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?!

Enjoy! Dordogne is lovely

My parents used to save like crazy to take me and my brother abroad every two years (we had free rail travel because my dad worked for BR, which helped). I remember the first time I saw real, proper mountains (Switzerland) when I was 10, beaches in Belgium when I was 8, Austrian lakes...

I'm now in my sixties and my parents are long gone but the memories that remain are priceless. I was undiagnosed ADHD and must have been a nightmare to take away, but I am now so glad that they made the effort to do what can't have been a great deal of fun for them!

Eurocamps are great value, and in lovely places so you can travel around. I’ve been on really expensive holidays with kids and super cheap ones and they don’t particularly have a preference! They just like to be away, preferable with water nearby at some point, and preferably with friends or family.
We never do package though - or all inclusive - so can manage our budgets accordingly.

@msmolli I refuse to pay money on rent a cottage in the UK. The weather is not guaranteed and I don’t want to eat ding dinners every night.

this.

£3k for 5 people? Jeezo, that's some bargain! It's the opposite of expensive. 😯

AI is actually easier to manage budget wise. But I appreciate it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I never did AI until we had kids (well we had one amazing holiday in Mauritius but that was it).
but I find with young kids it’s very easy, especially if they become picky about food. Free ice cream and snacks, all that!

I agree, if OP really does mean that spending £500 a day is what the £3K in total is (effectively) for.

We have so many happy memories of Eurocamp holidays all over Europe. So well organised.

We've had years when we haven't gone away and I've really struggled. The kids love it, the pools, the buffet, the family time.
We are a family of 4 and 3.5k seems to be standard for a week AI. I'm a teacher so always more expensive.
We do little trips away mid year so family in Ireland and my parents who live by the sea. Did a city break to London this year.
As along as we can afford it we will make it a priority. We live simply to be able to afford holidays e.g. one car and rarely eat out.

I prioritise holidays over most things
From DC being 5+ I was a lone parent and funds were tight I used to save my expenses from work into a separate account to fund them
We would normally do a U.K. caravan break around one of the half terms and a week abroad in the summer, cheap cottages, villas or euro camp - northern France, Holland etc all easy to drive to
As teens we did a mixture of city break and beach holiday further afield but always self catering and as cheap as possible -
I know some people don’t like self catering but I never cook properly on holiday - mixture of cheap eats out, takeaway, oven or ready meals
In turkey we hired a stunning villa with pizza oven, bbq etc on the terrace and just cooked round the pool every day
These days I can afford more and DC are grown up but I still prefer lots of economical holidays rather than an expensive AI or cruise type holiday

Maybe you're not choosing the right type of holiday for yourself.

I did last year. It was great. Still cost about 2k though between the travel and the park. Then of course expenses whilst you’re there.

Getting away for a holiday makes everything else worthwhile.
I want to relax and be warm, eat nice food and explore a different culture.

Very much easier and cheaper now that the children are grown though so you have my sympathy on the cost.

You don’t have to spend 500 a day!

3k abroad holiday / 7 days is about £500 a day.

£3k holiday /7 days. The holiday costs £500 a day.

staying at home and spending £500 a day sounds like more fun and better value to me at the moment! Especially if we have the weather we had a couple weeks ago.

if you can afford it - it’s worth it.

if you can’t - it’s not. It’s not worth debt or stress.

but if you can - you have wonderful experiences and wonderful memories and they are good for your health.

you can go for less than £500 a day though

I never went on holiday abroad as a child but I still managed to have good memories of my childhood despite not setting foot on foreign soil!!! I did go on holiday, it was in the UK!!!!

My first time on a plane and going abroad was age 18. I went to Israel to live and work on a kibbutz for three months!!

But we don't have that weather consistently do we?

That’s not a holiday then is it? I pity people who think like this.

We’ve spent 11k for our summer holiday in August . Myself and husband work really hard and we see the value of a total switch off. It resets us and the kids and in my eyes there’s nothing I’d rather spend my money on now when I’m relatively young (41) we did do cheaper holidays to Spain over the years when finances weren’t as good. Always had a great time. Currently on the count down now and we’re excited.

that being said we priced up a week cruise in the Caribbean over Christmas and it was 24k that wasn’t worth the money in my eyes.

I mean they’ve been to lots of lovely places abroad (including long haul).

I’m just struggling to shake the cost and whether it’s worth it at the moment. Particularly when I order the tui type website in order of price and it’s going to be £500 a day minimum for a holiday that doesn’t look that fabulous.

A 3k holiday is about £500 a day.

If you can afford that and you love holidays then it’s worth it for 5 people to fly and get accommodation.

If you can’t afford or aren’t really fussed then it will feel expensive. Stop looking at the cost per day and look at the cost per person.

When you have a large family then you kind of have to let the increase in cost go because it’s all relative to the cost per person, that’s what makes the holiday more expensive. 5 meals out in a restaurant doesn’t mean the restaurant is too expensive it means there’s 5 meals to pay for.