To think nobody spends THIS MUCH on holidays with kids?

[GrahameSylvia]

Scouting around for September holiday ideas for us and our 18 month old and came across this in today’s Times.

25 cool family resorts in Europe, the cheapest is about £4k for a week, the priciest £32k but on average about £7k. Admittedly they are mostly all inclusive but REALLY?!?!? Is this the kind of silly money people spend on holidays are once they have kids?

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/25-cool-family-resorts-in-europe-g9knl5n7l

On a side note, if anyone has a great hotel or self catering recommendation for somewhere sunny in Europe that will work well with a young toddler do share, finding places that don’t cost the kind of money we can - but are not willing on principle - to pay is a nightmare.

@Astrabees a lot of people won't join in the abuse of elephants, so your holiday wouldn't appeal.

We are doing a holiday to suit my grandchildren next year. Two adults and children AI, in a downstairs apartment with garden in Pirate Village, Santa ponsa for £4k. As said there's no principal in just deciding that you won't pay for something. Why shouldn't travel outside the country be expensive?

Try this place in Puglia, big rooms, swimming pools, kids entertainment, full board if you want to. www.baronedimare.it

September is still warm in Puglia. Ryanair has flights to Brindisi.

There are 7 of us. Holidays are going to be EXPENSIVE!

Is this including flights and all?
Then i guess its quite normal?

God no, that’s not for me. The thought of an AI resort packed with other people’s kids sounds horrendous.

Now we have kids we usually book a holiday cottage in a European destination and do our own thing, although I know that car hire costs have gone through the roof so this will need factoring in, in the future.

However, this year we spent a fairly expensive week in London staying in a hotel, eating out every day and visiting family. Luckily, the flights were pretty cheap.

I've spent more than I've ever spent for two weeks in Southern Europe island hopping three for three of us (all classes as adults) 3 star hotels, scrimped on nothing ...4500. I thought that was expensive!
Last holiday pre Covid nine days beautiful self catering apartment in Greece all in (eating out etc) 2500

The self catering apartment was 2 bed with sea view beautiful swimming pool and access to a very good restaurant

This comment could win some kind of prize for being spectacularly pointless.

Most things are more expensive than they were in the 80s, it's hardly news that holidays cost more.

You may not want to go on holiday, but the OP does. So your lack of interest is irrelevant.

OP - I agree with PPs that this is what holidays cost now. You say yourself that you are struggling to find a cheap holiday, and that's because holidays are really expensive these days.

Most of our holidays are camping during term time (no kids) for this very reason. Many people can't even afford that and just don't go on holiday at all.

You essentially have to decide what your priority is - keeping the cost low, or going to the places that you really want to visit.

It’s not that I think these specific holidays should be cheaper. They cost what they cost evidently.

I’m just new to the world of holidaying with a kid and was wondering whether average people with kids see these kinds of pricey holidays as very typical and something they’d routinely do every year. Or whether they are a bit more of a luxury / aimed at people on very high salaries.

Personally I think we’ll be going for more - rent an apartment and go to the beach, or camping - kinds of holiday. If this is what resorts cost. But each to their own.

We do. Spent towards the higher end of that range to go to Turks and Caicos this year. But due to DH’s job and leave timings by the time we know when he can take leave the better prices have already gone so we never get best prices. Before Covid, by the time we were booking, May 1/2 term budget flights from our regional airport to Europe were £2500 for us 4 without any accommodation. We used to travel to a further airport to save ££££s. I’m budgeting £6-7k for next year. It’s a lot but we spend way less on other things than other people, and this year was our first trip abroad for 5 years. We also go on £250 holidays to Skegness in our 25 year old caravan - we love all types of holidaying.

An article about ‘normal’ family holidays would make for a very dull read.

Bit disingenuous OP, all those holidays are promoted on their “cool” factor. Cool is a euphemism for expensive. Most of those include childcare too.

We spend on holidays because we like nice hotels and they cost money.

Well fair enough. I’m not suggesting these holidays should be cheaper, or that holidays in general should be cheap. Just wanting to find out whether people typically spend this much on holidays or not.

You’ve just mentioned spending £2500 on a holiday as fair. But in this article the cheapest one is £4k. Quite a big difference.

oh how the other half live.

