How do people afford holidays?

[OneHornedFlyingPurplePeopleEater]

We usually book a UK holiday, cheap and cheerful.

We're now in a position to save approx £300/month towards a holiday. I thought that was great, it's the bulk of our savings each month.

I recognise that we're in a very fortunate position, and I thought this would get us our first abroad holiday.

I'm looking at 10 nights all inclusive at a nice (but not luxury) hotel in Europe. Shit flights, they all are. And school holidays, so paying a premium. And its coming in at £4-6k.

Is this crazy or has it always been like this? How are people affording this?
That doesn't even include any spending money, or any clothes or suitcases (we wouldn't need much - and can borrow suitcases).

It's really got me down. Am I doing something wrong?? Looking in the wrong places (tui, on the beach, jet2holidays etc)? Is it much cheaper if I booked closer to the time?

How about looking at 7 nights instead of 10? Half board as well as AI? My kids don't eat much but I like AI because it's easy to just go with the flow and not have to think too much about meals.

We don’t earn much more but no childcare cost. Kids are older and one of them is no longer child fare the adult flight fare. I save £850 a month for holidays, which works out to be £10k a year. I plan for two overseas holidays and £5k each.

Easy jet flights and book via booking.com.

Greece can be cheap to eat out and if self catering can eat in and out etc.

You can't spend £3k to sleep in a tent.

I've just found a 3 bedroom rental unit on a campsite near the Med with a pool for about £450. Granted it's September but it's not too much more in the main school summer months.

£3.5k, not turkey (husband is refusing and I didn't like it when I went to not fighting it), 3 hrs flight time (from London), childcare not essential - but kid friendly pool is. Summer holiday time, potentially miss the last couple of days of term. Would prefer 10 days.

For self catering about £1k less, but in an area with a lot of restaurants.

Husband has said he's sick of looking, wants to just go to an agent 😆

If your budget is £3600 all in for your abroad holiday (12 x £300) it is do-able but very tight. You have to clever about finding the deals.

Sometimes it pays to book a year in advance to get the free child place, other times, book just a week or so before you go using the ‘deals’ finder on Tui. It takes a bit of trawling and surfing various holiday websites to drop on something that you like but be flex with dates (the very last few days of Aug into Sept can be cheaper)

Forget about ‘on the beach’ or ‘love holidays’ - they are basically just websites for flights and accommodation together but are not ABTA bonded so you might as well book flights & accom yourself but use them to do your research.

I’ve seen some good deals with Easyjet Holidays, also BA holidays are often surprisingly cheaper than Tui, Jet2 etc. Have a look at Money Saving Expert for more tips.

Good luck x

You be smart. We spent about £1200 for four people (two DC) to spend a week in Paris last summer. Drove via the ferry, stayed in an Airbnb which wasn't central but great Metro links to the centre, Versailles and Disney (also meant we didn't need the clean air thingy for the car). Breakfast and lunch was always self catering.

Be flexible with destination and dates. I prefer to eat out anyway and would actively avoid all inclusive.

Ps your husband's idea to use an agent isn't a bad idea. We used one for Disney Florida and they got us a better deal than I could find independently.

We're in France and doing 10 days self catering in a 4* air conditioned mobile home style unit with decking etc and dishwasher for €1600. Tunnel was £400. I don't think that's bad at all. Yes it's not all inclusive and you do have to cook/eat out but some of these eurocamp/yelloh places are great.i would much prefer that than an AI place which turns out to be rubbish.

Last minute deals? I booked a 14 night cruise for 2 weeks at the beginning of June for beginning of July for £2100 for one adult and two children. We finish schools end of June. If your children are young then take them out of school a few days early? I would like if I could .
Save up and go every other year ?

By earning more than you. I don’t really get this question.

Holiday costs seem to have increased massively this year - along with everything else I'd guess.
10 days always comes back more expensive though, look at 2 weeks if a week isn't long enough, you should be able to do the Balearics in July for 3.5k all inc for 4 of you if you can get a free child place

• I would if I could

If you go for SC on a large holiday park, you can save a lot. This is 3 bed accommodation, with pool and beach access. Great park, close to a town. If you get the ferry from Plymouth/Portsmouth , it’s not far to drive in France either.

https://www.sandaya.co.uk/our-campsites/escale-saint-gilles/rental-units/16

I think these types of holiday are better suited to your budget.

On the Yelloh website now!!

Used them a lot when DS was younger.

We have now done a mixture of camping and booking apartments in places as well.

You can get a lot for your money.

So you’ve got a budget of £3.5K. The 10-day holidays are coming in at say £4.5K. If you cut 3 days off your holidays, to 7 days, that’s £1,350 and bingo, problem solved? Honestly since we’ve had kids the idea of a 10-day holiday (or, luxury! 14 days) is a distant memory.

I just got 7 nights in a rental cottage in a Yelloh campsite next week for £500 in the Dordogne.

All the rental accommodation at the Yelloh! Village Domaine des Chênes Verts campsite (yellohvillage.co.uk)

We've just had 14 nights in Ibiza for 6.5, next year is looking like 8. Holidays are expensive.

You can either afford it, or not.

And that BTW, is the answer to how I afford holidays abroad.

I suppose it all depends what you want from a holiday. And how much you think it's worth.

End of June isn't early in England it's almost 4 weeks early.

I married a teacher so have been stuck with school holiday prices
For 20 years.

We have just done a week SC in the Canary Islands for just under £3000 including all spending money for 4 people. You can save a lot by not going AI and sorting the flights etc yourself.

Holidays are super expensive these days! We had to dip into savings for our long haul family trip this year. But we balance it out by not going abroad every year - sometimes a cottage holiday in the UK.

We put some of our bonus money towards the holiday! If we didn’t get that we wouldn’t be going!

First to say “cruise”.
Ok so you hate the idea…but …what hotel turns down your room twice a day? What hotel comes with your own room steward? What AI gives you al a carte and buffet and room service whilst not going down the cafeteria route?

Even if you hate the ship and all the passengers you still get to leave every morning to look round a different city. And go back to a room that has a balcony sea view.