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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Bloody expensive holidays

54 replies

Rayn22 · 01/04/2023 21:26

Booking flights to Almeria with Jet2. 400 quid each in August! Think this will be out last holiday abroad for a while! Anyone else noticed prices for holidays gone bananas?
I understand why but this is one luxury we will be cutting back on!

OP posts:
Sotiredmjmmy · 02/04/2023 17:06

Usernamen · 02/04/2023 15:01

No we weren’t? That was 2021. Nearly everywhere was back open to tourists and most countries had even dropped testing by August 2022.

For me the last trip that was good value was December 2021. Since then every trip has been substantially more expensive than equivalent trips in 2019 and before.

Surprising how quickly the covid impact has been forgotten, there was still very much covid cheaper pricing for new bookings last year, new booking prices didn’t go up until about easter onwards and then prices shot up so if you booked early for summer 2022 there will still many deals to get. We got a £10k holiday for under £4K, by risking a booking in January 2022 to go summer 2022, and many family and friends did similar, particularly long haul prices are now double at least

Sotiredmjmmy · 02/04/2023 17:09

For context, January 2022 no brits were allowed in France due to covid rules and ski trips were very impacted all over Europe

seratoninmoonbeams · 02/04/2023 17:11

countdowntonap · 01/04/2023 21:40

Have you only just booked? I always book
mind on the app on flight release day.

Same. I booked my flights only with TUI last august going from our local airport which is usually really expensive for less than one thousand for all four of us return. Got the accommodation in Corfu for two weeks self catering (we will eat out obvs. We're not cooking 😆) for £800. Short walk to the main village and beaches but lovely quiet spot with a lovely pool. Can't bloody wait.

seratoninmoonbeams · 02/04/2023 17:13

Also booked flights for a city break for five nights in November in great accommodation in two cities in the country and it's costing £600 all in for DH and I. Booking early is key.

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 02/04/2023 17:14

We had a long haul holiday booked for April 2020 that was obviously cancelled. It was right at the top of our budget, and flights are now 2.5 x more expensive, so we're not going. It's a shame. Our plan is 2-3 years of cheaper holidays to save hard so eventually we can get there.

rookiemere · 02/04/2023 17:16

Jet2 flights are very expensive, but their package holidays are better value and include luggage.

But yes to get a reasonable price, you either need to buy as soon as they come out, or hope some locations aren't too popular so they go down in price.

headstone · 02/04/2023 17:20

I booked flights for under £500 for 6 to Spain easyJet this August, however no hold baggage yet. I will try with just one hold luggage. It’s the baggage which costs!

Tequilamockinbird · 02/04/2023 17:51

I think you need to book a lot earlier now. We're going to Majorca in June this year. Booked last July and paid £1400 total for 11 nights (flights plus 4* hotel). The same holiday now is £3100 total Shock

Favouritefruits · 02/04/2023 18:00

Holidays have shot up in price the same holiday we took last year to Spain is £1.5k more expensive and it really isn’t worth it. You can’t find anything under 3k in August for a family of four.

Mammyloveswine · 02/04/2023 18:10

I paid £1200 for a week all inclusive in Sorrento next may half term for my DH and I! I thought that was a canny deal tbh!

Usernamen · 02/04/2023 18:24

Sotiredmjmmy · 02/04/2023 17:06

Surprising how quickly the covid impact has been forgotten, there was still very much covid cheaper pricing for new bookings last year, new booking prices didn’t go up until about easter onwards and then prices shot up so if you booked early for summer 2022 there will still many deals to get. We got a £10k holiday for under £4K, by risking a booking in January 2022 to go summer 2022, and many family and friends did similar, particularly long haul prices are now double at least

The France ban lifted in January 2022.

I don’t think anyone was ‘risking’ anything if they booked an August 2022 holiday in April 2022 (basically OP’s situation one year ago) and the high prices then reflected that.

The cheaper prices we got when booking in 2020 and 2021 were nowhere to be found in 2022. Things were definitely back to normal and then some, because of the pent up demand.