No I dont know anyone that could afford that, even the richest I know would struggle to spend 2-3k on a holiday.

Our annual holiday budget for a family of 5 is £500 (so £100pp) and we have had some lovely holidays - either caravans or travelodges in UK but prior to covid we have also flown via easyjet/ryan air to all over europe staying in airb&bs and motels which is usually REALLY cheap (cheaper than UK holidays).

I honestly wonder if people who send £*000s have more money than sense because I would struggle to waste that much when I know it can be done so much cheaper.

Yes afraid so. When I was young and child free I’d budget £1000 for a fortnight away!

now we are older and have 3 children it is 5 x plane tickets and usually 2 hotel rooms. We spent £25k on the Caribbean this year.

all inclusive in europe we’d look to spend £10k. Skiing we spend £7-8k

id love to say the prices you quote are unrealistic but the reality is that’s what people do spend when they have kids (assuming they want to go to the sorts of places charging that).

Sun Parks in Belgium are really inexpensive, should be sunny at this time of year.

Hell no! I wouldn't spend that much on a holiday, 25k is insane! What sort of salary would people be on to afford that!

We've spent £5000 for 6 of us (5 adults 1 child) this year which seems more than it used to be. 4* half board.

Agree with this also.

Campsites are generally very good with shop/takeaway/bar. There will be a secure pool and playgrounds.

Accommodation in a mobile home will be more than adequate with a bit of space for a toddler to play on.

If you take your own car then you can easily take things your toddler needs. Being self-catering it is much easier to have meal times to suit your family. If possible eat outside then you don't need to worry about food spills.

My DCs loved campsite life and were fascinated by people walking past and playing badminton on the roads in the evening. Campsites are very family friendly.

We're away at the moment and paid £1600 for four return flights to Alicante. Luckily we have an apartment so only have the running costs for that but spending money will be around £1200 so nearly £3000 for our holiday. I'd love to go AI but for four adults in a decent resort, we'd be looking at over £6000.

One week in Spain in august 1 child 2 adults £1200. Self catering. 4* hotel. Planning to take £1000 spending money. Could not afford to go on those prices.

As a family holidays are our thing. I would rather have one really nice holiday every few years than packed lunch on the beach and watching every penny every year but that's my personal choice and if that's how you like to do it then good for you.

We spend a lot as we are a big family and do at least 2 a year to try and cater to what ever one enjoys.

This year we've done a 5* AI in Turkey in May holidays 7k for 6 of us.

Hired a glamping site in the cotswolds between 4 families for 3 night about £800.

Two weeks in Spain in an apartment. With spending money this is a lot, around double the May one but we eat out everyday for lunch and dinner.

October half term a different 5* AI in Turkey we've stayed here before and got it for 2k less than we normally pay so came in at 4k.

we spent £6k on 12 days in the US a few years back - school holidays, flights for 4 were 3k - accommodation another 2.5k, plus car hire and a train journey. I wouldn't pay that for short haul though.

Most years we fly to wherever Ryanair can get us cheaply, and hire a small villa or apartment. Cost tends to be between £1500 and £2500. Hotels are pretty much a non-starter as now the kids are great hulking teens we'd need two rooms in most places.

Even a UK holiday is £££ in the school holidays. We didn't see much for under £1500pw in August when were were looking to book a 3 bed coastal cottage, although inland is a bit cheaper.

We're doing 2 weeks 5* AI Tui Blue in Egypt - £6.4 k for 2 adults and 2 teens (19 and 13) - so adult prices for all of us. Booked a while ago - the same holiday is now £8k+ - you really do get what you pay for on an AI - the Tui Blue hotels are really good and the ones in Egypt and Turkey tend to be a bit cheaper for the same standards as elsewhere. I try not to think about what else we could have done with the money and appreciate that we are lucky that we can do this.

Are you looking at one week or two? We've just paid £3400 for a week AI but with 2 DC in August. If you look at Kos in Sept flying from the bigger airports, for 7 nights you'll find loads of choice on TUI for less than £2000

That’s absolutely ridiculous money. I just did a quick search on Tui for 2 adults and a toddler for mid September and there’s plenty of good deals coming up with discounts and/or free child plac3 - around 2k with morning outbound and afternoon inbound flights.

I dream of September prices now…..we have to pay out for school Summer hols….