How are so many people booking holidays if they are struggling with the cost of living?

[Brinnyloowho]

This is definitely not meant in a snarky way but so many people around me are going on not one, but multiple holidays over the next year. Ordinary, not particularly well-off people. All the news of airports and travel being pushed to their capacity. All at the same time I'm seeing about the cost of living crisis. Yet, in reality I'm not seeing it.

Maybe all of these holidays were booked pre-crisis (I know ours was). Does this mean travel will slow down again after the summer?

I think covid hasn't been bad for everyone. Working from home saves people a lot of travel expense and childcare costs. 2 major expenses.

Even travelling to work I saved because there was no where really to go so I booked 2 holidays last year for this year!

Holiday companies also have let people have more expensive hols due to all the amending and so on.

I also have taken on a extra job and not so long ago the pay rates increased due to covid but now have dropped but still worth it. I think people definitely are more money aware so perhaps changed supermarkets or cut back in smaller ways but struggling? Of course not everyone is because some people never really were.

It hasn’t hit a lot of people. Amongst my circle no one is struggling and whilst it’s annoying to have to pay more for things like energy and food, it doesn’t impact on our every day lives. Things may get a little tighter for us over the next year but we will still be able to afford meals out and holidays.

So does the fact that so many aren't impacted mean inflation will just keep going up?

Apart from the wish to have a holiday because of limited or none in 2020 and 2021, many people do not plan ahead financially at all. Look at the number who have minimal savings if any, for example.

As for the thought that travel will reduce after the summer, it does normally, but I can see it dropping more than usual.

Had a couple of people say about me putting it on my credit card but I don’t nor ever have had a credit card.

I always put holidays on a credit card just for the protection

Yes ! I have been to Westfield this past week and it was crammed with shoppers. Tbh in our circle this isn't a topic of concern and life is going on but I really, really feel for those who are struggling.

The thing is I think the world is split between people who plan ahead and those who live for the moment. You see it all the time on Mumsnet - thread after thread about people who have £100k savings and pensions and funds set up for their children etc and then in the same thread people who live week to week, no savings, booking holidays left right and centre and spending ££££ on cars / doing up their houses etc. I guess everyone views money differently.

My dhs family is one of the saving lot - his great grandmother died a few years ago and everyone was completely shocked to find she had £1m odd just lounging around in her savings account. She had scrimped and saved, living an extremely frugal life for many, many years. Never been on a holiday ever. Etc.

My family is the opposite. Debt, credit cards, spending to the very limit of what we can afford. We have that “can’t take it with you” attitude and book holidays.

I know there’s a middle ground somewhere. But it so often seems people fall into one or the other camps!

The last hurrah before things get really shit

We have 3 holidays this year ( all uk based) one pre booked last year, 3 booked this year both paid for by a work bonus…normally I would be looking at booking for next year but am holding off to see what happens.

2 not 3 booked this year

The media have hyped this COL to the hilt, in reality, most people are ok, bars are full, restaurants full, and holiday demand is sky high.
Our gas bill was £19 last month with £9.60 standing charge.

We're having about 6-7 holidays and renovating the house, buying new cars.
Dp has had a 10% pay increase reinstated bonus and I've put £20 per/hr on my basic rate.

I think a lot of holidays have been booked before the real impact of raising costs could be felt as in January/ February.

Then there are the covid cancellations holidays... I know, I'll have had 3 holidays by the end of the year. 2 are covid cancellations and one is to meet up with family that was booked in February. We haven't seen them in person since summer 2019, so wanted to do something special.

Not everyone is struggling. Some people will cut back on some things, but travel will remain a priority for them - we all make different priorities in life 🤷🏼‍♀️

Personally we don't smoke, gamble, go out to the pub- rarely even drink at home... we have a decent income, live in an expensive area but haven't massively over housed ourselves (modest 3 bed in a lovely area) and we only have one child. We do loads with our child and we've been on 3 holidays abroad this year.

Oh and we do use a credit card (for the avios) but we pay it off every month so we aren't living on the never never either. Funny how people who are jealous always immediately assume that?

6 figure inheritance. 🙍

Not everyone is struggling and lots of people earn way more than you imagine. Plenty of people also saved loads during the pandemic too, not going out or on holiday but being paid throughout they saved a fortune. Many people also now wfh so are saving thousands on commuting buying lunch etc during the day too.

Two elements which impact disposable income also a factor

Around me I see reduction in childcare costs due to wfh and more flexibility

If you’re in a commuting towns lower travel costs

Personally we're better off than before covid. Mostly due to WFH. Better work/ life balance so I went FT and hardly any fuel costs now. This has helped mitigate any rising costs.

We're still not going away for the next few years but this is because we've moved into a doer upper and we are ploughing all our disposable income into it.

Well coat of living affects only so many.

68 mil people in the U.K. and iirc 3 million are in absolute poverty ().

So there's about 60 odd million people out there (so about 20 mil families if we average at 3 a family) with a huge spectrum of incomes.

And those incomes are relative to outgoings.

So that's still large swathes of people who can afford it.

We will have to tighten our belts due to rising bills but I'm doing that with food and in other ways to continue our modest lifestyle.

This. Lots of people are not struggling and have absorbed the cost of living increase.

While I agree that some aren’t struggling I think it’s naive to say that most aren’t struggling. Those that are the ones the media are talking about are almost invisible in our society.

You won’t see them in shopping centres, out and about for meals or drinks and certainly not on holidays and in airports. The worst off are at food banks and seeking support from charities. Working multiple jobs. Selling their items to make ends meet and so on.

While lots including myself are currently coping: as costs continue to increase like in winter more and more will fall into that category. I honestly think the impact will be felt much more in a years time. People are living post lockdowns currently and enjoying themselves but it’ll catch up eventually. Many will be out of energy fixes, mortgage fixes end but are higher to remortgage, credit needs paying off eventually plus interest,, minimal wage rises and the cost of food is still going up.

Not a clue
Our may half term holiday was booked march 21 for £1.7k
Cancelled at gate.
Comparable holidays in summer now over £3k
Refuse to pay it

Would never use a cc for a holiday i dont need one at any cost

As someone in household with plenty savings & good incomes & no debts... I am trying to spend a lot. Inflation is eroding our savings so why bother having lots of savings?

I'm instinctively frugal so it's hard to spend. Am eyeing up a £500 phone (current phone is 4 years old, has cracked screen & failing battery). Real challenge is finding a 'good battery' phone that is right sort of size, there aren't many on market.

I agree.

Plus Mumsnet is well known for being generally full of high earner, middle class etc.

Lots and lots of people are struggling and more and more will be as prices increase.

I am on an energy forum / group on Facebook with 60k members and it’s actually quite scary how many people just don’t understand the price increases and how they’re going to hit them. Some people don’t even know how to read their own meters! (ie they’re going on estimated amounts, either much lower than they’re actually using or higher). People are in for a massive shock and I suspect a lot of those currently carrying on as normal essentially have their heads in the sand.

Ours was booked and paid for last year, we go in a couple of weeks. We've also got a big Easter holiday for next year booked that we are paying off monthly. We are a middle ground family I'd say. Trying to be careful on our food shops (failing mostly), noticing the cost of food has gone up a lot, keeping an eye on our energy bills but still want to have a life to enjoy. We are fortunate to have two good wages.