That me and the DCs will probably NEVER have a nice sunny holiday abroad becuase my DH refuses to do the 'Brits Abroad' thing

[PollyPentapeptide]

So we instead we have to have endless holidays traipsing around the Lake District or sitting on wet and windy welsh beaches

Not that the Lake District/Wales/Cornwall aren't very lovely (because they are!) but because that is all we do!

All of DC's friends will go back to school in September with tales of trips to Spain or France or Florida but our DC's won't (and probably never will)

[vacaloca]

Cheap flight to Santander (SDR) with Ryanair or Asturias (OVD) with Easyjet - that takes you to Northern Spain - not a brit in sight. Or not the type your DH is thinking of, anyway. Then go to a campsite like this right next to the most amazing beach, or this if you want more facilities like a pool. Northern Spain is where all the Spaniards go to escape the heat of the South, so there are not that many foreign tourists and culturally is completely different to the fish and chips costas of the south.

[Janos]

I'm sure someone else will have suggested this Polly but one great option for a cheap 'cultural' type holiday abroad is to hire a self catering place somewhere like France. Lots of nice houses in out of the way places and it's very inexpensive. South of France and Dordogne are most expensive I think.

I see someone else mentioned Eurocamp, they're great and very cheap, often have restaurants/pools etc on site and the tents are generally very comfortable, only disadvantage being that you have to walk to the shower block (yuk!)

Lots of brilliant suggestions on here anyway, best of luck finding somewhere

[Gateau]

What's the difference between Brits abroad and Brits in Britain??
You're surrounded by them here. At least when abroad you have the opportunity of hearing foreign accents.. We did in Portugal - really not many Brits - thank goodness!

[witchandchips]

italy (sardinia + sicily) is good as easter really counts as off season for the non brit destinations.

[Janos]

Some of the more out of the way greek islands are great too, but they may be a little more expensive.

Greeks generally really like children too, so none of that children are annoying/keep out of the way nonsense.

[Sidge]

Tell him it it possible to holiday abroad without spending a fortune, and without doing the whole 'Magaluf Hell' kind of thing.

Why not look at villa hire? It usually works out much cheaper than a hotel holiday and you have so much more privacy and freedom.

We have used Travillas a couple of times and found them very good.

[Botbot]

Might he fancy Scandinavia? Not very sunny, but definitely no chance of being naff.

We (pre-dd) hired a cottage in Sweden through this lot a few years ago - it was lovely. We did it as a last-minute discount thing so, with Ryanair flights, it was cheaper than holidaying in the UK.

[pointydog]

There's only a problem here if your dh is a bit of an arse.

Before children, we went on cheap package holidays to sunny places in Greece and Turkey. You stay in a typical, fairly uninspiring resort but there are LOADS of historical/cultural/botanical things to do round about and you can easily find a small quiet beach and avoid the crowds.

It's not hard to go on a package and avoid getting blind drunk on ouzo while riding a donkey, you know.

[PollyPentapeptide]

Thanks everyone for some really great links - lots to work through now. I am going to give him a choice of magluf or a nice campsite somewhere in france/northern spain.

Also really like the idea of doing a house swap but sounds a bit scary! (will I have to tidy up before they come?)

[pointydog]

FRance and eurocamp aren't particularly cheap

[JammyQueenOfTheSewers]

Would he rent a cottage in France. We've done this several times, take car over on ferry, self catering cottage with a few lunches out thrown in. Not too expensive really.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

You could try camping in France or similar in an independent campsite rather than a Eurocamp type place - will work out cheaper and not be full of other Brit tourists.

[OverMyDeadBody]

You need to think outside the box Polly. I am a holiday snob, like your DH, but it has never stopped me travelling abroad and I do it all on a budjet.

Avoid package deals, all inclusive camp type holidays, look into self catering houses in remote areas, hire a car there, and you'll have a cheap holiday.

As well as France and Spain, which could turn quite expensive, investigate other destinations like Poland (beautiful sunny beaches in the north), Italy, Sardinia (the best campsites I have ever been to, very cheap too), and other parts of Eastern Europe.

And house swapping is a very good idea, you should seriously investigate it. Think how much less a holiday would cost if you didn't pay for accomodation!

[OverMyDeadBody]

Avoid places like Eurocamp.

[beanieb]

When they are a bit older you could get a job and pay for a fantastic holiday and leave your OH at home! Never say never!

[Botbot]

I've just noticed Novosol have got some places in France too!

[Bink]

What's nice about house-swapping is that you can do it at all sorts of levels of glamour/non-glamour ... when I was 8 we (also family of 6) did a house-swap with a roughly parallel Swedish family and not only did you get a family house in a comfy not-too-precious state , you also got ready-made friends - the Swedish children's friends took us on, and when we got home we were quite jealous of the fun our own friends had had with the Swedish kids. (I can still count to 10 in Swedish.)

My parents did a house-swap with a retired couple on Cape Cod and got the most gorgeous waterfront cottage - again a simple place, but beautifully located.

In the age of internet, these things are I think actually easier than before - if you look on those sites, rather like ebay swappers get feedback ratings so you have some confidence as to what they'll be like.

[EachPeachPearMum]

Camping in Europe is a great idea, and will not cost 'thousands'.
What about somewhere on the Baltic coast- lovely and surprisingly warm in summer, poland or estonia etc, cost of living (ie food) is lower than UK.
Are you near an airport at all or a Ferry terminal?

One thing my parents did (we were 6 too, and could never afford foreign holidays when I was young) for a final holiday as a family before we left home was to do a coach holiday- the cost was actually reasonable.
We went on a fantastic tour of Italy- Florence, Pisa, Lucca, San Giminiano, Siena, Montecatini- though your DC may be a litlle young for the cultural tour thing just yet!

Everyone else on the tour was retired- so there was no 'Brits Abroad' atmosphere- and we were all doted on for the whole week for our lovely behaviour

Companies like Ledger might be worth looking at.

Another idea is hostelling- very inexpensive, even in high season and if you choose somewhere like the low countries, not to far to drive between hostels. Hostels abroad cater for all ages, not just 'youths'. The main cost is the ferry over for the car.

HTH

[Bink]

Oh - the point I meant to make there is that house-swapping can give you an entry into real local culture, so again very much not the British package experience.

[EachPeachPearMum]

Scandinavia is hot in summer! (day to day costs are very high though)

[LadyThompson]

You could get budget airline flights and then book your own v basic accommodation - for instance, to Puglia (part of Southern Italy which is still catching on).

I found a very cheap Greek holiday once - far from being Brits abroad it was in apartments a bit 'out of the way'. It was charming.

I think if you don't camp, why not try looking at apartments or pensions, even as package deals. You could then broaden the countries you have to choose from, don't have the hotel vibe, can avoid all the rep stuff if you so wish. They tend to be quite modest. I once went to the Costa Brava but didn't do the whole Kiss Me Quick thing - the hotel is only a base - and did things like getting the bus to Barcelona (v cheap mode of transport!)

I think your DH is trying to keep the kids' horizons broad, but without realising it he is actually narrowing them. It's a shame.

[Scarletibis]

My DH is like yours - snobbery of Brits abraod culture plus a general fear of going abroad (with kids!)
I second a gite/camping in France being a good thing.

[CoffeeCrazedMama]

We have 4 dcs and always found gites in France a cheaper option than cottages here! You can look on line - there is a massive oversupply of accommodation in France. www.vfbholidays.co.uk are excellent, as can be Brittany Ferries, and there are lots of owners abroad websites. You can avoid Brits quite easily - we always have!