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.

I assume this is what most people do - either book and spread the cost or save each month into a separate account.

I assume your kids are very young and so make sure you look for holidays during the term time when it’s a lot cheaper.

Your DH could also pick up some night shifts, instead of just working seasonal.

Also with your earnings what is "an okish amount". Minimum wage works out about 20k a year full time and most adults with kids have at least one parent who has progressed in their job and earns more

We book well ahead! we’re going to the US soon and it’s been booked since January 2023 😂 as soon as we’re back we will probably book the next holiday. Maybe use a credit card for extra protection this time (crowdstrike!) and then pay it off with savings.

We prioritise holidays and eat frugally / don’t do theme parks or fancy cars. We have a small house and a small mortgage for this reason!

Eurocamp for one week cost us £317 for the week...own oven etc. this was France by the beach.

We stay in the UK but rent the best houses we can afford. This year we've been to Yorkshire, stayed in an amazing house and had a great time.

Next year we're venturing abroad for my big birthday.

I think I just don't like holidays enough to prioritise them, my children are older now so they go away having saved up from their jobs/savings with friends.

When they were younger we used to do a weekend or two in the UK, London, Travelodge somewhere, and then a couple of weeks with the cheapest flights and staying in a friend's flat. I also let the kids go on a lot of school and Guide holidays abroad/to interesting places as these are cheaper if just one child goes and they take it in turns. Funding four or five people on a full holiday is expensive.

I would rather have lots of meals out, drive a better car, just not feel the pinch at home so much rather than prioritise better holidays. I love my home, my children like eating out, buying Vinted bargains, having fun together, gym, and the odd cheaper holiday, I wouldn't feel like I got value for money unless I was in an amazing 5 star hotel, I don't find cooking and cleaning in another location very fun, if I'm honest.

I can't afford 3 children. But can afford a week in Eurocamp

More money, different priorities.
They might have decided they don't want three kids for a start, so holidays are much easier

We holiday in the UK. £3000 for a gorgeous cottage in the Peak District. It used to be for 6 of us but my FIL died last year so now it’s just the 5 of use. We pay £2200 which is what the equivalent of a place for 4 would be and my MIL pays the difference. Then we spend about £1700 while away. The spends could probably be cheaper but we eat out a lot and generally just don’t think too much about money while we’re away. We save monthly for this.

We’re also off to Portugal next year and that’s £1000 pp a week AI at a great hotel. My dad’s paying for half though.

And I decided not to have three children ☺️

When we only had 1 child, we went abroad twice in the first year of her life. Now we have 3 and have been 0 times 😂 It is partly the stress of it (kids 7, 5, 3.) but definitely money related. We go to Haven (don’t knock it till
you try it, kids love it.) & camping. We will definitely want to start going to other countries as they get older, I’m thinking possibly France next year by ferry. But everything will be done to a tight budget (air b&b, cooking whilst away etc.) & probably paid off throughout the year on the credit card. I saw someone up thread has paid over 7k for 10 days. I just couldn’t. It’s all relative to your income obviously but I could make 7k go so far for us. Our holiday cost more in the region of £500 or less.

In our case it is 1 child +1 parent, holidays planned around at least one/both flights being reward flight. We normally travel quite a lot.
Flights are the most expensive part to be honest, esp in pick times.
I can't imagine doing the same with 3 kids + 2adults on one income.

We booked Egypt for August. 3 of us less than 4k 10 days all inclusive with easyJet. We booked it in January

I look for the cheapest flights I find across Europe. Then look for an Airbnb, self catering. Sometimes we hire a car, sometimes we rely on local transport. We eat simply, picnics at lunch, the odd meal out. Love holidaying like this, always an adventure.

