To ask for your tips and hints on how to afford abroad (school) holidays?

[ErikaReadsTheDailyMail]

Hi all,

Our oldest son started school in September and we've entered a new world a world of being incredibly boundaried by our holiday availability.

Before this we managed to do it fairly frugally least once a year- we'd usually manage a d.i.y break- skyscanner cheap flights and an air bnb sort of thing. We'd keep costs down by shopping in supermarkets there, doing free stuff and staying in of an evening (no worries with two under 5's).

We'd occasionally go on holiday in the U.K instead but to be honest it never worked out cheaper and was usually a lot more expensive. Last year after swearing I never would, we had our first ever all-inclusive resort holiday (and it was absolutely fantastic with the free booze and the kids club and i had to swallow my words!)

We're on a pretty low income and I just physically cannot afford to pay well over 50% more for a holiday due to having to be so limited by school terms.

I'm hoping I just don't have to suck up the next 15 years of not having an annual week away to look forward to but I fear that might be the case.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom? Do people take the kids out and pay the fines? Cheap companies who offer it all-in? Camping in Wales forever more? I'm struggling to see how to do it.

Thanks for your help 😃

So if you're a teacher I'm guessing you're fine helping these children catch up with the work that they have missed? Giving them extra help when needed?
Even if it means doing it in your own time?

You probably need to get a bit more organised then.

It's because she actively encourages her pupils to take time out for term time holidays. 🤷‍♀️

Eurocamp, Center Parcs, Canvas for a week, try May, couple of days out of school.

French gites are surprisingly affordable. Don't book via Airbnb but gites de France, it's much cheaper. Supermarkets sell lots of wonderful food. Activities are very cheap in France, compared to UK, and ferry is cheap. Far cheaper than a UK holiday, especially if you go during french school term time eg our half terms.

Otherwise, you can have a term time holiday until compulsory school age without repurcussion, or generally after that too, depending on length and your lea.

For my school it’s only a fine from day 5. So we have regularly booked holidays half in/out of term time and still found it a lot cheaper.
For me the best way is if booking with companies like Easy Jet book as soon as the flights are released. Don’t book a package!!!!! They are so over priced. I actually think people think it’s the only way to book and is the cheapest option 95% of the time it is not. I just book on the credit card and have insurance so know I’m protected. Then book a hotel separate. I use trivago etc and often book the free cancellation rate if it isn’t too much more.

You surely realised that choosing to have children meant there would be different limits and pleasures in your life.
If you think the 'rules' don't apply to you it's so selfish.

I agree.
What about the poor teachers, who because of their chosen profession cannot enjoy cheaper holidays.

I'm sure these parents would kick up a fuss if their teachers decided to take advantage of term time holidays.

I'm sure the parents would argue because they got into teaching, they know what they let themselves in for.

Same for parents. 🤷‍♀️

my Kids usually miss the first day back or the last day of term. No fines yet but tbh the 1.5k saving to fly Thursday instead of Friday I’ll take the £60 fine plus im a firm believer in that whilst school is important so is travel

we often skip a holiday in the summer and do feb & October instead we find that because schools vary those dates with holidays it works out cheaper

I was also going to suggest flying from Scotland as our schools are back mid August. Even staying overnight in Scotland in a hotel is cheaper than flying from down South. We've done it the opposite way and flew from Newcastle/Manchester/ Liverpool and saved a packet.
Alternatively book via Eurocamp or even directly with campsite online and take tunnel/ ferry in advance. If you get an early morning/ late night sailing can save quite a bit. Coming back from Europe last year we got a sailing from Dunkerque and spent the night in a hotel, definitely worth the price difference

@Mademetoxic I feel like anyone should be allowed to go on holiday whenever they like. It sucks that teachers aren't allowed to go in term time. Forcing everyone to take holiday at the same time is part of what drives the prices up.

