AIBU to ask where the hell can I take seven people on holiday without bankrupting myself?!

[Whysomany]

Not really an AiBU but posting for traffic after weeks of research and coming up blank.

Promised the kids a holiday, specifically abroad, as they've never been. August 2024. Made the mistake of promising before fully researching and quite frankly I feel a bit fucked now.

I think they'd all like to travel by plane having never done so before and probably unlikely to again but blimey, flights for seven people. I severely under estimated. Looking at driving instead. This we can do but DH doesn't want to drive too far because his car is old and crap, basically.

Originally looking at South of France, Italy, Spain, etc. They all seem out now because of flights and hire car costs. And I don't think I could persuade DH to take his car that far. I have since looked at pretty much every destination in Europe...

All I've got at this point is a week in the Netherlands but honestly at this point, that feels a little disappointing after dreaming of a hot destination and somewhere a bit further away to the UK.

Am I doing something wrong or basically I'm right and it's just not doable? We were looking at Eurocamp and the equivalents.

No set budget. Originally looking at 2.5 - 3k plus food, days out, etc. Might be able to go a bit higher.

@nameXname You don't need to convince me about the benefits of trains! I love train travel and much prefer it to flying over shorter distances. We have a holiday in Amsterdam by train booked for next month and we took the train to Heidelberg via Paris just before Xmas. However this question was about cheap holidays and (unfortunately) budget airlines or ferry/driving are going to be cheaper most of the time. Last year we wanted to travel to the south of France by train during the Easter holidays, but I'm afraid having looked at the price for four people we ended up flying to Rome instead. This Easter we flew to Jordan for £55 return (plus a little extra for luggage) which was quite frankly obscene. It costs nearly that much to get to London, less than an hour away, in order to just get on the Eurostar... !!! I sincerely wish that trains were a budget option but most of the time they are not.

Acorn Holidays - Ardeche/Dordogne
Sunparks - Holland
Chalet hire in Morzine
Eurocamp near Le Touquet or La Rochelle

I grew up in a family of seven, with one extremely tight parent and an old banger that saw us spend many a long car journey on a slip road waiting for AA roadside assistance, so I hard relate to this OP! Others may disagree, but for big families during school holidays, I would say flights are just a no go, you'll have eaten up your entire budget before you've even upgraded from hand luggage. You can pack a car to the rafters and half the fun is the arcade on the ferry crossing over. Your children can do an airport experience on their own dollar in due course. Our holidays were always hilarious, fun filled, usually with a few calamities along the way and I hope to re-create the same experiences for my own children. The recommendations above are the best / most memorable holidays we ever had; apologies if some of these are now out of budget but I think they are a good general template when holidaying with children with big age ranges. Hope you find what you are looking for.

Look at eurocamp.......and spend the money you'll save on upgrading the car 🤣🤣🤣

Also efteling is really cheap. You can hire large houses there too, it's actually a theme park with a resort attached in Holland (( I think ))

It also has a donkey that you feed a euro and it fires a printed coin out of its backside, its worth going for that alone 🤣🤣🤣

Could you hire a decent car and then camp ?

Before you give up on flights, try searching Kayak/Skyscanner for “everywhere”

https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/choose-your-next-adventure-skyscanner-everywhere-search

On Jet2holidays, 7 nights self catering in apartments with pool, first week in august next year in Corfu seems to come in under budget. Flights from Stansted and includes airport transfers.

Yeah I wouldn't go to Agadir, I rate it as one of the worst holidays I've ever had...and I travel abroad for a living!

It's a grotty town, the beach is horrible and all the excursions are just scams to get you into shops and sell you crap. Luckily I was in a good hotel with a nice pool but I still wouldn't recommend the place to anyone, there are far better places in Morocco.

Not sure if someone has mentioned, but depending on your area, you could maybe do a house swap and save on accomodation?

