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.

Package holidays are v expensive just book your own flights and accmd op and you will stay in far more attractive, large places than a bland hotel

@Tittyfilarious we stayed at the liberty Fabay in Fethiye, booked direct with jet2. It was 30degrees while we were there and just perfect,

Have booked tor the same price for October next year covering half term and 10 nights again.

We don't have children so can go outside of school holidays, though holidays have risen in price massively in the past few years, I am not sure how those with children afford it either

I agree……Okish to me is 50k …..but more or less to others.

Dual income, no kids, fairly modest tastes. That's how.

We usually have three holidays a year, at least 2 abroad. This hear has been 7 days in Boston and NYC, 8 days in the South of France and we will probably go to Frankfurt in the Autumn.

Collectively we earn nearly 9k per month household income.
Mortgage free
One non-school age child so can go off-peak
Prioritising holidays over expensive cars for example

Yes, it will increase when DC2 is born & DC1 starts school, however we visit family long-haul every couple of years, so save for that to fly business class as I refuse to do economy with tiny kids. That is typically one month salary.

We also tend to do 1-2 abroad holidays, which again is typically one month salary - a two holiday year for the non-long haul years.

We only go abroad every few years. Holiday in the UK most of the time. We aren't going away this year because we are going on a nicer holiday next year. Maldives. 2 adults, 3 children. But plenty of days out and 4 day breaks this year. We love nice holidays but I'd much rather have money in my pocket to do whatever we want whenever we want. Rather than just have a holiday once a year.

This is what I did when kids are young:

1. Fly to France..somewhere obscure a (eg Stansted - Nantes 10-17 Aug) £400
2. Hire a car est £500 and drive 2 hours
3. Get a cheap Air BnB inland with a pool, like this one £850: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/30856499?adults=1&children=3&location=Saint-Jean-d%27Ang%C3%A9ly%2C%20France&searchmode=regularsearch&amenities%5B%5D=7&checkin=2024-08-10&checkout=2024-08-17&sourceimpressionid=p31721941021P3KaZTULwXw5E1NK&previouspagesectionname=1001&federatedsearchid=5026977b-d9bf-4cd1-b03e-0b53e477c931 Ignore the bad pictures. You'll be out all day anyway.

£1750 for the holiday then it's up to you how much you spend (I always eat out at lunch, much cheaper) but probably £750 or so if you want a few nice days out (eg Vallee des Singes, aquarium at La Rochelle, boating on river at Cognac) or restaurants

If that's too much, drive down from Calais and stay a night en route. You'll probably bring it down to £1500.

It's only since I've been full time and had very good payrises recently that we've spent thousands on holidays. When the kids were smaller we kept it much more simple.

Have only been on traditional package holiday once in 2021 as a last minute thing when our plans fell through due to France shilly shallying around with Covid rules. Last year we went to Croatia for ten days staying in an AirBnb - a trip we'd had to cancel from 2020- and spent £3-4 grand. Ate out most of the time but also had a couple of barbecues in the garden. Tui etc always seems a bit of a rip off to me and rather basic.

That’s completely normal Turkey pricing ime. I’ve been twice in recent years with Jet2. Jet2 tend to be cheaper as you get slightly closer to departure date ime. Last year we had a weeks 4* AI for under 3k (with one free child place). I booked October half term at the end of August.

They can't (at least quite a lot aren't). I live in Cornwall and it should be rammed with tourists right now, but many places are half empty. The weather isn't helping, last year was dire too, so I assumed a lot more people going abroad this year. But maybe people just can't afford it with the COL squeeze and mortgage rates catching up with them.

I thought it was just uk holidays getting rather overpriced, and more people turning to foreign ones instead, but some of the prices mentioned on here are pretty eyewatering too.

OP it’s fairly simple - harsh though it is they have more money than you. I am frequently baffled by the ‘how to people afford x and y’ on mumsnet. It’s pretty obvious really. Pre school kid time though is when most people are pretty short of money, it does get better!

I put money away every month. If I get any extra, ie overtime, winning on the premium bonds I put the money into the holiday fund. I don’t do all inclusive. We safari tent camped in Italy for the last few years.

The costs have really rocketed since Covid! I just can’t bring myself to spend 3k + on a bucket and spade holiday, we just stay in Uk, and get late deals on accommodation when we hit a decent stint of weather.

Booking in advance so longer to pay. We have just booked 10 nights in Egypt next August for 3k for 4 of us.

This year we are off to Devon for a week - £600 (partly because we have a 3 month old so can't be dealing with airports/planes but also cost!)

Can you go away outside of the summer? We just booked Spain for October school
holidays and I was £1500 for 6 nights all inclusive for three of us. We also have a holiday fund that we pay a wee bit it into each month and I’m a proper scouter for good deals I’ll look for hours!! To be honest thought we couldn’t afford it on one income so it’ll maybe get easier when childcare commitments are less and your DH is back to full time work.

Jet2 holidays fan here! Pre DC it would be my idea of hell but with DC we can pay it off over a year, go all inclusive so there’s always something for DC to eat and we book hotels with splash pools, water slides, on-site play parks and close to the beach. DC makes loads of friends so the evening kid’s entertainment means we can actually sit down with a glass of wine and relax for 10 minutes whilst they’re dancing and we can see them, we take turns building sandcastles/ splashing in the Sea/ playing in the pool etc so we both get a bit of downtime with a book and it works well!

Usually get a free kids place too but I’m not convinced it’s by free as I’m sure they hike the adult price up to compensate!

We don’t go in holidays every year.

We didn’t go anywhere for a good few years.

I do think holidays are gone very expensive now, they are a bit out of reach for a lot of people, and even when you save up and really prioritise holidays, they can be a bit stressful with children, especially if anyone gets sick and all the airport carryon etc.

Yes, a lot if it is with 5, we need 2 rooms. This massively bumps up the price.

Single parent with 2 children, have just booked a week AI in turkey with tui for the last week of the summer holidays for £1587. This was with a free child place and a code from their website for £100 off for lone adults travelling with children.
It's a 3 star so won't be luxurious but it fits our budget and is in a lively area so there will be plenty to do.

We went in May half term, so a bit cheaper than summer. I don't like the heat, so reports of 40 degrees in Europe this summer horrify me! But we had never been abroad with the kids until they were both in school and won't be able to afford it every year. All inclusive or half board means you can spend less there too.

We use DH’s bonus. In the past when DH was building his career, we quite simply never took a holiday (the first five years we met). Then Covid happened then we had a newborn so we put some money aside and took our first holiday in 2022! We will probably do one big holiday (long haul trip) every other year than annually going forwards. Holidays are not something I want to scrimp on anymore given how long we went without ever taking one.

Three children will be more expensive for a start. And only one of you working. You can't really expect to afford an expensive holiday.

2 adults 4 children
1 income
I'm a stay at home mum.
We went all inclusive last year for 10 nights for 2500 flights &transfer & luggage included.
It was only to alcudia but its all possible.
So we have booked this year too.

Single parent with one (adult, student) child here.

I didn't go abroad last year because I couldn't afford it.

I went abroad this year (family wedding). We booked flights as early as possible and found cheap Air B&Bs.

I'm starting overtime shortly and will be putting the money aside for next year's holiday.

School holidays are longer in Ireland (two months for primary school and three months for secondary school), so the holiday window is wider. Although I don't have to consider school holidays anymore.

I didn't have a holiday abroad for several years when DD was smaller because we had to pay childcare fees.

Camping and Ireland are a really bad combination. I'd rather stay home - at least I can watch TV if the weather is bad .