I haven't read all replies, so somebody might have already suggested it, but when both our daughters were still at school, we used to do house swaps.
Most people we did house swaps with had children too, which meant we'd be in a house/flat that was equipped for children/teens. We had great holidays within the UK, but also abroad in the US, Belgium, Italy, Sweden.
You have to have some sort of flexibility, either with dates or locations. As we stuck to holiday times, we sometimes had to compromise on location.
For instance, we wanted to go to Venice, but did a swap with a family in Vicenza instead and did a day trip to Venice.
Or, we couldn't find a house swap in NY, but had a wonderful week in Washington DC and then tagged on just a couple of days where we stayed in a hotel in NY.
The best website we used was guardian home exchange

We also spent a week in Brussels once which was brilliant - not exactly what we would have otherwise chosen for a week's trip, but there was so much to do and see
www.guardianhomeexchange.co.uk/

Sorry, couldn't post a link

I work in retail, and there's a blanket ban for December holidays.
Should I just kick up a fuss then? No, I just accept it.

So an example, in each month... Say 1 pupil is away every week for a holiday. Add into the fact children are off sick, have appointments etc ... How will the teachers actually teach for half the class absent each week?

@Mademetoxic Just teach the pupils who are there? 🤷🏻‍♀️ It didn't seem to be an issue in the 90s/00s. I would miss two school weeks per year. 😂 I think exam years were the only time we went on holiday outside of term time.

But how would the teachers manage to catch up half the class who are absent?
How disruptive that would be for the pupils who are trying to learn and especially the teachers.

Why the laughing emoji, that is very childish.
Just because it didn't harm your education, I pity your teachers who had to help you catch up all the time.

Do you think I should say to my employers 'oh sorry, I need time off in December, so therefore I will book it'
Sod the rules, let's all just do what we want, never mind anyone else 🤷‍♀️

What about all the petrol and time driving up there.

If you live in the north of England it's not that far away in distance or time. And many people find the small extra is worth it for the saving in cost of flights

But living in 'the north' can still be a treck to get to Edinburgh, it can still about 200 miles away.
I guess if it's the far north, on the boarders would be ok.

@Mademetoxic In high school I asked the teachers which chapters we'd gone over in the books and then learnt them in my own time. No one wasted extra time teaching me anything. I appreciate not every pupil is like that though. In primary school I think I either did got worksheets handed to me or I just never learnt the things I'd missed I guess? I still got the highest marks in my class on the SATs.

If I took my son out of school for a holiday it would be on myself or my husband to teach him what he'd missed. I wouldn't expect a teacher to do it.

Re smilies, I'm autistic. Tone isn't something I'm very good at conveying in general, let alone on the internet, unfortunately!

I’m always gobsmacked at people’s advice that it doesn’t matter if your child regularly misses a few days of school. There are many thousands of children all over the world who crave education, and the opportunity to learn from properly trained teachers. And here you have it all basically for free- and people think it is some kind of punishment to go to school!
I sincerely hope that those who ( regularly) take their children out of school for holidays do not ever expect the teacher to take extra time and effort to help them catch up on the learning they have missed!

I do not even remember what marks I got in my sats let alone knowing what anybody else's marks were.

If everyone had the attitude of taking their kids out of school for holidays at different times then the poor teachers would never be able to teach a class properly. Be forever disrupted.

School time is precious. Blink and you miss it.
They're at school for like 200 days out of a year.

Education is free in this country (yes people pay taxes for it) but I'm sure if parents had to pay for education like in other countries maybe people would think twice. Or pay for every school day that is missed.

What's your budget OP?

I'm amazed at these responses As a kid, last week of school was the best time, I would have been gutted to miss it! And my parents really valued my education, I never missed a day of school for anything (other than illnesses) and it did me well in the long run.

Don't go AI, that's quite a luxury, rent an AirBnB and drive.

@Mademetoxic There were only twelve people in my year at primary school so we all just asked each other what our marks were re SATs I think 😅

Erm yes.