in splitting our holiday bill this way?

[Runningwithscissors]

We are going away with our friends on holiday, and I'm trying to work out the fairest way to split the bill.

There are 7 adults; 3 couples; two with 2 children, one with 1 child (us); and one single friend. The children will have a room each.

I have already paid for the whole holiday. IABU to split the costs on a per bedroom basis, which would benefit me and the single friend, and penalise the couples with more children? Or would that we unreasonable, and should I split it on a per adult basis, which doesn't take the children into account? This would mean that me and the single friend paid more.

Don't care about how much I personally end up paying, just want to do what's fair... help!

Crikey if you are having this much trouble over splitting the cost of the accomodation how are you going to work out the kitty for food and things when you get there?

My only experience of this is going away with the PILs which we have done quite often. When DD was small they always tried to insist on splitting 50/50 but since she got older we make sure it is 60/40 for accomodation and litty and each meet our own travel costs.

So there are 12, 7 adults and 5 kids?

Divide total cost by 19, each adult is charged @ 2 and each child charged @ 1.

I've booked group holidays loads of times and always do it per bed, or in other words per head. The only exception is under 2's, or if there's been say 13 of us in a 12 bed property and dd has come in with us. I can't see how it would be fair any other way.

I think the suggestion to count kids as half is quite fair an dtakes account of the possibility that your friends may have been happy for their DCs to share had there been less rooms, and also ensures that your single friend pays less.

We went on hols with friends last year - they have 4 DCs, we have 3, including a ten week old baby(at the time). We had one room for all five of us, they had two rooms between them. The accomodation and the food costs were split equally between us . This was decided by our friends and neither DH or I were assertive enough to object . we didn't want to spoil the holiday. So as a breast feeding mother I just made sure that I ate more than my fair share! And Dh did the same

I like MaryBS's suggestion too.

Just don't get Bramshott to do your maths for you

Whatever you do, you HAVE to discuss this with the other members of your party and get them to agree the terms of the split beforehand. I'm surprised you haven't done this already. I'd go with children pay half.

In terms of food buying, we always work it so that each couple in turn buys the food for an entire meal, and everyone pitches in equally for things like milk, coffee, tea, alcohol, washing powder, etc.

I agree with GeekofTheWeek and would talk to the other adults involved and make it a joint decision. (They may or may not be bothered by differences in rooms; have budgetary constraints etc etc.)

Talk to the adults. But agree that the single friend should defo pay less than the families with children. Also confirm the ground rules re. food etc for once you are out there.

I would set up a kitty whereby the larger family pays proportionally more into the fund. Replenishing it once it empties (this obviously only works so long as there isnt a booze hound in the group taking the mickey)

Good luck.

you should have decided beforehand. and your single friend is mad to be going away with all these couples and kids!

I'd do it price per bed, with adults beds costing double (or something) the price of a childs bed. (after all if you were all staying in a hotel your single friend woul still have to pay the cost of the whole room.

When it comes to paying into a kitty for food etc, i'd switch to MaryBS's method of each group paying £1 per adult and 50p per child in their family. (well, not that precise figure as I'm sure you'll eat more than £9.50 worth of food whilst your away)

We went away on a group hol, but DH and I paid the bill for the house as it was for his bday. However we split the food/drink bill between adults only as alcohol was such a large proportion compared to kids food. We paid seperately when we went out though.

I am desperate to find accommodation for Christmas for 10 adults and 8 children so please how did you find it??
I think you should split the cost by room-its the only fair way.

I'd speak to the others and try and sort it out otherwise it will cause resentment.

We used to go away as a couple with friends with 2 children - so a 6 person cottage (us 1 bedroom, them 2 bedrooms).

We paid the first one 50/50 without thinking and then everyone after that was automatically the same.

When our baby turned 2 we needed a 7 or 8 person cottage and we've not been since - oh it's so dear this year - yes beause our 'subsidy' isn't there anymore.

I think someone else suggested it before me . Agree that you DO need to talk about it with the others ASAP!

Good luck! I don't think I would ever risk going away on a group holiday with other families. Surely the potential for diagreements is enormous.

• What to spend the joint kitty on when shopping? The abstemious will resent anything spent on beer and wine. Those without young kids or whose kids eat anything will resent anything bought to pander to picky eaters. Some tight sod will try to buy personal items such as sun cream out of the joint budget.

• Differences of opinion over children's bed times.

• How to split the chores - sonner or later someone will be cross that they are always washing up while others hardly do anything.

• Or when you are out and your kids want an ice cream so you but them for all the kids otherwise it would look mean. Then after a while you realise it is always you putting your hand in your pocket 'cos the other family never offers.

Ooh the list must be enormous. [Shudders emoticon] We do it with PILs and it works fine but then we all have similar tastes and like a drink! I think I would run a mile if any of our friends suggested it - I like having them as friends and don't want to risk a fall out.

I agree with the adults counting as one each and the kids as .5. like someone else says - it takes into account willingness of kids to share. and the fact that the kids will probably get the smaller/less attractive rooms.

re food etc - definitely agree before hand. if you are all (note - all) relatively easy going, fair, and of similar spending habits then an easy way to do it is to allocate each adult an evening meal and/or a kids meal - and it's their job to buy the food and cook it. if you have someone likely to want to spend a lot less and someone who's a bit flash then it might not work - but has generally always worked for us. it's also a good way of dealing with anyone who might be a bit work shy. you could also do it per couple - and then let each couple divide up their own labour - which is what'll happen anyway probably.

5foot5 - I've lost count of how many shared holidays we've had - and we've never had a disagreement. it just requires careful choice of friends to do it with.

5foot5, I've been away with these friends on and off most years over the last 20 years, and we all get on brilliantly; everyone is very good at pulling their weight with chores, and we are all on the same wavelength with regards to holiday activities. I personally haven't been responsible for organising a trip since we all had kids, so have no idea how the bill has been split in the last few years, other than I am 100% sure that it would have been scrupulously fair

Pranma, we found our place with Tots to Travel - good luck with Xmas, v impressive that you're this organised in June...