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 😃

Highly unlikely. Teachers are stretched enough as it is without having to go over work time and time again to children who are absent.

I'm sure you're happy doing it in your own time, so it takes up time with your own children. Crack on.

I guess you're happy to add on top of your very busy workload repeating lessons that you've already taught to children, moving onto the next topic, helping children out who do not understand the first time round... Going back on said topic to little George who missed 2 lessons as his family went to Spain... Marking homework, planning future lessons.

Well yes. If they have to miss out on a bit of art or iPad time the week they are back to plug a gap in maths or English then that's what we do. There is always someone who has been poorly and needs that intervention too. If I have to give up some PPA time to do it 1-1 then I will. A weeks holiday that couldn't be afforded at another time can be so beneficial to a family in ways that we don't get to see

So a week's holiday to Benidorm in a resort eating burgers, chips is really beneficial to children who should be in school. 🤷‍♀️

Children who are poorly, fair enough, it cannot be helped.

I agree that there is more to education than school, but children are only in school around 200 days a year. Giving parents plenty of time for extra curricular activities, family time.
School days are precious.

Education is somewhat free in this country.

I also feel sorry for the kids in your class who attend all their lessons who may not get the help/support they need from their teacher as they are too busy playing catch up for their fellow classmates.

There are roughly 200 school days. Plenty of time for 'family time' in the times they're not at school.

Bit grim that, rather than helpful suggestions for OP, there is a bickering match back and forth about kids in/out of school.

She asked what people do to manage hols, like it or not a lot of people do cut a few school days here and there to save on costs. The thread is not about poor teachers coping or poor children catching up, way to go with the derail!

@ErikaReadsTheDailyMail I would suggest being creative and avoid looking at package deals for the main holidays.

I've had a week in Southern Germany for £1k in August including 3 flights, car hire and self catering accommodation. Used the local outdoor pool and did trips to Nuremberg, Playmobil Land etc.

You sometimes see accommodation prices the same all year round - really! That was the case in Germany from memory. Difficult to find those without randomly coming across them.

I think flight + accom is generally cheaper/looking at short city breaks. Not one for preschoolers but we've taken our son to various cities in primary school age eg Berlin, London.

In the UK we often do self catering but the best places book up a year in advance. It's very expensive to book last minute and often it's the rubbish that is left too.

Having said that I got a very good deal for Lake District by booking a week before, that was luck of the draw.

I didn’t mean a few days. I was talking about two weeks, which is the length of time that some parents take their kids out for. At GCSE that’s a huge amount of content over a significant number of subjects. It’s not to be sneered at, the impact on students is immense.