How the fuck can people afford to go on holiday?

[Figuringitout]

I’m wondering if I am just super naive about how much everything costs. I earn an okish amount, have a small mortgage and don’t feel like we live extravagantly. I have 3 kids who I’d like to take on holiday. My husband earns seasonally (and is trying to increase that) but at the moment his main contribution to our budget is in looking after kids so we don’t have to pay for childcare.
Back to holidays, I cannot find anything somewhere hot for less that £4k and even France we’re talking about £2.5k.
So, do people have holiday funds that they pay into each month? Please tell me how everyone seems to be affording to go abroad once a year.

Often having a 3rd child means you need 2 rooms. My 3 are teens. Even rooms that sleep 5 won’t allow us to stay in them as once kids reach 12, they count as an adult. 😬 So we virtually always need 2 rooms. We find it costs significantly more when you jump from family of four to family of five and even more when they start hitting 12yrs.

We had 1 child as we knew it would be very tight financially with more.

No holidays until he goes to school (we go to see grandparents who luckily live in lovely places!). When he goes to school, I'll go back work part time and we will allocate money every month to save for a holiday. Probably Eurocamp.

Never been able to take advantage of cheaper term time hols in the pre school years as my husband is a teacher.

That's how we'll eventually afford it.

But I have 3 very active teenagers who would be bored rigid in a villa. We did this when they were young and it was great but not now. I’d end up driving everywhere to find stuff to do. Nowadays we pick hotels and holidays carefully. Usually do Neilson holidays as that’s what they love.

I prefer holidays to kids 😅

We live close to 2 major airports which helps. I spend a long time searching and comparing packages and separate flights/accommodation, I enjoy it. We do more 4/5 nighters than full weeks.

1 child, no childcare and no car payments makes a huge difference to our holiday fund, we can go away every few months.

I think even in that scenario it's obscene imo, but i dont have 3 active teens admitt we dly@ And I feel you're maybe talking it down a bit if it costs 12k and it's some kind of activity centred thing! But that's the thing isn't it we all have different preferences and if it's worth it for you then why not!

I spend a lot of time researching holidays, prices etc and have an annual holiday budget which is made from money saved every month. Mix of Turkey AI deals, Eurocamp, UK breaks. We're off to Turkey for a week in October - £2.5k for a week in a 5 star AI for 4 people. Already booked next years holidays too. I book way in advance or last minute for best deals.

Depending your child’s school year, just take them when it’s not the school holidays!!!! I don’t care what anyone says - holidays are memories and just as important to a child’s development in many ways!!!!! Term time is triple the price!!!!!!

It’s a no brainer if you can’t afford to go otherwise

We had exactly the same problem in the 1980s and '90s, towards the end of the latter finances improved. We really could not afford to go on holiday, ever, as a family but we somehow stretched ourselves, and our overdrafts, and did it. It makes me laugh to think of it now. Phew! It was hard. I think it is the same for every generation for people of average or middling income. I used to try and save for holidays but always had to dip in beforehand.

This will not last forever I promise you.

I think it’s hard for many people. We had many years with no holidays. However we were lucky in that my in-laws live in Wales so we could go and stay with them at times.

I’ve just taken partial retirement which meant a lump sum. I’ve used some of it to book. “once on a lifetime” type holiday. Hubby and DS hate plane journeys and this is 14hrs so I’m going on an escorted tour with other lone travellers

Next year I’ll pay for one we can all go on. …but within 2hrs of the UK.

This.

If you were working p/t and seasonally the responses would be different. What's stopping your dh working either opposite to you (eg evenings/weekends) or full time and using childcare? Would you be eligible for support from Universal Credit towards childcare?

When my DC were young I worked 3 evenings a week and switched to f/t when the DC started nursery.

Holidays are a priority to us and we don't smoke, drink much or have any expensive hobbies.I save into a separate account every month and book flights and accommodation separately. There was a post on here earlier asking if £3500 was too much to spend on a week AI - that seems eyewateringly expensive to me.