Like I say, the last good value (due to Covid) trip we had was December 2021. Everything since has been considerably more expensive than pre-2020.

Bunnycat101 · 02/04/2023 19:33

It seems like there is still a lot of pent up demand but hoping once people aren’t rolling over holidays it’ll calm down. We booked our summer 24 holiday last year as the hotel we wanted was basically fully booked for 23.

Nivgor · 02/04/2023 19:44

I think prior to covid summer holiday prices fluctuated a fair bit dec- March, then they would climb for about six weeks, then for booking separate elements prices used to go up and down a lot.

Whereas the last two it's just a steady and relatively steep increase from January right through the year. It's annoying. And Jet2 are really really expensive now. Even last year they were ok-ish for summer and very good value for Easter.

Nivgor · 02/04/2023 19:45

Sorry, that should say 'the last two years '

userxx · 02/04/2023 19:52

Tequilamockinbird · 02/04/2023 17:51

I think you need to book a lot earlier now. We're going to Majorca in June this year. Booked last July and paid £1400 total for 11 nights (flights plus 4* hotel). The same holiday now is £3100 total Shock

Yeah, but how smug do you feel now..... you can tell us 😛

SeatonCarew · 03/04/2023 03:57

Where are you flying from/ to? I've just had a quick look and there are much more reasonable flights from East Midlands to Murcia (dream stressfree airport!💕) currently available. Flexibility is probably your friend here.

Otherwise you could wait to see if there are any cheaper flights available nearer the time, but August will generally be very busy, obviously.

SeatonCarew · 03/04/2023 03:59

Sorry, should have said my flights to Murcia were with Ryanair. Jet2 are very expensive, though a great airline. Have to say I find Ryanair seats more comfortable though.

Usernamen · 03/04/2023 09:35

Bunnycat101 · 02/04/2023 19:33

It seems like there is still a lot of pent up demand but hoping once people aren’t rolling over holidays it’ll calm down. We booked our summer 24 holiday last year as the hotel we wanted was basically fully booked for 23.

I’m not sure there can be that much pent up demand impacting 2023 and 2024 bookings tbh.

People either got away in 2022 as normal, or they got away in 2021 and tolerated the tests and vaccine certificates. (We managed to get away in 2020 too, to ‘Green list’ countries.)

TizerorFizz · 03/04/2023 12:36

It’s entirely demand caused airlines reducing flights and schedules to give a decent service and not pretend they have flights operating when they don’t. So not necessarily more wanting to fly then 3-4 years ago. Remember the cancellations chaos? Only last summer! So now flights cost more because there are less of them. Last minute has essentially gone. Definitely book early.

medianewbie · 04/04/2023 08:39

kitsuneghost · 02/04/2023 15:37

Surprised at people saying it's late to book for August.
We only decide where we are going about a month in advance.

@kitsuneghost - can I ask whete you look for last min holidays please? I want to travel to Malta this August, on a tight budget, 1st time in 20 years. No idea where to start.

Rayn22 · 04/04/2023 18:21

And now my neighbour has just told me has booked 4 flights to Boston for £299 each!

OP posts:
Benmac · 04/04/2023 19:50

Prices are very high. £5k for two weeks in Tenerife. Looked perfect but for that price don't want to be flying back to UK at 1 am. TUI and Jet 2 Canary Island flights really bad times this year.

cestlavielife · 04/04/2023 19:59

Search skyscanner you can probably get 250 each in august choosing different days of week eg fly on a monday

Crazycatlady83 · 04/04/2023 20:02

Are you trying to book just flights with jet2? They are a package holiday company so make most of their money through package holidays. If they just sell you a seat on their plane, they can't then sell a package holiday to someone else and make more money from them. Therefore the prices are high to discourage you from booking flights only. Go with EasyJet or Ryanair if you only want a flight as they will probably be cheaper

CeeceeBloomingdale · 04/04/2023 20:08

I always book about 11 months out with Jet2. I actually paid slightly less than usual for this July/August. Demand for holidays is huge this year and it's rather late to be booking for summer holidays.