booking holiday last minute? How cheap does it get?

[Piddypigeon]

I haven't been on holiday with the DC but I promised to take them somewhere this year. They are absolutely desperate to go somewhere in the sun.

I have a teeny tiny budget only (max 1.5k for the three of us, DC are teenagers if that makes a price difference) and couldn't find anything now for the Summer.

Is booking last minute an option to get something really cheap in the school hols? I am thinking of booking a week of annual leave and then try to find something at short notice for very little money?

Both have disabilities, and camping is out of question. We need a hotel.

Could you go slightly before the school holidays? This will almost certainly improve your chances. No idea how cheap it might go unfortunately, everything seems really expensive at the moment.

Are you looking for a UK holiday?

You have little hope on that budget op.

Take them out of school if they aren’t at crucial ages.

We would like to go abroad. I have to wait for school holidays. I work and won't get AL approved before they break up.

I know my budget is tiny but I can only work part time as they have such high care needs and no childcare available :(

Not as cheap as it used to be.
We found one to Morocco last year that would have been £240pp for a week but the pictures looked really grotty so we didn’t bother.

We live really close to an airport so I remember they used to have a travel agent in departures, we’d turn up with our cases and ask where we could go for £100 and usually got a week on a Greek island - I miss those days or maybe I just miss being young and not having responsibilities.

We live really close to an airport so I remember they used to have a travel agent in departures, we’d turn up with our cases and ask where we could go for £100 and usually got a week on a Greek island - I miss those days or maybe I just miss being young and not having responsibilities.

I will check that out. We are close to a major airport.

I’m going to Marrakesh this year and it’s £1200 per person! The prices are nuts. They don’t get cheaper in my experience ( though we have limited choice as there is 6 of us)

to me , also, I wouldn’t want to go somewhere crap. So, I would save your 1.5, save another 1.5 this year and then go next year somewhere lovely. I don’t even think in the school term that price is doable.

Where in the country are you? Prices vary a lot depending on airport
Also when are your school holidays? My sister's dc breaks up 10 days before mine and goes back in August
What age teens? That will make a difference on price too

We have Liverpool and Manchester airport close by. we are in the middle. I would be able to get a week off in early August only.

Holidays don’t tend to get cheaper closer to departure anymore. The bargains are found by booking at least a year in advance.

It depends when your school holidays begin and how old your teens are...on easyjet holidays flying from London you can get a weeks self catering in Spain either canaries or mainland for aroun £1300 if they are under 15 and you all share a room (flying 20th July). You'd need to add meals but can buy cheap breakfast and lunch food and eat out in the evenings.

@Piddypigeon make sure you check their passports now - that they are valid and will have at least 3 months (possibly 6) left on them at the end of the holiday. If not you will need to factor in the cost of replacement and get on it.
Also if you/they don't have GHIC cards then apply now - it's free

https://www.loveholidays.com/holidays/l/?masterId=80345&boardBasis=AI&nights=7&rooms=1-14-16&date=2025-07-17

Try here. We've been and it's not awful. It's 15 min walk from a gorgeous beach. 2 mins away from a big asda type shop and small shopping centre.

There's a McDonald's and burger kind about a 20 min walk away.

The food is basic but my kids have autism and they lived off the chips and desserts. I found the food quite nice actually.

There's a little arcade. It's not fancy. It's more on the level of Butlins but for your budget that's what's available.

It's all inclusive.

A friend of mine saved loads of money once by booking a holiday from Glasgow airport for after after the schools in Scotland had reopened in August but the English school were still on holiday.

It's doable on your budget, you'd only be looking at a three star but £500 pp including flights is not unrealistic. I take it you work in education? Go for right at the end of august/ early September, prices drop significantly

I say it is possible.

I just put in 7 nights in August into BA’s holiday finder (dep London) (https://www.britishairways.com/travel/holiday-finder/public/en_gb), sorting by price low to high, and the options include Toulouse, Marrakesh, Sofia, Tuscany, Naples, Barcelona and Istanbul, among others.

How about Spain for a few days rather than a week? We went with Ryanair a couple of years ago and booked hotel and flights separately. you could get 2 or 3 days for 1.5k. Look at Valencia, small, lots to do but not overwhelming. beaches, aquarium, museums, walks
only about 20 minutes transfer time from the airport so more holiday time. Where are you flying from op?

Lots of options on

Is allocation on arrival still a thing? I got some pretty cheap holidays in Greece that way when I was a student.

However you have to be very flexible in terms of your accomodation, so may be not the best option if you have teens with disabilities.

Out of interest I've been checking the price of our holiday we booked last year for summer 2024. The price has been climbing since and is now almost 30% more expensive.

I loved those cheap allocation on arrival deals when I was in my 20's!
Unfortunately now I'm in a position to go at the drop of a hat (retiring in July), bargain late deals don't seem to be a thing

Jet2 is cheaper than TUI as you can book oddments of days.
Six nights can be significantly cheaper than seven, and you can alter your flight times to benefit you.
Flying Tues to Tues or Wed to Tues or similar is often cheaper than flying on a Fri Sat Sun or Mon.
Eg.
Wed to Tues. Dep UK 0600 hours. Dep Spain 2300 hours. - an extra day without the cost of an extra night..
Departing on the Wed /Thurs before school breaks up is at least £200 ppn cheaper.
Go half board at least if you are on a budget -much much cheaper when you're there, and budget able.

Mainland Spain will prob be your best bet if you want sun and a range of cheaper options, plus cheapish flight from UK.

Let us know how you get on!

I have a week in Spain booked for 4 of us for less than £1.5k. I did book EasyJet flights the day they were released though and then an Airbnb.

I would look for the cheapest flight routes on sky scanner (eg Nice, Barcelona) and then find the cheapest day for flights, then a 2 bed self catering. You could look at 5 days rather than a week to bring costs down

You could possibly get flights and hotel but you won't also get fed for that price.

I got Portugal for 10 days in the 2nd week of June for €1700 euros (from Dublin) for 2 adults and a 14 year old, flights, accommodation room only but that suits us, private transfers, priority boarding with cabin bag, no checked bags. The place we're staying has a washing machine so don't need anything larger, it's a 2 bed maisonette in Porches. Booked through love holidays.