I hate my budget holiday

[ValentinaTheVampire]

We have small children to do things on a budget so we tend to do self catering in the UK to avoid paying for flights and also so we aren't all squashed into a hotel room.

But ugh, it has been so miserable this time (we are away at the moment). The weather where we are staying is pretty miserable. We are staying near family where I grew up as we tried to do holiday and family visit in one and I am honestly just counting down the days. I'm so tired from all the driving about and visiting and trying to keep kids entertained in the rain with none of their usual stuff around to help.

The cottages we've had the past few holidays have been so tired looking and even then they are so expensive.

I have a small but perfectly nice house at home. Kids aren't exactly getting a cultural experience here (although they are loving seeing family).

Dh wants to do another holiday cottage for my 40th birthday which is coming up over other school holidays and I've just told him no fucking way 😂.

I'd rather spend the money on my house or save for a nicer holiday even if we don't get one as often.

I can't tell if holidays have got worse or if I have become a that who just likes staying at home.

yeah, that would have tested my patience.

@underneaththeash I used to live in France and do speak French (although it is quite rusty now), so that sounds lovely.

I need to chat with dh about it and just say I'd rather save for a big trip somewhere amazing but less frequently. Dcs would enjoy planning it too. I am not against a cruise but I do get seasick so maybe not!

I am not against a cruise but I do get seasick so maybe not!
I also get sea sick but have been on over 20 cruises and have never got sick on one.

We looked at ferries, flights, villas, hotels etc in Europe. We gave up as what's the point - young children only need a pool/beach, soft play, play area and evening entertainment. We ended up on a caravan site in Devon which had all the above and we had a brilliant time. No driving anywhere as the beach was private access, pool etc. Not cheap still £100 per night but we've lowered expectations massively.

My proper 'holiday' is staying at my parents house a few times a year - no cooking, cleaning and very little childcare too

That's amazing @SunsizOut! Is that because the cruise liners are so big?

We are in Devon, the weather is great and I love it. The bungalow is gorgeous and very large, not sure is it called budget holiday, but honestly all inclusive for me is hell on earth. La Bretagne in France will be a nice change for me. All inclusive, do not find the idea appealing at all. Might sounds numerically like you are doing financially well, but culturally does not provide anything

After seeing all the Butlins horror stories popping up in the media over the summer hols, and friends from who have been, you couldn’t pay me to stay at Butlins.

Shame as it’s ideal for a cheesy holiday, but I’d rather not bring fleas home, sleep in mouldy beds or be electrocuted from the light switches.

My DH and kids get on my tits on holiday after about 4 days so I tend to keep the breaks short and sweet now.

Park Holidays in the UK. Get a lodge, just did a nice one for 410 3 nights in Cornwall. But others look OK. Far cheaper than booking.com or whatever, free swim every day. Often crazy golf.
Eurocamp even cheaper but is a caravan. About 250 return on eurotunnel plus fuel on top. Brilliant. We're doing duinrell with the theme park free plus pay for waterpark in Oct ht for 420 3 nights then 2 nights in a cottage by the beach on the way back. Overall 900 for 5nights and tunnel.

Holidays in holiday cottages with children are always the worst kind of holidays imo. They're not really holidays are they (bar the not actually being at work part)? They involve all the chores that being at home involves, but usually in less comfort. Don't even get me started on cottages that expect the place to be left squeaky clean because they're too tight to employ cleaners. We always go self catering but always in some kind of resort or Eurocamp place, so there's a water park and entertainment for the kids. Honestly, I think a week in Eurocamp, travelling on the Eurotunnel, is going to be cheaper than a week in a cottage in the UK during the summer school holidays. The sites own accommodation is often cheaper still. It'll be 1000x better, and at the very least there's the kids club.

We are going to France for less than £1500. It is SC but air BnB may be your (future) friend.

Snap @Boomboom22 !

If you're spending £1650 for 2 weeks then you'd have £3,300 every other year to go abroad for a week - depends if you think that's worth the trade off?