The other thing to do is to wait until next summer and book a week before. My DD and friend did that this summer with flights and separate booking.com accommodation and it was under £500 per person for flights, accommodation and transfers to a Greek island for 8 nights. Bus services to explore are cheap and reliable. You would need to be flexible with where you go. The flights for next summer are the same cost as their entire holiday! You may eg need to be in two or 3 apartments in the same complex as most won't be large enough for 7. Bulgaria is cheap (where she went last year doing the same).

I was going to suggest the Netherlands. Easy to get to and loads to do.

If you look at Sun £9.50 holidays, these can cover the first week of school summer holidays and cover Eurocamp destinations all over Europe. Also if looking at Eurocamp, direct check other countries websites as they can have different school holiday dates

That's easy. I've assumed you live in London as I haven't read the whole thread. Ryanair flights for 4 adults 3 kids to Alicante is 1200, airbnb with 3 bedrooms is £1100. Shared pool.

Centre parcs Europe. Many are within 3- 5 hours drive of Channel tunnel! Or book a castels campsite - lez eaux or le grande metiere are lovely. They do camping where you just take tents and bedding and you have shower room, kitchen and patio stuff on pitch now.
Both options you can do 10 days in August for under 2k.
The camping can come in at just over £1000. Lovely beaches north west France lots of free places to visit.

Trains to south of France (no idea of cost!). Coach holiday abroad?

If a trip is driveable, why not rent a car for the week. It would be cheaper than air fare and DH won't have to worry about the car breaking down.

I've just looked at the Trainline and I can book tickets for two people (with railcards - very cheap to buy) from Glasgow to London in approx 7 weeks time - 10 Oct - on a convenient train - leaving around 9.30 am - for £58.10. The journey time is 4hr 36 min, centre to centre.
To travel by car, the time according to routecalculator. co.uk would be 6 hr 50 min, and the petrol cost £69.93 And then there would be secure parking, possibly congestion charges etc etc .

@Mast I agree with you that the fares to Jordan seem appalling. But also, I stick to my point. Many/most young people these days are climate change aware. It's going to affect them, after all, much more than it affects us. So I really think that holidays should - for THEIR sake - take the effects of cheap flights into account.

To put it at its most unfair - many/most children have no say in where their parents book a holiday. But in the past, many/most childen were asked to write a little piece about 'what I did on my holidays'. Teachers are -for good reasons - more tactful these days. But even in the playground, I would absolutely hate to be the child who had to say 'we flew cheaply to xyz....'.

Just a note about france...the Olympics are on in August 2024...not only in Paris so that might push price/availability up a bit.

We've got Egyot booked for Easter next year, all inclusive, 7 nights, 8 of us, 2 rooms, £3300, booked through love holidays.
If you are open to where you go, do a search on sky scanner and leave the destination blank, can see list of cheaps flights and go from there, Air bnb if you are wanting your own space or book through the likes of on the beach, love holidays for hotels etc.

It’s worth dicking around a bit with free child places. I remember doing this when my aunt was coming with us - it turned out cheaper to book her with a child and me with a child and two one bedroom apartment then all four of us in one two bedroom. Play around with splitting the party when booking and see if it helps

Don’t dismiss the Netherlands. Zealand has stunning white beaches. Sea is freezing, mind you.

Last week of August is usually cheaper. Return day before school starts. Loveholidays is good. Spain your best bet all inclusive.

Iv just had a quick look at on the beach and you can get self catering for 7 in salou end of August 24 for 2300 Inc flights from Stanstead..definitely worth a look

Iv just had a quick look at on the beach and you can get self catering for 7 in salou end of August 24 for 2300 Inc flights from Stanstead..definitely worth a look

Apologies if it's already been mentioned as I've only read your posts. You say a hire car is too expensive for a 7 seater, do you and/or your older children drive? Could you hire two smaller cars? No idea if that's doable/cheaper it was just the thought that popped into my head. I haven't been abroad in 10+ years so I've no ideas I'm afraid but I hope you get sorted and have a lovely break with your family