounger thing to play with wee toys daytime, I kept to his routine as much as possible. Gave him his bath in the evening g - if you only have a shower but a cheap paddling pool or big washing up bowl to use as a bath - the paddling pool is also good for daytime too! So bath and bedtime babygros on then tucked into buggy to go to sleep while you enjoy a meal! He only woke up once and the granny of the restaurant wouldn't hear of me but getting my meal, took the bottle and fed him! She sat with him for ages and looked out for us all holiday. You will find babies are welcomed abroad! Yes we were up a bit earlier than normal on holiday but I was in that routine anyway sbd we got the choice of loungers etc by the pool! He was so easy as not on the move. Different story the following year with toddler DS and baby Dd who refused to sleep!
Any hotel will give you a kettle and fill a bottle with boiled water. If they don't it's cheap enough to buy one for your room but they will - would expect one and a fridge anyway! Buy nappies etc there.
You could always phone the Boots at your airport and ask about formula then ask them to keep you some - if not buy it there!
Enjoy your holiday -and fingers crossed passport arrives on time!

This looks like it's Ryanair. There is an option on Ryanair to check in a 10kg bag for less than £20 usually.

Don't rely on being able to put stuff under the pram. We had to take everything out of our pram at Manchester Airport and collapse it for it to go through the scanners, and we had to put whatever was in the pram into our hand luggage. Luckily we hadn't overpacked and it was only bits like the bottle he was drinking and my phone, teddy bear etc.

Babies are so easy to travel with I'd go for it. Will you not be checking in a buggy? Buy formula out there and nappies - doesn't have to be same brand. It's not the same as a holiday pre-baby but still nice. It's not normally hard to find shade, my babies never screamed when in sun or air con. I have lots of pics of them happily sitting on a blanket playing with their toys or splashing in the paddling pool. They slept better as lots of fresh air! We enjoyed dinners and drinks and walks on the beach. Wait til they're a toddler...that's when the fun begins! 😉

If I recall you can buy sterilising bags for travel - a heavy duty plastic sack with Milton-style tablets. You find something to hang it from (eg bath taps), fill with water/sterilising tab and leave the bottles to soak overnight.

Agree that travel with a portable baby is a million times easier than with a pint sized Pol Pot. Toddlers are such hard work.

Could you post your formula if you really can't change brands. One tin for five days should be heaps. Personally I think not having checked luggage for a holiday with a child is madness. Pay the extra so that you can pack enough for five days. Clothes, nappies, formula, swimming stuff, sun cream. You are only going for five days and I would not want to spend a half day schlepping around unfamiliar shops looking for formula and nappies.

This is the reality of having children, they are expensive. Unless you plan on never enjoying anything ever again, you might have to adjust.

Second the tip about stuffing as much as you can in the buggy bag.

I took formula with us as DD was fussy as a baby and I was worried about her not liking what they had there.

Making up formula wasn’t a faff - we had a perfect prep at home and I used the similar method when we were out. Took a thermos for boiling water and a drinking bottle for cold water. I also took a jug that I could pour boiling water into to allow it to cool down. We took a Milton bucket steriliser for the bottles - that didn’t take up too much stuff as just stuffed it full of clothes.