Dual income and adult childcare. We go 4 tines per year. Although when the children were small we always had 2 holiday.
Just saved

Thanks everyone for your comments - I think I was just feeling a bit shit as I have been really wanting to take the kids away and I just can’t fathom how to. My youngest have never been on a holiday abroad. I appreciate that other people earn more - but I guess I was just thinking of friends/ acquaintances and wondering how they do it. I don’t want to stick it on credit and I do have some savings, but struggling to justify spanking that much on a week!
I am super lucky in that we live in an area that lots of other people come to on holiday, but I just wanted to take the kids away. We’re tied to school holidays and maybe have left it way too late for this year. There’s no way I can afford to put £500 a month by for a holiday, so maybe we’ll do the hot holiday every other year and really look forward to it!

Dc and I went to Spain for 4 days. It’s just 2 of us. Flight was about £120 total and accommodation was £350 (it was a 3 bed house that slept 6 though, right by the beach). I couldn’t tell you what we spent on food and things to do really, but we did a lot of free stuff (beach, playgrounds, free museums), but a few big days out, like aquarium and science museum which was like £60 total for both is us.

We went to supermarket and bought breakfast and snacks, some lunches and dinners, which to be fair, was similar to what we’d pay on food shopping at home. But had a few bigger meals out.

I’d say it cost us maybe £700-900 total. Probably the most expensive bit was the bloody airport parking!

I don’t see how people are spending thousands on a holiday personally. I think the biggest issue you have is simply not earning enough (Dh not working much) and having 3 dc. I have 2 but I don’t take them both away together every year (age gap and different interests).

You could maybe try a holiday in a different form. Go off the beaten track to rural Poland or Czech Republic, Ryanair for flights, airbnb for accommodation , and make a bit of an adventure of it. Slovakia or Romania would be other ideas.

Pretty sure there was the same thread last week. Less kids + more money is how we do it.

How does this make sense? For lots of people childcare is so expensive that they can't afford to work as childcare costs would outweigh their salary by far! So it's not about prioritising not having to pay for childcare, it's probably that disposable income would actually be LESS if husband chose to work?

I don't have 3 kids
I prioritise travel
I hardly spend anything on clothes and makeup. This year, have bought about 3 things.
We don't drink
We don't do Xmas.

I learnt from an early age you can't have everything. Travelling/holidays for me were a big deal so I limited the children I had to just 1 and chose not to own a car.
After all our food and bills/out goings are paid we have £2100 per month spending money to buy anything we want
It's amazing how much you have buy giving up a car

Depends what you prioritise! I love going on holiday so it’s our priority. We do a family holiday abroad each August (we are a family of 5 too and stay in villas - our preference), costs just over £5.3k for all of us each year with Jet2 villas (includes flights/car/bags). Then do a trip to France or Cornwall in May half term too (drive). Then probably centre Parcs over October half term. We earn fairly ok (not rich esp as eldest daughter is at Uni now).

it costs a lot. But it’s what we love so that’s what we prioritise (and pay in instalments).

We have a tent and camp in Cornwall but eat in cafes at least once a day - good food is our priority!

But of course it wouldn’t happen if we didn’t save a bit every month…

We have no children and a mortgage to pay. We’ve never been abroad and have been together over 20 years as we spent 15 years saving up for our home. A permanent address has been our priority.

We had a caravan holiday last year out of season was £150 same again for food and fuel. This year same caravan site in autumn again out of season and the cost has gone from that to £600. It’s the part of the UK I’m originally from and we have never been able to afford it in summer but now at the stage we can’t ever afford it, but if I don’t go home I don’t see family ever.

i am in my 50s and see post after post of acquaintances/friends/family having amazing once in a life time holidays, buying new caravans/campers and so on I have no idea how any of them can afford it.

One friend works pt, two mornings, on benefits with kids. She’s had 2 amazing bucket list destination holidays with her DP (about to go on the 3rd and 4th already booked for next year), 2 caravan holidays with her kids and has also bought a caravan on a site for weekends away with D and is just about to have her annual fortnight in the SW. Thats all in about 18months and has probably cost more than our wages. I don’t understand how that’s possible. Even if we saved every month, we already do, for a break we could never afford that.