Ah OP I’m sorry. I may have missed it but how old are your kids? I truly wouldn’t worry about not making magical memories for the kids. When I look back on my holidays as a kid some of the best ones were the slightly more cobbled together ones. We once had two nights in a hotel down the road that had a swimming pool. We went with one of my mums friends and her two kids and all shared a room (mum and her friend were both single mums). It was truly magical. It had a swimming pool. We all shared a room. All the kids cried when we left.

Just to say when you’re a kid you have no perspective of how much things cost or really how much your parents are (or are not) enjoying themselves. You said your kids were loving seeing family - that’s probably enough for them to seek it a good holiday!

Would you consider going away with friends and splitting the cost of somewhere a bit more upmarket? We’re going away with friends to a lodge with a hot tub in November this year with 4 kids. No way would either family justify it if we weren’t sharing but it’s so reasonable to split the cost and have the kids share rooms.

YANBU. I always hate holidays, I find them very boring and I despise the feeling of coming home if you’ve left behind a stressful situation; it’s like some sort of horrible comedown. I’d rather stay at home and regroup my shit together, do a couple of nice things and then get back into normal life. Also I feel holidays are an epic waste of money!! When people say they’ve spent thousands on ten days of their life I literally think ‘that’s probably 20 days of work’ ha ha. To me there’s just no value in it! X

Timberho

op can get an abroad holiday easily for £1600

you can get green in school holidays for around £1300 self catering for four people

you can get family four all inclusive turkey for around £2k in august

I completely agree

We did an air b n b last year. Cost a grand. Not as nice as where we live. Mezzanine bedroom with a curtain across, acting as a door 🤔

No WiFi. It rained all week - small town, nothing to do when it rains. Kids got stung by wasps. Had a problem with the water. TV remote control didn't work. Dvd player didn't work. Etc. Fair enough it was in a lake but there wasn't actually a beach?! Plus loads of flies

Easier to stay home!!!

The rule about somewhere nicer than home is often only relevant in the UK.

We've stayed in some dumps abroad (admittedly they weren't infested or filthy) compared to home, and were able to laugh about it. Spending all day on the beach or similar, gorgeous weather and then a cheapish meal out with kids playing on the local park etc.

Never done camping as it's not my story but been to plenty of downmarket apartments/air bnb type places. SC is easy and cheap in good weather.

They really won't be. Our "Premium chalet", for 7 nights was something like €1150. It was the camp sites' own accomodation, so cheaper than the Eurocamp vans, but nicer imo (it had a dishwasher!). Their most basic chalets were less than €1k for a week, we stayed in one last year, and it was still absolutely fine. But the kids don't care about the the accomodation really, when they just spend most of their time in the waterpark.

YANBU. I also have small kids and we have realised we would rather do 1-3 nights away in a really lovely hotel or fancy weekend break than a week somewhere crappy. We are on a tight budget now and planning 2 days and a night away in a fancy hotel as it will feel like a real break!

True @AMessageToYouRuby, a not so nice aparthotel or even a hostel somewhere you've always wanted to go is fine.

But a put your feet up between family visits stay in a cottage in the UK needs to be a bit nicer imo. Different for outdoor pursuits etc where you just want to be near the walks, bike rides etc as well or if you're just staying in a travelodge for a concert or something. They don't have to be nice imo, just clean and with somewhere to sleep comfortably

Meant to add we have started doing more ‘staycations’ and the money saved we can afford nicer places to stay/more fun things to do. I’m team fancy hotel all the way or failing that going abroad.

Yea I get it. With small kids going on holiday is basically parenting in a different place, but without your home comforts.

We're currently in Sicily and we've rented a lovely villa with a pool up the side of a mountain with a view of the bay. It's cost less than alot of holiday cottages in the UK would have cost, and the food and supermarkets are very cheap.

If you can save up for the flights, go abroad somewhere sunny. It's worth saving up for, even with small DC.

YANBU. Unless it’s a case of not having passports, I think you’d have to be mad to choose a UK holiday over one abroad. UK holidays are expensive , crowded and a huge gamble regarding the weather.

Even if you love your family and enjoy spending time with them I don't think visiting family is a proper break somehow, we did it for years. I would be very inclined to break up the two things, do 4 days with family staying locally (so not big issue if not fab) and then save up for the bigger holiday year after next. Or use some of the great ideas on here of where to get more value for money.