How much do you spend on holidays in a year?

[LyraSilvertongue]

DP is panicking about our holidays budget.
I shot myself in the foot in 2006 and 2007 by searching out super-cheap villa holidays in Italy and the south of France for £1,200 and £1,500 respectively. Now he expects all holidays to be that cheap.
I've managed to get us holidays at Disneyland Paris in April (5 days) and Crete in August (2 weeks) for just over £3,500 in total.
Do you think this is such a huge sum? I think DP is being ridiculous (and he can afford it).

I wouldn't fancy some stranger staying in my house while I'm away. No no no.

Our holiday is costing around 15% of our income this year. We are only having one and its long haul. Is the £3500 without spending money?

We went to DLP when dss were 3 & 5 (just) and honestly I found they were too young to enjoy it - I can't say I did either but I have know others who loved it and have returned several times. We stayed for 3 days and it was a long 3 days but then my preferred holiday destination with children is England. We ventured to Spain last year and i hated it - looking for a week in Devon now so it will be less than £1k. My cousin however spends at least £5k per year over several holidays.

lyra, in answer to your question "where does anyone find a family holiday abroad (in school holidays) for £600?"

Lots of people just can't afford to take their foreign holiday in the school holidays! Surely that can't be news to you!

Renting a house in Brittany out of season with another family is around £250. You can pay for the ferry with Tesco vouchers.

My holiday budget is 1/3 of yours - and mine has tripled from a few years ago! My dp and I both work, we have 1 child and a relatively small mortgage. I feel quite lucky to be able to spend what I do on hols. £3,500 is NOT the average family budget and I can only assume that your "normal" is based on the circle of friends that you have - it is WAY MORE than average in my view and I honestly think you are living in a weird bubble if you think most people can afford this kind of holiday!

I really think that MN is great for showing us all other people's bubbles. My world is absolutely tiny, and it's broadened an outlook that I simply hadn't appreciated had got narrow.

IYSWIM

I don't think she said she thought most people could afford it.

About the price of petrol to CSWS's house... ooh and a bunch of flowers and bottle of wine.

I repay her for her hospitality by staining her house, breaking her plumbing, and getting my son to teach her daughter really annoying wonderful new climbing skills

I do find myself sniggering at your budget, but only because those figures would pay off half our debt

You obviously have different incomes and can afford more, so your DP is probably being arsey and unreasonable.

It would be like DH telling me I can't afford to take the wine.

Darthvader, no need to be so rude. I'm not living in a bubble. I have friends much richer than me and much poorer. I didn't know what people spent on their holidays, that's why I started this thread.

Anyway, I lost the argument. DP insisted it was too much to spend so I've cancelled the flights and I will search for something cheaper. I'm not rich, btw. We live in London so earn a decent amount but have a huge mortgage on a tiny house.

I don't think I have been rude to you, lyra, and I certainly didn't intend to be. I have no opinion as to how much of your income you should spend on holidays as that is for you and your dp to agree.

You said you thought £3k plus was average for expenditure on holidays - frankly I do think that indicates that you are out of touch - unless by "average" you meant "average for a certain comparatively high earning subsection of society to which I belong".

Message withdrawn

I'd like to find out more about these cheaper holidays.

With my boys now 13 & 12 we have to pay an adult rate for them and only get a child rate for my daughter. It usually seems to work out at £3K per weeks holiday to me so your two seem quite good value.

Would probably count us as quite fussy and always have a separate connecting room for the kids.

Feel a bit about being spoilt now!

Bring on the ideas please.

I've only read the OP, so apologies for fat-arsed idleness, but bloody hell!! Was the £1,500 just for the rental???

I'm glad that dp can 'afford it', but I doubt that Sir Alan Sugar pays that much for a villa.

Had a week in Lisbon - staying in apartment in the suburbs last May for £300 for the 3 of us . The year before, a package trip to a nice apartment in resort in Austrian Tyrol for £600 for the 3 of us. That was June too, so obv better deals outside school hols. Don't think that's what you were after!

About £1000 for a week in the summer. Eurocamp type place, but booked direct, with Tesco vouchers towards ferry/Eurotunnel. We usually have a couple of other short breaks totalling about £300 max. This year we had 3 days in York in February half-term & a week at Center Parcs with family (didn't have to pay for that.) We also know people with a holiday cottage on the Welsh coast so have been there several times very cheaply.

Would love to have £3500 to spend!

This thread is 9 years old!

£1600 for 3 of us - 8 nights in Menorca self catering apartment in a 4 star hotel
£3500 for 5 of us (grandparents coming too) 2 weeks in Majorca - 2 self catering apartments next door to each other in a complex with pools etc. including car hire.
We have also been to Centreparcs £450, will be going away for another weekend £200 and this year Lapland £4500- but that's a one off.

On average with a typical Euro camp holiday for 2 weeks ended up being about 5k all in. I wanted to go to neilson or mark warner all inclusive this year but for the price i.e. 7k, was able to book the Caribbean so that's where we're going - this is a one off! But DH looked for nice cottages in Cornwall - £3.8k before the travel from Scotland and well you usually get what you pay for! Equally we've done haven holidays off season for £350 which are nice but a bit tacky with the amusements and dodgy entertainment! Even centerparcs and forest holidays are mega expensive. My bro was going to go to Florida but decided on cheaper 3 week alternative visiting his in laws in Poland. They've clocked up 7k. Nothing's cheap now especially with our rubbish exchange rate since Brecht announcement. You could find cheaper hols but I'd say 3.5k is about average these days for a 2 week half decent holiday abroad.

1.2k for a week for 2 adults 2dc in may half term 5*AI to Turkey.

It helps that my dd's school have 2 weeks off in May and the first week is not the "official" half term which costs around 3.5k a week later so we're going the first week.

We are spending approx 1 months income on holidays this year, that is more than usual as dh and I are going to Venice for a special birthday treat with out the dc.
This year we will have a couple of short breaks with the kids, 2 weeks in Lake Garda in summer holidays, 3 night break to Venice, and a week in Spain over New Year.

ZOMBIE THREAD