What is your summer holiday budget versus household income?

[GreatWhiteWail]

DH and I are not aligned on what our holiday budget should be. Because of covid and having young children we haven't previously gone on a (scottish-) school-holiday-time family holiday to a resort. When it was just DH and I we did more city-break type holidays (and even though we went to nice hotels, it didn't cost that much). We have never done a 'week in the sun with a beach/pool' type holidays so have no frame of reference. I'm talking about just a European resort for 1 week plus flights for 4.

I know there will be outliers as some people have no mortgage or childcare costs etc and will spend a lot more than is typical. but I'd be interested to know what's normal for different family incomes.

Is £5k for a holiday for 2 adults and 2 children a 'reasonable' budget? We each earn approx £60k. DH says people earning this would spend much more than that. I am uncomfortable with £5k, as although we can afford it, it seems so much money to just spend (rather than save or spend on the house etc).

Apologies for the nosiness, I don't want to ask friends as although I really want to know if this is normal, it would be rude to ask what they earn!

Christ.

We earn almost 60k gross between us. Never have holidays as too many bills/outgoings/shit cars to pay for, plus supporting two students.

Going for first holiday in YEARS this August, 11 nights AI to Cyprus (all 4 of us, so two rooms). It's just under £6k total. Almost £5k of that is coming from DH's tiny army pension (he was only in for 3 years, no other option but to take lump sum, so that's what he wants to spend it on bless him).

This will be first and last overseas holiday unless something changes drastically and we are all v excited.

I’d say that’s reasonable budget even if ur going in school summer holidays. We usually take kids out of school a few days early to get it cheaper and £5k is our budget too but for 10 nights. Usually 4 star AI with gd reviews, a few pools and slides etc for kids. Although this yr it’s more than double that budget as we are going to Florida.

I’m part time and our household income is around £68k but mortgage free. We also go away a week in the winter Feb school hols, on a much smaller budget probably about £2.5-£3k. usually a couple of wkends away in the UK too.

Our household income is about £40k and we spend about £12-£15k on holidays but we're retired with no mortgage. No fancy cars or expensive hobbies or regular eating out etc. This is obviously new for us - we did years of UK seaside and Eurocamp, now we're spending a few years exploring the world while we can

Our household income is roughly £70k and we put £400/month aside for a summer holiday. Usually we have 10 nights at an all inclusive in the sun in July/August

I would say we spend around 10% of our take home pay on holidays. What varies for us is the kind of holidays and when we go on them. Sometimes we do more cheaper ones, sometimes we do a couple of bigger (cost wise) ones, but we always also do lots of weekend breaks.

Probably between 7-10% of post tax income.

Joint income 130k but high outgoings due to childcare and commute

planned holidays this year:
Easter school holidays- week in a caravan-£500 but spending on days out and meals will be another £1000 easily i suspect
summer - week at all inclusive in Spain - £4000
october half term- Eurocamp near Paris - accommodation only 390 euros but flights/eurostar will be £1000 plus food/days out

I have a one week beach holiday in Europe once a year in school holidays. For me and 2 kids plus the bf of one of them (the bf pays for own flights). Self catering 3 bed villa booked through Airbnb or similar, easyJet flights (or whichever airline is cheapest). It’s not possible to do it for less than £4,500-£5k to cover flights and accommodation. Spending money while there is on top of that.

Similar income, also scotland, and i tend to budget ~£6 - 8k for holidays.

I would be wary of spending that on one week though. Someone gets a vomiting bug on day one, and its money down the drain.

I tend to do summer breaks in England, before their schools break up. £3k can get you an amazing two weeks at the start of July. (Theme parks, holiday parks, etc)

Then if we go abroad, it is usually in October. Especially if your holidays are in the first half, it is often half the price of the summer, and a more pleasant temperature.

Personally, while driving/ferry/eurotunnel options are probably even cheaper, they are too far away to be viable.

50k household income (dh works, I don’t).

3 kids (well, one is an adult but he comes on holiday sometimes).

We only just started having holidays last year. Week in Cornwall last year and the year before. Cost 2k with accommodation, food/eating out
and petrol.

Don't think we will be doing anything this year as we did a house renovation tail end of last year.

We’ve been abroad together once since we got married in 2011, that was to Italy in 2017. But we only had two children then. I don’t know if we will be able to afford to go aboard for a hell of a long time, and we have the dog to get cared for too if we go aboard.

Around £500 for everything -travel, accommodation, spending etc - probably every other year though.

Occasional bigger holiday approx £1000 abroad but everything 3-5 years.

We spend around 20% of our income on two cheap holidays abroad and a few weekends away in the UK (I say weekends, we usually go midweek because it’s cheaper). Our household income is £50-60K, but our mortgage is paid off and the DCs are grown up, no DGCs yet, so our overheads are low. We spend about £10-12K altogether but live quite frugally to afford it.

We spend 50% of our income, but no mortgage, no car payments, no debt, and good earners. Travel is a priority and we are lucky enough to be able to embrace that.

It's such a matter of taste isn't it !

I personally woukdnt touch a jet 2 holiday no matter how expensive and i certainly wouldnt trust it on giving me that value !

Id rather have some nights stunning hotel in Paris for that budget eating at the best restaurants of my choosing.

@EmeraldDreams73 I'm glad you are excited but why one really expensive holiday ? Why not 3 or 4 ?
Stunning air b and b somewhere x 3 or 4 ? Get your own flights

Household income about £170k, just two adults no kids.

We’ve spent just over £7k on our summer holiday this year, all inclusive for two weeks. We’re also going to the US in spring for a week that’ll probably be another £5-7k all in (£3k for flights and hotel).

It's that 60k each gross or net?

We earn about 100k gross between us and usually spend 4k across the year. That might look like 10 days in Europe in self catering, plus spending money, a camping trip, and another shorter break away.

We had some incredibly cheap holidays pre covid and pre school holidays!

Household income is £110k here so not far off. We’re spending £3k on an AI in May (so outwith school hols). It would probably be more than £5k in height of summer. But…our mortgage is £201 (not a typo) 🙈😂 we do overpay it but it’s still less than 1/3 of yours. Could afford to spend more on holiday but my OH is not a big fan of abroad and tends to spend his portion of the free money on his own interests.
Holidays abroad have massively jumped in price though, as has anything considered a luxury (like bloody kitchen roll?!) I went to Jamaica in Nov 2022, very luxury 5* resort all inclusive for a week for £1k per adult. Same holiday now is £2.3k per adult.