To ask teachers if you just accept the inflated holiday prices?

[justoneofthoseyearsagain]

Is there any other way to bring costs down? Looking at a UK break at Christmas and it’s £1600 - the following week it is £600. Obviously not much you can do but does sting a bit!

High demand holidays and breaks have always cost a lot more.

No choice! It's been the same all my working life.
We just always had to pay if we wanted a holiday.
However, I was always grateful to have the long holidays with my children and not pay for childcare.

I know - have to admit I didn’t realise by how much.

They would just have to book the higher costs just like anyone with children in school will do.
I guess it's something to weigh up when you decide on a job.

True not needing holiday childcare is an advantage.

I just go to places other people don't - that helps.

Unfortunately yes, as you can't change the term dates and can't request time off for a holiday (understandly would never be allowed).

If it's price that's a priority for you rather than time of year, then look at October or February half terms, or do a weekend break to include an Inset Day as these dates differ between schools/ counties so you might find some cheaper deals. For example, my children's school doesn't return until 9th September this year so some parents I know have booked a late summer break.

We have two under 3 so need to play it safe with destinations! But I can see why that would help in the future.

Any good examples of where?

Yes, we have to suck it up or not go on holiday. I did a lot of cheap camping and shabby static caravans when my kids were little and we were skint.

Kazakhstan was great.
If you're willing to travel on Christmas Day, you can sometimes get reasonable deals to the US.

What can we do?

It's not just teachers though is it? Anyone who is restricted to school holidays has to suck up the inflated prices ie most parents, even more so that rules changed this week.

I know … just ouch!

Yes, I just accept it and we do whatever fits our budget. This year, that meant we didn’t have a proper holiday - just a few days staying with friends.

I knew this would be the case when I went into teaching the same as I knew holidays would be more expensive once we had children.

Yeah, I try to get away at Summer and Easter and I’ve accepted that it costs a lot more. I think I’ll only do it for a few more years as I’d like to be able to go away with more flexibility and less costs, but it’s been useful while the kids were young.

Yes, but those expensive preschool years (due to childcare / loss of earnings) mean people who don’t work in schools can at least take advantage of cheaper holiday. Although as someone rightly pointed out you do then have savings in school holidays.

It was the one issue which tipped the balance against retraining as a teacher!

I do wonder if I should do another job sometimes but then I know there are other advantages of course . I wish websites wouldn’t show how much cheaper it is the following week!

Just look at it that way - at least you don't need expensive childcare. Most parents have the double whammy - can only holiday when it's expensive and have eye watering childcare costs.

Sometimes, the whining if teachers on here gets a bit tedious.

For example, places like rural Czech Republic are cheap but also nice. You just need to research more than a typical holiday.

I just don’t take lengthy or ‘luxury’ holidays - we live near the Midlands tend to have a week in Scotland or Wales most years. I’d quite like to go abroad, but it’s prohibitively expensive for us at the moment.

My DH moved to the private sector which made a difference as terms broke up a week or so earlier. Crazy that the parents with more money get the cheaper holiday dates!

No choice unfortunately

Yes.

Often did Feb half term somewhere like Egypt or Morocco,

Personally I am of the opinion that I like the summer in the U.K., the time I need sun is in the winter.

Yes, you do just have to accept it.