Best long haul weather in school summer holidays

[Patsykenning]

We have always been to the Med in summer but now our kids are older (will be 14/15) we want to plan a bigger trip for next summer 2025. We already have this year booked and paid for, so going to start saving now! They have never been out of Europe. DH and I are fairly well travelled but most of the places I loved the most (e.g. Thailand) don’t have the best weather in July and August. Where would be a great place to spend two weeks at this time of year? Looking for a bit of culture as well as beaches, good food etc. Possibly staying in 2/3 places over the fortnight.

Really glad you started this thread @Patsykenning

We are also thinking of doing a long haul next year and want to start saving so really appreciate all the tips.

Thinking of Borneo or Cambodia Thailand

Siem Reap is just a world class destination: fascinating, stunning heritage hotels (for dinners/dances/cocktails if not staying there!), lovely markets and the breathtaking temples, of course. And an easy hop from Bangkok (or indeed Singapore).

Sounds like it’s smartened up quite a bit in the past 20 years then! Was all dirt roads (Toyota Camry required) and banana pancakes back then.

I do remember reading about an Aman hotel opening there and thinking it was going to change.

That's a bit of a 'how long is piece of string?' question, because there are multiple ways to do such trips. Broadly speaking though, if you get direct flights to the US in the summer or to Costa Rica in the winter or to anywhere long haul in high season, yes you will pay thousands for four people. Your exact travel dates, airline and routing will determine exactly how many thousands. You can reduce the price by flying indirect, using budget airlines, shopping around, setting up price alerts via skyscanner, using airline sales, using air miles (if you have them), etc.

As for accommodation - you can stay in budget hotels or motels, self cater, airbnb, etc and that will massively reduce the price of a holiday that can easily run into multiple thousands. Joining airline, hotel and restaurant chain loyalty schemes can also save you quite a bit if you do your homework. Unfortunately, being stuck with school holidays does limit how tightly you can budget on a big ticket trip and yes, the price will run into thousands, but whether it's £8k or £15k or even more is within your control.

With regard to Costa Rica, the main problem in terms of cost is that there are very flew airlines that fly there direct from the UK, so if you want direct flights there isn't a lot of competition to keep prices down. We found it a really expensive country too - eating out, activities, hotels - all UK/US prices. It seems they have two prices there - one for the locals and one for tourists and the tourist prices are high.

Oh and we always book everything ourselves. We've got quotes in the past from Tui or Trailfinders and either the itinerary isn't exactly what we want or we can save thousands by booking it ourselves!

Thanks @cheezncrackers its helpful to read your thoughts.

In Costa Rica did you hire a car or get around by taxis and trains?

shame about the tourist prices. Even if you speak Spanish?!

I’d love to do hotels but DH snores terribly so I prefer airbnbs with a separate place for me to get some sleep some nights. Then we’d need a room for the kids. Suddenly we’re looking at 3 bedrooms. I imagine this would be so expensive. And I’ve read about amazing hotels where there is a lot of wildlife by the beach so wouldn’t want to miss out on that.

I could do it in my own. I travelled widely before having children and on my own. DH can only ever take one week. He could potentially take one week and then travel back on his own and I stay out with the children maybe.

Anyone done any of these long trips with just one parent?

We did Costa Rica at the end of August a few years ago, just before the pandemic. At the time BA flew direct to San Jose and I managed to get a deal on flights so it was less than £2k for 4 of us.

Then we rented a car and drove to the Caribbean coast which is cheap as chips and stayed there for a few days. Then a rainforest bit nearby which was still reasonable and where we did whitewater rafting. Then the Arenal that was more pricey but still reasonable as it was low season. It was a bit cloudy and damp but our hotel had hot springs so just headed there in the rain. We still did zip wire and the canopy walks. And finished off on Pacific coast where it rained for a couple of hours each day but still managed to get horse riding and surfing in. Did it all by car, I think we had 4 trips of around 4 hours each.

So even in August, it doesn't rain all the time.

@JaffaCake24 We hired a car and the driving was mostly fine, although in the mountains around Monteverde there were some very rough roads with big potholes, so it's not advisable to drive after dark. I'm not sure how extensive the train network is, but you can arrange car transfers if you don't want to drive, or there are internal flights. I don't speak Spanish, but if your whole family speaks Latin American Spanish then you might be able to get away with it sometimes, I suppose.

There are animals everywhere - by the side of the road, by the beach, in the trees - it's amazing! We saw a family of coatis in a ditch by the side of the road, we saw birds and butterflies, lizards and monkeys, all just doing their thing. You can see plenty of stuff on your own if you go to the right places, but generally you see a lot more stuff with a guide.

BA still flies to San José - that's who we flew with - but let's just say that the flights ain't £2k any more - or at least not at new year. Maybe in August the prices are better as it's the rainy season. But in terms of keeping costs down, get off the beaten track, if you can. If you do what everyone else does (i.e. Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio), then it's ££££.

We have done the Seychelles, 2 adults 2 teens in British summer. Gorgeous weather. Under 5k for everything, flights accommodation food etc.

We spend a lot on holidays, so tend to use a bespoke tour after putting our trip together with locations and activities we want to do. We want to pack everything in and this takes the stress out of planning and the logistics once in a country. We’ve just got back from Costa Rica and stayed in 7 locations and did 2 activities almost every day. That said, you could pay about half (I expect) and book it all yourself, and self drive. We have travelled a lot and certainly self guided is a bit more satisfying on a personal achievement basis, but I am too time poor at this stage of my life to want to do this at the moment. Covid also put me off a bit as booking and then cancelling everything would have been a nightmare, and possibly costly.
Flights def add a chunk of cost as these are pretty far flung places.

@JaffaCake24 all our holidays are single parent so 100% yes to doing it on your own. Sounds like that would mean cheaper accomodation too for that part of your holiday. I like backpackers as there are always others to chat to, even just while cooking dinner, and some safety with people on reception should I need any help.

Can't remember who asked about trains in Costa Rica - there aren't any! But you can certainly get around by bus, and then with minivan transfer if you need a route where buses are a pain (e.g. la Fortuna to tortuguero would need 3 or 4 buses and you need to get there in time for the last boat).

Hi, this sounds amazing. How did you book it please? Thanks.

@22WR
We had a great time.
Booked flights directly with Ethiad, changing in Abu Dhabi.
Booked accommodation with Booking , local b&b type places or furnished apartments.
Booked the ferries that connected the 3 main islands beforehand with Cat Cocos ferries.
That's it really.
Travelled by hired bike and local buses. Ate only at sort of take away local food places or bought and cooked at home occasionally. Brought drinking flasks to refill with water etc.
Intentionally didn't do things like eating at restaurants or cocktails/ bars drinks etc. These were what would have made the location expensive.