Family summer holiday with a budget of around 18k

[Linens]

Thinking ahead to 2026 summer.
DH and I, DS who will be 14.5 and DS who will be 10
I would like 2 weeks away somewhere. Looked at Mauritius/Maldives/Sri Lanka/Seychelles but seems it’s the wet season and maybe not ideal time to go?
I love European villa holidays but it’s just so so hot now and all the risk of wildfires….
Was thinking safari but I have been before and it’s not hugely relaxing, which we desperately need on our holidays.
We are doing Disney this year in October so probably won’t want to go again so soon. Going away in Easter is probably out as well as we will not be long back from Dis and October 2026 youngest will be sitting 11+ so it will be summer to go away.
I love going away in the UK and we will have a week away in UK at some point but the weather is unreliable for main summer holiday.
I did see a suggestion on another thread for Parnu in Estonia which I really fancied?
Anyone any bright ideas? I LOVE
holidays and booking them and planning and I’ve always got the next destination in mind but nothing is massively exciting me. I know 2026 is a long way off but I like to start thinking about things!

Yeah, a bit of a tone deaf post / brag when people are struggling to pay off Christmas/heat their homes.

Right now a one way easyjet flight to Palermo, Sicily on Saturday before school holidays in May is £600 pp one way without luggage.

nobody is forced to overspend on Christmas or derail threads

you rarely see this type of comments on other threads where people spend more money than some others would. "how dare you ask about kitchen renovation, don't you know other people can't afford their bills!'

It’s on the holiday board, not the cost of living board.

How is it insensitive. Op has not posted on a ‘I’m struggling to pay my gas thread’.

I suppose folk don’t need to read it once they’ve read the title, but yeah… read the room.

Seychelles and Maldives both wonderful. Hawaii is also a good option. Australia and West Coast of America.

Last time I checked, Sicily wasn’t in Spain.

Agree selective Asia is great for weather maps. When I lived in China I used to steal quite a lot of ideas from their website and book my own trip.

It’s an example of how expensive flights can be in school holidays. But am sure you already knew that…

Could still be read by such people therefore could be regarded as insensitive.

So can people only ask for advice if they’re down to their last 50p to avoid offending others?

If OP hadn’t put the budget in the title people would have just asked anyway, as it’s kind of an important detail to give advice.

I’m an ex teacher so I’m very aware of this. Also sadly means I’ve never had an £18k budget for a holiday each year 😂

If you're so offended by the thread you can just hop off it? It's not mandatory to stick around and keep derailing the thread 🫠

So why even make this stupid point about cost of holiday flights and lectures on geography. Just bore off and stop derailing

This summer we are using Singapore as a starting point, then visiting Vietnam and Bali. We’ve been to Singapore and Bali before, both great for a family holiday.

I don't spend this kind of money on holidays, but I have to say I have massively enjoyed my travel in Sweden last year. It was lovely temperature-wise, had the most stunning views, amazing sea swimming, gorgeous national parks for walking in, great public transport and a fantastic variety of international food. I was staying in Malmö, which is in the south of the country so a bit warmer weather wise and incredibly easy to get to from Copenhagen airport. I think you could find something that met your requirements of "stuff to do but not so much as to be exhausting" there quite easily.

I think I would probably struggle to spend £18k, but I guess a nice hotel etc would probably add up.

I tend to go for Airbnb because I prefer to have the space. These are towards the outskirts of the city because they are larger - I would probably go for something closer to the city but smaller myself, but if you have plenty of budget you could just get a taxi.

E.g.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/885557521874401557?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76 is about £3.5k

And then flights on those days look like they'd come to about £1k, but I suspect if you fiddled with the holiday dates you could get that down by maybe 1/3.

The public sauna is wonderful (not sure if it's suitable for children) and there are beaches, places where there are piers for diving, fabulous food, bike rentals across the city. I went to a wonderful national park which was about an hour on the train and then maybe 20 minutes on the bus. The spring water there was the most delicious I have ever tasted.

Point taken bye

£18k to spend on a holiday but seemingly no idea how to google and research holidays. Is this a bit of a boast?

What’s wrong with asking advice?

£18k to spend on a holiday but seemingly no idea how to google and research holidays. Is this a bit of a boast?

You could post 'google and research' on all threads and we can close mumsnet down.

And as I said anything can be googled. How to feed your family for a fiver can be googled - but would you complain about those threads?

FFS - you are being ridiculous.

I also pick up brochures from places like Kuoni and Trailfinders for ideas of itineraries and places to stay.

Once you’ve narrowed down an area there’s loads of on line holiday iteneraries available too.

Or you could try a holiday consultant? There are independent ones that you give them a budget and an idea of what you want and they’ll work it all out for you.