To think you can’t get a family holiday for £500

[Lalalawhitenoise]

inspired by a thread of a woman who’s taking her kids to florida, one of the poster said It was obscene spending that amount of money and that some families spend £500, maybe £1000 max on a family holiday for a family of 4.

I read it got me wondering, can you really get a family holiday (not tent camping) for £500? If so where? That would really help us out as was maybe thinking we might not be able to get a hols this year, what hols can you get (summer time ish) for under that £1k mark? Is it even possible?

rayn22 not a single midge in sight! It was right at the end of August into the first few days of September and it was chilly so this may be why.

Absolutely loads of choices on here for less than £1000

https://www.parkdeanresorts.co.uk/holiday-sales-accommodation-listings/?overview_id=406bb31e-1f98-4a8c-b1e8-9bb3bea6e1ea&destination-type=parks&park=ce8fc34f-9e40-455c-8f7c-e6aba712574a&park-region=361bc874-de1a-43f3-be5a-d4b7222b67a1&accommodation-type=holidays&selected-types=Caravan&product-types=534542CDC3DB4285BCC7A7279B8BAF41&unit-types=5D8CFCE477404A4C8B6BA21611682ABE&PitchLength=&Adults=2&Teenagers=1&Children=2&Infants=0&Pets=0&min-berths=5&selected-date=cd16&selected-duration=7n&selected-month=20237&start-date=2023-07-22T00:00:00&end-date=2023-07-29T00:00:00&duration=7

I’ve done pretty cheap holidays to France. Ferry over and Eurocamp (you can often get discounts through schemes like blue light card). Self catering is quite fun as I love a French supermarket.

Also if you’re looking for school holiday summer dates, the last week tends to be the cheapest so late Aug/very early Sep.

Several Haven parks showing availability for a 4 person break even in the dearest week of August for less than 1k. Obviously you'd have to get there too, which could be expensive depending on where you are and where you go.

www.haven.com/search-results/parks?parkCode=CG%2CMM%2CPS%2CRV%2CDE%2CLS%2CRP%2CSV%2CWM%2COR%2CAH%2CLA%2CGS%2CSN%2CTP%2CCC%2CHO%2CSA%2CWD%2CGR%2CHM%2CPH%2CBE%2CHA%2CCT%2CSE%2CBR%2CDF%2CKP%2CLY%2CPC%2CQW%2CCF%2CCH%2CBD%2CPV%2CRE%2CTW&adults=2&children=2&tots=0&dogs=0&accessibleVans=false&arrivalDate=2023-08-05&duration=7

House swaps can be cheap. We used to do them.

We book cottage holidays, usually not in the summer holidays, mostly half terms or Easter and my rule is they can't cost more than £700 for the cottage. Pre covid it was easier to get around £500 but that's harder now. Wales is a good place, the cottages are cheaper than in England.

Possibly a Monday to Friday at Haven but no more! Our tent pitch is costing £450 for the week!

@Rayn22 only basic 4 Berth Comfort Cottage Pet Free but for that price as long as its clean I can't complain!

I think you can probably find 4 days in a caravan park somewhere for that. Or maybe 3/4 nights in a B&B? But yes, otherwise camping in a tent is what springs to mind.

There are some 7 day ones at Haven for less than 1k even in August. Not the more popular sites, admittedly, but several. I think the price difference between camping pitches and a property to stay in is probably lower at Haven than it is in some places because there are so many more facilities. So everyone is being charged for the pool, entertainment etc whereas in quieter sites that doesn't apply.

Completely agree with how expensive days out etc are. I think we spent about £1100 last summer when we went to Blackpool for 4 nights 😭

We are always surprised by this place and how cheap it is. Its a hidden gem!

Here you go, a fabulous holiday in an exotic location for only £79

There's a lot of variation depending on where you go. Some park sites mean you don't really have to do anything other than use their facilities and the beach next door if you want, others not at all. With something like Blackpool the Pleasure Beach etc are a big part of the reason people go, but of course that adds up. It all depends on what you want.

I don't understand 'you have to buy food anyway' when it comes to the holiday budget.

I don't spend what I would usually spend on a weekly shop when I'm on holiday - I spend much more.

It's a holiday. I don't want to be messing around with proper meals. I'd want more snacks, nicer and easier dinners, more wine, the odd takeaway.

The cost of most holidays has gone up. We booked our summer holiday the other day and I couldn't believe all the extra charges.

I fondly remember going on a 2 week holiday in Orlando for £550 in 2006 😅

I doubt you'd be able to go for less than a grand, but if you use a specialist service like AffordAbroad they can turn up some very cheap holidays.

I paid £420 last week for a week in Scotland but fuel costs are about £120 getting there

They just seem like two separate questions to me. Has the cost of holidays gone up, yes absolutely loads. Is is still possible to have a holiday on the budget OP mentions, which may include having to not spend much more on food than you would at home, also yes.

That Orlando price is like a different lifetime!

Since covid it has got more difficult as prices shot up significantly for bookings in 2020 and 2021, they are levelling off a little but are still a lot higher then they would have been. Last couple of years I have paid less than £1000 for a week on the coast (E.Yorks coast /Northumbria coast).

I end up paying more though as need to sleep 5 / have 3 bedrooms - one of which must have twin beds, it is a harder task then you realise.

As for spending there we don't spend overly more than we would at home, we still need to eat wherever we are and we don't go out to eat (other than fish and chips on the seafront).

You can get a week high season in the UK for less than £500. you can also spend thousands, depends where you go and what facilities / level of comfort you are after.

Well it depends on your definition of a holiday doesn't it? You could probably get a Premier Inn family room for £50 a night in a non-touristy location. It's still being away with no cleaning to do - for me it would be automatically great for that reason alone!

It is possible but the problem is that £500 is doable for a caravan type holiday but that's only the accommodation, once you add food, day trips etc it soons adds up to £1000+
We went to Haven last mid August Friday to Monday for just under 500 but spent the same amount on the above.

You can usually find holiday cottages on Airbnb for £500 for 5 or 6 nights in the UK.

You could definitely camp for a week for £500.

That's hilarious 😂

That seems very cheap for half term

Our flight prices doubled in half term and over 800 for 2 adults and 6yr and suitcase

Plus then villa on top