First ever summer off with children- what to do

[GiganticArkReadywithHottub]

Finishing my masters in mid July and I don't start new job until September.
Hurray!
Downside is I will have very little money due to no wage. Single parent, two children, UC probably won't kick in on time as I'm not entitled at present.
Just don't know what to do, was going to put house on air bnb for a month and a bit and travel?
House exchange?
Car camping/ road trip around the UK?
Or just stay home and eat what we have in the cupboards/ go to the park etc. Seems depressing with no money for day trips but the kids love the idea! They're 9 and 7.
What do you think I should do?

Have you looked properly into a house swap?

What would be your budget for going away?

It's worth looking in to your UC claim, it's a 5 week wait for the first payment so if you make a start fairly soon it could be sorted by the start of the summer holidays. I'm sure a bit of extra money coming in will open up more ideas for you!

bristolmama posts up an excellent list most holidays of activities. There's not one for the summer yet but I expect there will be, a lot of the things are year round anyway so might give you some inspiration! https://bristolmama.co.uk/

Ahh, yes, the wonderful smell of Bristol. I sometimes wonder if my children get a contact high just from breathing it all in.

Do your children have any particular interests?

If I did a house swap and there was the stench of weed and lots of shouting I'd be back home and booting you out immediately!

What do your DC want to do?

One thing I've done before is ask my DC to write a list of 10 things they would like to do in the summer holidays (and tell them it can't include going on holiday) and I've written a list of what I'd like to do with them - and then we've picked a few things from each list to do and ticked them off when we've done them.

They generally chose things like 'go swimming', 'go for a cycle ride', 'have a water fight', 'go for a picnic' etc when they were the ages of your DC (they're teenagers now it's not so simple) - so nothing expensive - and if you make it clear you will be picking a few things from each list then you can avoid impractical/expensive things.

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself that it's the 'only summer' and rather focus on what your DC want to do with you

@TakeOnFlea well it's the inner city, it's sort of what they sign up for. There's no such thing as a sanitised version.

I've been to lots of cities that didn't stink if weed and I didn't notice much, if any, shouting. So nope, definitely wouldn't be expecting it 🤣

If they don't like camping camping would they stay in a pod or similar? It's been a good compromise when my two don't fancy pitching the tent etc but I want to get away!

I think you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make it the perfect summer cos it's the only one you have. I would try to take the pressure off a bit, you will still have summers in the future even if it's only a week or two.
It's also worth remembering that what kids want and what we think they want are often very different. We took our eldest to London on his own to do loads of fun stuff like the transport and science museums. When he was asked what his favourite bit was he said the hotel breakfast 😑

Have you got any friends in a different place who would swap with you for a week? We are doing this in August London-Cornwall even though we are mid renovation, as friends will be more forgiving!

Or anyone who might need house/cat sitters?

I would do as much car camping as you can realistically afford. Go as far as you can on your budget. You could see a lot of free things across the uk and maybe even France if you can get the Eurostar/ferry fare together in 6 weeks of summer. It would be an amazing adventure at that age. I don't agree that you should stay home - that's fine when they're pre-school age, but at 9 and 7 your dc will appreciate the adventure. Even mundane stuff like shopping and cooking are fun when you're in a different country or camping.

Camping somewhere coastal. Cornwall, Devon, S Wales would be my first choice.

mine are beavers/brownies age so we are going to do some of their badges over the summer hols,

Exactly. Some libraries, do the Summer Reading Challenge.

Get their dad to have them for a week or his parents.
Dosent anyone want to see them?

@PassingStranger what do you mean? Yes I want to see them but I don't want to regret the time being spent at home.

House exchange! Or better yet a house sitting! Then eat your cupboards there.

somewhere country/ rural for a change.

Maybe foster a dog, or dog sit? Fun for the kiddos, little spare cash if you’re dog sitting. Just make sure it’s clear with kids that it’s Someone else’s dog that you are loving for the summer.

so yeah find a house sitting gig, one with pets if you’re not allergic. Spare cash for icecream after a dog friendly hike!

National trust membership os £10 per month for our family of four. Are there many places you could travel to? Lots have great facilities for kids

Controversial - blow budget go wild, explore Asia - once you’re there it’s cheap. You can earn the money back, but a long summer off with the kids when they are semi little is priceless and the memories. You won’t regret it.

Difficult to blow a budget when you don't have any budget.

Have a single parent friend who takes his two girls (primary school age) youth hostelling. They book a family room. Not for whole weeks though, but for long weekends etc.

Going against the grain but if I had a whole summer off no way would I be spending it all at home. My kids would be climbing the walls and we’d all be bored stiff!

Have you tried car camping with your daughter at home? If she can tolerate it I agree camping would be a great shout and it’s really good value. I’d probably book one or 2 campsites in your chosen area and then an airbnb for a few days in the middle and then work from there. My kids absolutely love camping though, we’ve camped by the beach in Devon, in the new forest, on the river wye (campsite with kayaking next to the river), Norfolk, Kent and around the Home Counties. We try to choose somewhere with decent facilities close to some swimming so that even if the weather is terrible it’s not the end of the world.

You can pick up loads of stuff on Facebook/ eBay second hand and if you’re out most of the day no need for loads of kit anyway- just tent, beds, something to make a cup of tea on and some chairs. If your daughter is in the car then you can get a tent which isn’t too big as well.

Also agree with youth hosteling as an option.

There are loads of rules you need to confirm to in order to rent house out as a short term holiday let including fire regs which came in last October. You need insurance, regular buildings/contents doesn't cover renting out.

The house swap sounds great if it comes off. Staying home and 'doing local stuff' sounds idyllic but it can be boring as heck. Nothing like exploring somewhere new.