2500 for 7 days for 5 people abroad is not unreasonable. That’s 357 per day which divided by 5 is 71. So that’s 71 per day for stay and flight per person (obviously depending on the ages of the kids that would be less). Would it be possible for each of you (ie your DH and you) to save a 100 pounds a month? That would cover it across the year. I can understand if that’s not possible.

Also, I see some of the things other people spend money on and they are prioritising that over holidays - getting their nails done, takeaways, daily Starbucks, £100+ trainers, Botox, fillers, facials, beauty treatments , designer clothes, gym membership, expensive handbags, smoking/vaping, clubbing, alcohol…. We don’t spend on any of that so have more money to spend on other things.

Eurocamp

Dh works full time,I'm self employed on 2 days a week and we have 3 kids. We've been abroad twice now with the kids. Previously we hadn't been abroad for 8 years.

I booked Dlp a year in advance, as soon as the flights came out. I had researched before I booked it to make sure I got the best deal. For our holiday this year (flew to Morocco) I booked a hotel with bed and breakfast for £1500 ( 2 bed prestige suite) flights were £700. For 2 adults, 3 kids our holiday came to just over £3k.

Like another poster, we don't have expensive hobbies which helps.

I earn too much to get UC. My (teaching) job means I can only go at peak times.
My husband can/ will work more when my youngest starts school in September and has a lot of earning potential moving forwards.
I think I was just having a whinge, as I was seeing my friends on sun beds and wondering how they were making it work!
We recognise that essentially living on one wage means that certain things are off limits (we have one car, a modest house, limited meals out / takeaways) but I don’t think I’d realised how expensive holidays would be and anticipated we could maybe grab a last minute deal.
We do have a weekend camping booked and paid for - and I think we might drive / ferry to somewhere in France.
Thanks for the input, ideas and suggestions. I love the idea of a house swap - but have no idea what happens with all of your stuff? Surely not all wardrobes/ drawers / toys can be cleaned out in advance?!

Two above average but not huge salaries. Since kids we holiday in the UK most years, only go abroad short haul every three years or so. Often self-cater. Budget airline. Before kids we went on one abroad holiday a year, sometimes two. I miss it but we do see a lot of lovely place in the UK and have fun, it's very easy too.

I think that’s what I am going to do moving forwards - £200 a month I reckon is doable (and he can top up extra when he earns)

We earn quite a lot.

@QforCucumber Can I ask where in turkey this was please and did you book through a travel agent

Both need to work full time or one of you need to earns lots.

Not talking it down. This is just a TUI Blue 4* resort. Normally we do 10 days Nelson or similar for a similar price but they’re just half board and obviously just 10 days. Once kids reach 12yrs (worse when they get to 14) it’s adult prices on a package holiday and prices become ridiculous.

IME a lot of people who say things like ‘I earn an okish amount’ are actually on quite low salaries and don’t realise how much more others are earning

We went abroad every year until covid and sometimes twice, just two children though and a small mortgage that was paid off early, we also had some flexible working back when it was less common. We also do a lot of last minute deals so if your someone that needs to plan then its not for you. Also did a couple that were hotel and resort allocated on arrival. But the main reason though education is not the worst paid job in the world there is no way on that pay we could have had so many so were good at it plus had some luck with investing. Risky when young and could have gone horribly wrong obviously.

I keep my eyes out for cheap flights and then book accommodation separately, usually Eurocamp type sites. This year DD and I are going to Tuscany for 8 days self catering for about £1100

I just don't get why you'd pay twice what you need to if its nothing special?. A quick search of tui has showed me 4 adults at a tui blue all inclusive at under 8k (still obscenely expensive) there must be something really good about the specific one you've booked because there were other all 4* all inclusive for like 5-6k?

I realise now I've done 4 adults and not 5! Ignore me!