Holidays are just not worth the money

[Phonicshaskilledmeoff]

Holidays are just not worth it.

The kids are desparate to go on holiday. I struggle to see the value though. For the 5 of us an abroad holiday is about £3k minimum. I struggle to get over the cost whilst I’m there - £500 a day and I sit wondering whether it was worth it.

The kids are excellent travellers and beautifully behaved when on holiday so it’s nothing to do with them. I just think it’s insanely expensive for what you actually get.

I enjoy it whilst I’m there - how do I stop being a cheap killjoy?!

It also has to be 5 star if you're doing everything in the hotel. Anything less is just a bit rubbish.

I was going to say, if OPs issue is thinking the holiday is too expensive, Cornwall's not the most obvious place to look! I don't doubt there are hacks to do it on the cheap, but then that's also true of going abroad and OP seems to want 'nice' places.

This is a great reply.

It's fine to acknowledge you're not perfect in trying to reduce your carbon emissions- literally nobody is.

Being honest and aware of the issue and owning your individual contribution is fine.

Getting all defensive and using silly excuses to justify yourself isn't.

I think one of the problems is that peoples' expectations are too high nowadays.

I would say my parents had pretty much the median income in the 1980s- we lived in a semi detached, dad had a white collar job, mum had a p/t clerical one.

Every year we would go on a package holiday to Greece, staying in a self catering "villa" (no pool), buying breakfast and lunch from supermarkets and going to a taverna for dinner. No hotel, no private pool, certainly no AI.

This was pretty much the same kind of holiday all my schoolfriends in our prosperous SE town used to go on. Staying in a hotel would have been considered very fancy.

In 2026 prices, does eating out every evening plus supermarket catering for the rest necessarily work out much dearer than a no frills type AI? Hotels are relatively cheaper than they used to be, and restaurants more expensive.

YANBU. I suppose it’s different with kids but I think holidays are expensive and pointless. What is the point of packing and travelling, spending a fortune, only to have go come back to the same old life?

There are plenty of ways to go on affordable holidays. You don't have to go abroad. You can shop around.

I loved traveling with my son, we went all over the world. I got creative, and looked for cheap accommodation and did DIY trips rather than package tours. You can find amazing bargains by doing that and usual public transport etc.

Now I travel with my grandson. Again, I shop around and find bargains. We are going abroad this year and we will fly with a budget airline, take carry on, and use public transport.

We go on UK holidays. I have a 10 night trip booked in August in the NE and Yorkshire, including the BH weekend and it's costing me about £360. We will self cater a lot but still eat out at least 3-4 times for dinner, so costs won't be loads. I know we will have an amazing time and won't have spent a fortune and he will be happy being on the doorstep of three different beaches over our tour

I find this sad.

Holidays offer a chance to relax, to recharge and to take the opportunity to think about your life.

I enjoy the time off, away from chores, the same old as I find staying at home just means I carry on with the usual life instead of taking the opportunities a trip away offers.

I find day trips more tiring then packing, the journey and the laundry afterwards.

We don't do resort holidays where the days are spend at a pool. We travel around, visit museums to see things I can't find at home, I see towns and houses which shaped history. Some trips inspired hobbies or supported them, some were used to talk about life changes.

It also means spending time properly with family instead of just between school, work and chores.

Well it's a personal taste thing. I love an apartment. Wake when I want, have a sitting room as well as a bedroom. Browse local supermarkets, my favorite bit, and eat t from delis, markets etc. Eat in if I feel like it, or eat out, or one meal in in and one meal out. See what my mood is. Stay a bit off the beaten track, with fewer tourists. I hate spas, like the sea not pools. And I'm very fussy about food, I'm a vegetarian and a buffet is usually shit for me. So your holiday would be miserable for me. But maybe we can agree we both love holidays, just very different types!

Eurocamp accomodation is literally on French-run campsites. There seems to be a big misconception that Eurocamp is like a French Center Parcs - one company running a holiday park with a gigantic pool. Eurocamp just rent a number of pitches on existing campsites. There are plenty of sites with very simple pools and mostly camping pitches, filled with European families, and no evening entertainment or kids' clubs. These are normally considerably cheaper than the bigger sites with large pool complexes.

