WIBU to split cost of holiday four ways?

[Eldermilleniallyogii]

3 adults and 1 child (age 3) going on holiday. Holiday package will not give clear split of cost. Mother and daughter will share one room. Younger daughter will share with her DC3. Would you just split the cost of the holiday four ways? They have a room each so makes sense to split the accommodation costs equally and the child will also need a seat on the plane but we had thought the child place might have been cheaper than an adult space.

Splitting four ways seems fair however will mean in practice A and B will each pay a quarter of the cost while C will pay half as she is paying for C and D but it is her child.

How would you split the cost?

Is there a better way to do this?

Some of the replies on this thread live in cloud-cuckoo land if they believe children are somehow cheaper than adults.

However, what you could do is ask if the following is acceptable to your DM and DSis:

Check how much would it cost for three adults only. Divide by three and this is what each adult pays.

Check how much extra the holiday would cost for three adults and one child. The additional cost is what the child pays.

I would divide the cost of the villa by 3 adults and pay your own flights

I'd split the cost of the apartment between the 3 adults. Everyone pays for their own flight and the mother of the 3-year old pays for her flight and her child's flight too.

You’ll probably find, if it’s a package holiday at least you will be paying full price for your 3 year old anyway. Annoying but usually you have to have 2 fully paying adults in the room before you get a child price.

The adult bringing a child should pay a little more than the other two but not double.

Divide the whole cost of the holiday by 3.25. The two who aren't bringing a child pay that amount and have the parent of the child pay the remainder ie 25% more.

Work out what the holiday would cost with just 3 adults in 2 rooms. Each adult pays one third of that amount and the parent of the child pays the extra amount.

I agree with this.
The parent of the 3 year old is probably in the toughest financial position to start with. I can't imagine charging my sibling more to bring her child.

You pay for the flights for your child and split the apartment 3 ways.

Mum & Sis in one room, you and DD in the other so each room has two occupants. Accommodation should be paid by room, assuming no one is having to share a bed. If one room has two beds and the other has one, then divide by beds.

Flights you just price up with the airline and each person pays for their own (you pay DD's of course).

Why?

if the company charges 25 for a child, why should grandmother and aunt subsidize?

Unless you have to pay for the plane fare for your daughter. That’s on you.

The mother and child pay what it would cost them to book as one party. If it is the same as for the other two adults, they may chose to sub you.

Sadly @Eldermilleniallyogii it costs money to take DC on holiday and I am guessing yiur mum/sister will do a bit of childcare.

I feel like you should pay half the apartment then whatever the flights cost tbh kids fares normally a bit cheaper than adults.

If all financially comfortable ask if DGM and aunt are ok with a 30+30+40 spilt. You should be prepared to pay 25+25+50 though if there is no child discount. Pay your own costs e.g food and outings when there.

I would split 4 ways. Personally I wouldn't be happy with 3 ways as it isn't my child

I think splitting 4 ways is fair here.

I’d say to split 3 ways if the other adults each had their own room in the apartment, but they’re sharing so in exactly the same position as you and your child.

The mum pays the costs for her child ( plane, the room might be free for the child, meals, other travel) and then split the bill three ways.

I can’t understand why it wouldn’t be shared 4 ways? Regardless of the child’s age, she’s taking a room with her mum just like the other 2 adults are. And flights are the same pp so it’s divided by 4.

The thing that the split-four-ways advocates are missing is that (a) the mum of a young child doesn't actually have twice the holiday budget of a childfree woman or parent-of-adult-children woman and (b) these 3 women love eachother and want to be on holiday with eachother, and presumably the two women who aren't the mum of the young child both love the child and want to spend time together. Unless the mum-of-young-child also happens to have an income that is double that of the other two women then it is reasonable for all 3 to share the costs of the holiday with a small but non-doubling extra amount coming from the mum. The splitting-four-ways method is what is appropriate if sharing costs for something with strangers or relatively distant acquaintances who have no ties to one another.

APD is not the same for children as adults. And many hotels/accommodation charge less for a child.

I'd split it initially 4 ways and then take the quarter share and divide that into 2 and add half to your share and quarter each to A and B.
This means
A and B each pays 25% + (25%/4)
C pays 25% + (25%/2)

If it was £1000
They pay £250 + £62.5 = £312.5
You pay £250 + £125 = 375

So you are paying more for the child but not as much as a full adult price as the child will definitely not cost as much

Because the 3 year old isn't earning.

in my experience, it depends on two things, how much the other adults love/want the child there and the relative income of the adults.

It's tricky, but if you can afford it and would have gone anyway if you'd have to pay a quarter for DD then I just split it four ways unless the others suggest otherwise.

if I was one of the others, I'd suggest 3 ways, unless I was on a low wage & you were on a high wage.

I would just split it 4 ways

I think you're right that this is a difference of perspective but I would see it as :

a) well maybe maybe not, it's possible the OP earns more than her mum or sister, and in any case the onus is on her to choose a holiday she can afford. If she was going without them, she would need to pay for herself and her child so why not when she travels with someone else?

b) I actually sort of think of this the other way entirely, I am sure they love each other but I don't think of going on holiday with a 3 year old as a high treat, I would not be pleased if my relative suggested that I should be so grateful for the experience that I should want to pay extra

I think the OP should just propose a 4 way split and if her mum/sister want to subsidise her, they can offer to.

As an aside, I don't get the "the 3 year old isn't earning" comments, well no of course they aren't earning, they are their parents' responsibility.

@rateddoingmagic I don't understand your logic. If the mother of the yiung child has a lower budget by virtue of having a child then she needs to go on holidays that match her budget and suggest them so things are fair.

As a mother, I'd have difficulty subbing one dd and not the other. I'd probably pay for some of the holiday for both of them.

The reason why I was asking the question was because last time I took DC away they cost a bit less than the adults but EJ doesn't split and it appears they are the same. I will put through the same holiday with just three adults when we finalise which one so I can see the difference.

For the ones I looked at I can't see the split between flights and accommodation but I may be able to find a better deal.

I don't expect my sis and mum to subsidise me and my child but it may be that it's not practical for us to go depending on cost. It's my mum who wants us to go on holiday and she has given an idea of budget but it won't have occurred to her that I will be paying double that to bring DC.