How to fairly split costs of holiday rental

[AuntiePenguin]

We've started talking to other families about going on a group trip. We'll be travelling from different places (so everybody will pay their own travel costs), but need to work out how to split accommodation and food costs. Hoping the mumsnet jury can tell me what's fair/reasonable.

Family A: 2 adults, 2 primary school aged children (which restricts all of us to going in school holidays). Parents are big eaters and big drinkers (easily a bottle of wine each in the evening). Need one room for adults and one for children.

Family B: 2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby. Teetotal. All going to share one room as toddler and baby co-sleep anyway.

Family C: 3 adults, One of whom has a medically restricted diet so will need special food. Teetotal. Need 3 rooms.

So...in that situation what's fair? Doesn't really seem fair to pay a third each given family A and family C will be taking up more rooms and more food/alcohol.

We do this as a large family group. We pay per bed (a double counts as 2). So a family of 2 adults and 2 children pay for 4, regardless of whether they are in a family room for 4, or two separate rooms. Babies in cots don't pay.

Food wise we have a kitty for essentials and for the evening meal if we are cooking together. Anyone who wishes can opt out. Alcohol is being/but your own.

*bring/buy

I do agree with sixisthemagicnumber. If you are going to do this then I think everyone needs to willing to be a bit relaxed about how this is split, as otherwise I can forsee disgareements on the horizon e.g "well I didn't drink", "the kids hardly ate anything", etc etc.

And what about bathrooms? More for an ensuite? Spreadsheets, kitties. Sounds like working in an office rather than a holiday.

pay per rooom. If there is any quibble on this, just don't go.

OP when I saw the list of families going I thought this was a joke. Why are you going with a family who restrict the time you can go to school holidays and drink too much if you are already resenting them for it?

I would like to know how the person on a restricted diet plans on dealing with that abroad.

When we go away as a large group it's split per adult, with a small amount of consideration taken over how much people earn.

So, I am paying less per adult for my group than my aunt is for hers but more than my gran.

Food and drink - everyone pays/brings their own. Not to the point that every one eats seperately, but for food in the accomadtion, we'll meal plan prior to going. Rich aunty brings the meat and cava skint old me and gran bring the bread and salad, etc. Pubs we all order and pay for our own party, restaauraunts we split the bill per adult again with a small amount of consideration of income.

As my income flucuates wildly my poor person discount is on the understanding that if I have a good couple of months in the run up to the holiday, I'm involved in paying for the meat and cava but no-one cares enough to check my books or anything, we're not that petty.

I couldn't go away with someone who wanted to split the cost exactly down to the last penny.

We do a group holiday every year with 10 other families, some have 4 kids, others 3, 2 or 1.
Rooms pay per room. People do tend to squash up a bit eg we have one child, put him on a blow up in our room- pay one room. But then families with 4 kids often go for 2 rooms and aslo squad up a bit. We've tried various ways and this works out fairest.
Food- we do a massive online shop to be delivered and shared and this is paid for per head with a child over 2 costing 50% of adult rate.
Alcohol is brought and paid for by individuals. We share wine in a friendly manner the though as it all evens out.

Split accommodation per person with children paying half and under 2s not paying.

The school holiday issue is irrelevant. If you don't want to go during school holidays then don't go with that family.

For 6 bedroom villas try www.groupaccommodation.com/

I think you're Family B.

And if so, I'd pull out now.

We do this every year.

BIL calculates it. He has a formula in Excel

Fuck, my head hurts. Where's the wine?

Don't go

Accommodation - definitely pay per room. Food bill is harder to split 'fairly.' Obviously, everyone can pay for their own meals out and about but meals in will be harder to calculate. Unless it will grate on you, I'll be tempted just to split this roughly per adult and count children as half an adult.

Group holidays always end up being a hassle if you're sharing accommodation and meals however close the friends or family are. We've stopped going on group family holidays even when the accommodation has been paid for because of the expectation to do most things together, the lack of privacy and this type of thing.

When people pay their way, they want a say in where to stay & what to eat etc. The problem will be that everyone will have different priorities whether it's a lie-in or entertaining the children.