For us YABU. We prioritise holidays and experiences.

Some of our best holidays when DC were little were in the UK, exploring castles, walks with stepping stones, steam railways and boat trips. The beaches were better too because damp sand is better for sandcastles and boats. We had amazing holidays in Northumberland, North Wales, Shropshire, Devon and Cornwall.

Camping with other families was a big hit too, because the DC went around as a group and had little adventures.

Self catering isn’t cooking every night. It’s eating in different pubs and restaurants, with the occasional eating in when you’re restauranted-out.

I'll agree that abroad holidays were a nightmare when DC were little. None of us liked the heat and predictably one would get ill and we had to negotiate non English-speaking doctors. But when they were a bit older we had some great city breaks and action packed holidays.

We still make time for a family holiday every year even though DC are in their 20s. It is time to spend together enjoying each other’s company.

At the moment we really need to redo the bathroom, and the stair carpet is showing its age. However, we’re more likely to go to Egypt and Cambodia instead.

This. Wouldn’t be without my holidays. We’ve done Cornwall, France, USA, etc etc. children always well behaved and we’ve all had a great time. Mixture of city breaks, longer holidays - hotels, caravans, air b&b and chalets. Recommend Yelloh sites for Europe, and Drury Inns in the U.S.. Good value for money.

Really important to have that bonding time all together with no work or school etc and pressures of daily life.

Money well spent and I’d do this every time over a new kitchen or extension or other material possessions. You can’t beat cultural experiences, travelling and the associated memories.

Honestly, I don't know. I haven't been on a package holiday in over 30 years.

I just know that the prices I see quoted for package holidays - usually AI- on Mumsnet seem insane to me, and that I pay a fraction of those prices to go on an independent holiday.

But we don't eat out every night- perhaps something like 1 night in 3.

Hard disagree. Holidays are absolutely worth it. If you can afford to travel and make memories with children and expose them to different cultures then it is absolutely worth it.

I loved the holidays with the kids, we all still reminisce about holidays we took when they were younger. This year my husband has asked that we all go away together even though they are adults as we still have fun together (with their partners too). Obviously you choose the destination and activities according to your budget. Enjoy x

I can believe it's cheaper if you don't eat out much/at all.

Have you looked at the Canary Islands, their peak season is the winter months. It’s a 4 hour flight and most people want the shorter flights to Europe in summer. We used to get some great deals when my kids were school age

Life would be boring without holidays.

Yeah, I'm a single mum on a low income. And if it means we can see Rome, Paris, Berlin, the Pyrenees and the Alps, I'll happily cook up some pasta at the campsite or in a studio apartment.

I'll say this again: Holidays can fit all budgets. You don't have to go AI. You don't have to eat out every night if you can't afford it. You don't have to have a private pool. You don't have to fly anywhere. You can have a great holiday without doing any of those things..

Absolutely.

I do think though that for those who are going to be eating at restaurants as often as daily, AI may be cost neutral. The holidays you describe in 80s Greece wouldn't be cheap to recreate these days, especially not with older kids. Self-catering where you do the catering yourself rather than paying to be catered to in a different way is the truly budget option. And of course, many places don't offer AI anyway.

I honestly just can’t appreciate your mindset. I love holidaying and I would do it every second if I could. Just spent £6k on a lovely 5 star AI that is top notch and will enjoy every second. Just wish I could do more holidays.

£6k??? But the boring bits will still be there when you get back. Surely it must feel worse to get back?

Genuine question as other than a weekend in France over 30 years ago I haven’t been on holiday since I was a child

Going on holiday is my absolute favourite thing in the world to do!!! I absolutely love it!! ❤️
I have 2 young children and we've travelled all over together, Interrailing trips, European road trips, long haul flights, short haul, city breaks, UK breaks. We try and go abroad at least twice a year.
It's the only thing I spend money on. We absolutely love adventures and experiences.

Maybe you should try it 🤷‍♀️

I think it's quite insular and sad never to go in holiday. Why don't you?

Ooh which one? I just came back from an Ikos resort. Superb. And no I don't feel worse for coming back. I have fabulous memories. Isn't that what life's about?