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.

We go abroad on alternate years - the in-between years we usually rent a holiday house with my parents plus my sister and her lot, which usually works out relatively inexpensive (obviously still a good few hundred pounds).

When we go abroad, we book reasonably far ahead, and go for self-catering rather than a hotel, so either renting a house, or Eurocamp. We look for cheap/free things to do, and we don't really go shopping (other than for food). Last year we had a week in Spain for 4 of us for about £1000 accommodation (a Eurocamp mobile home, on a site with a pool and playgrounds), plus whatever the flights were (I think about £600, from memory). Spent about £100 or so on food (which we would have spent at home anyway).

It does involve a fair bit of research, but we can't afford to just splurge, so it's worth it for us.

If you want a super cheapo holiday abroad you could drive to Brittany. Buy some second hand tents and get a tent pitch on a site with a pool and kids club. Job done.

Sounds like your husband isn’t bringing much money in.
Same here. I’m the one who saves, gets bills paid & buys the groceries & things for our child. And other incidental spending.

He complains about us having no holidays. But I can’t stretch to a holiday, as well. Most of my friends are married to men with good jobs. They go on holiday a couple of times per year.

I alluded to this on a similar thread but one of the reasons we can afford to go on holiday is because we made a conscious decision not to have more than one kid. It's not a popular answer but it's the truth.

Book in advance for best deals.

I think a lot of people really prioritise their holidays however I think COL has hit

https://inews.co.uk/news/business/ryanair-profits-budget-airlines-ticket-price-war-3182776

I would consider some alternative locations to the usual suspects, too. Places like Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, which all have a lot of affordable holiday parks, but go under the radar in the UK. Easy to reach if you take the Eurostar car train option, ferry, or plane. Landal Green Parks is a good alternative to Centre Parks, accommodation-wise there.

I mostly go on holidays with my husband. We both earn so were able to go on holiday during off peak times fairly cheaply. I hear about colleagues etc paying thousands for holidays for the family but we couldn’t do that without saving up first.

We didn’t book anywhere this year so I do have a fairly good holiday fund for next year (by my low standards).

UK only. Camping. Caravanning. Always had a great time

We’re not going abroad this year or in the near future. All money goes on mortgage, school fees and pensions. We don’t miss it at all. Flight delays and heatwaves just aren’t my thing.

Air bnb your own house at the same time, to cover some of the costs?

Eurocamp - we always went on the last Friday in June when the kids broke up from school and it is super cheap.

this year (kids no longer at school) we went the first week in June for a week. Accommodation under £400, flights £180 for two return.

It can easily be done with very thorough planning starting in January. Also heavily depends on your priorities. For us holidays always come first. Kids wont remember what expensive car you drove, if they had the latest gadgets, designer gear or a house full of stuff. They will remember time spent as a family.

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 lste teens). We have two holidays booked this year in the summer term. Italy for 10 days with return flights being £900 and very modern apartment for £550 for 9 nights.

Second holiday to France for 10 days. Return cabin Ferry to Brittany £280 and 10 days in fabulous resort (includes all activities) in 2 bed chalet for £650.

Like I said it can be done and we are on two average salaries in south east.

Drive to france stay in a nice large caravan. Lots of lovely sites with pools etc. We visited lots of castles and found outdoor parks and swimming lakes.
There are some with water sports on site.
Just have to look away from the package holidays.

Do you not feel your children are missing out? ….I took my kids to some amazing countries …..we have great memories ……now they are adults they all love to travel…..I am now visiting countries with my GD …..you are likely earning far more than I ever did ( nhs nurse) but I don’t envy your life with no holidays …..just a slave to your pay packet

Right now we can afford it as there is only DH and myself, no mortgage and no need to go school hols so can pick the cheap weeks . Doesn't help you though .

When we were confined to school holidays we would normally take our abroad holiday in one of the half term holidays and as another pp has said, we would book things at different times - so flights one month, accommodation the next etc . Also we only have one DC so that makes a huge difference - not just as holiday spend but all year round .

I think a lot of people don't go on holidays at all, you just don't notice them. I've never taken my kids anywhere we couldn't drive. We don't go every year, and often we camp or stay in something like a cabin.

I think posters on here might be idealising 'family time' on holiday somehow, or perhaps I just didn't enjoy holidays with my family that much when I was a child, I mean they were ok, but my issues with one parent were the same pretty much whether we were in France in a hotel or at home, if you have an amazing and fun time as a family in the UK/at home and have good relationships, that will be true abroad and if there are stresses and tensions in the family or your parents don't get on, you take that with you.

I do work from home though and try to make everyday life a bit holiday'ish', just going out for dinner, wearing nice stuff, playing music, eating nice food, I just wouldn't want to sacrifice that at all for one or two weeks a year. We do live in a holiday location, though, in the UK and so perhaps that's what makes life feel a bit better even if we don't do the tourist things in the summer as it's always too crowded.

I also like my job and my home, and am always glad to get home- I think some people are born travellers, one of my children is and has travelled solo round the world, I am not although a few days away is quite fun.

My last airport experience has put me off again, though. Nearly a whole day of delays and being stuck on the aircraft for a shortish trip to somewhere in Europe.

Last minute, not school holidays. I paid £1600 for one adult and 2 kids all inclusive. I would probably spread the cost out and book in advance in future.

We didn't have a holiday four years. Then this year we did two.
You say yourself your husband isn't earning much. So you save. Next year we won't have a big holiday - maybe Ireland staying with relatives.

2 nights camping in Cornwall for 2 adults, 1 child and the dog cost £102.
DH is self employed (as my username suggests he’s a farmer so takes a nominal wage) and I work 20 hours a week. This is the only holiday we will get this year and we had a lovely couple of days at the beach.

We definitely have to save for a holiday abroad, but as we don't have a lot of surplus money we've only managed it once when the kids were 16 & 19! It took about 2 years of saving and paid for a B&B hotel and all spending etc for a week.
Otherwise we save for a year and do a UK holiday for 5/7 days in a caravan/lodge or stay with relatives in Scotland, something like that.
We couldn't afford a holiday abroad every year but I'm very grateful for what we can manage.

It really is a make of it what you want situation too. We have done a wide variety of different holidays with our DC and at vastly different prices - when they were toddlers I wanted to take them away and came out in cold sweats at booking a UK self catering holiday that was £150 for all of us for a week as money was so tight but we had a great time and I have wonderful memories of it. This year I’ve spent over 100 times that amount on holidays, they have been great but in a totally different but also equal way to my old £150 holiday. The price tag and where you go isn’t everything.

I know. Let’s go to that lovely hotel we stayed in prior to Covid in Ibiza for a week in August. It’ll be about £5k mind.

Try £12k.

Why are you tied to school holidays? Just say your DC are ill and go on a short city break, somewhere in Spain, France, Italy maybe - flights to Milan can be pretty cheap and intercity trains are fabulous, food is cheap, there are plenty of AirBnbs. It's doable