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!

It's not the OPs fault they are low earners

Another vote for Canada. We all loved it, felt clean, safe, loads to see and do.

We flew in to Calgary (there for the famous Calgary stampede) drove around the rockies, so beautiful- Banff, Lake Louise and a log cabin on a lake with speedboat hire, so lots of water sports and beach bbqs, temp in the summer was late 20's.

Next time we're doing the Vancouver side.

These posts are bonkers. This is the holidays board. There are all kinds of discussions here about holidays at many price points.
I can only assume that these responses are from people who never spend any time on this board.

@Linens I’d consider asking HQ to move the budget from the thread title into the main post, as I think people with no real interest in holiday threads are clicking on this thread purely to have a go because they disagree with spending this much on a holiday.

It's the budget in the thread title that's the problem yes. Same as on the handbag threads.

Surely the budget in the thread is helpful?

Seoul, South Korea was one of our favourite holidays. Worth a look. Plenty to do but you can also relax in the hotel or the many lovely parks. Itaewon was the area we stayed not far from Gangnam

Probably, in the thread but not in the title then it wouldn't have caught many people's eyes I doubt but tbh if I were the OP I might have been a bit more low key about the fact that this was normal for her.

So many snidely comments on this thread, are people generally this jealous over someone having money for a decent holiday?

OP, if you are interested in the Caribbean the website stormcarib.com gives statistics on storms by country and month on the Climatology section for the last 150 years. We are looking at Beaches Turks and Caicos, Anse Chastenet St Lucia or maybe Mauritius for this July, all at around £16-18K. We too are trying to avoid super high temperatures. Last year we went to Zell Am Zee in Austria which was around £6k and was fabulous.

Sorry to come in here but also be mindful summer is wildfire season and your plans could be scuppered. I have close friends in the BC interior and Kelowna and had family visiting Calgary to where they were and had to cancel. Roads are closed and there aren’t many of any options around. You have to pre book sites for the motor home as they get booked up quickly in season.

Oh yes definitely am. But £18000 is insane unless super rich

define super rich

It’s really not super rich territory, if you want long haul. 9K a week for 4 people - £2250 a head/week. Doesn’t sound excessive to me, that’s what a holiday costs these days!

I’d do Thailand, I’ve had great summer holidays in koh samui in July and August where it’s been dry most days and the DC have enjoyed the odd afternoon storm from the pool. Combining with Vietnam or Cambodia would be great if you want some action, my DC loved harlong bay and Angkor at similar ages.

I think you’ll struggle with cape cod for that budget, particularly if combined with a weekend in NY (I did more than your budget in 7 days in NY last year).

DH had also mentioned the wildfires in Canada.
I love the Sweden idea as well and the European road trip. Also so many ideas for Asia, just need to get my head around the weather.
Think I’ve discounted the Maldives, out of budget and I like to have a town to wander about and look at restaurants etc.
My main focus now is to think about the east coast USA idea, the boys were probably most enthusiastic about that idea, and weigh up with an Asian trip maybe Indonesia or Vietnam? And to think about the European idea too…. But then I keep coming back to Thailand!
Lovely decision to have/problem to have.

We did 2 weeks this June in NYC and New England for less than OP’s budget - 4 adults so we’re in for two rooms for accommodation. NYC accommodation was the most expensive, and we only did 3 nights there. Stayed outside Boston and drove in and parked for the day as Boston hotels were pricey too.

US accommodation costs have really increased since Covid, but you can still find some good places at reasonable rates.

Australia and New Zealand?
Hawaii
New York
San Francisco
South Africa
Route 66

What do you think £18k gets you for 4 people? I can promise you that the super rich are spending way, way more than this on a holidays.

Costa Rica. Finding sloths, turtles, volcanoes, hot springs and pools. A plus is all the water is potable.

We did New England in the summer many years ago now, but loved the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It was relatively cheap as it’s a ski resort, so we had lovely mountain ski lodges and incredible views for relatively cheap prices. New Hampshire was a tax free state then, no idea if it still is. Vermont was lovely, we visited the Ben & Jerry ice cream factory. We stayed in a cabin on a lake which kept the kids occupied for hours as it had kayaks, canoes, a swim deck etc. We loved the coast of Maine and it’s light houses. We crossed into Canada into the Bay of Fundy and Campobello Island and it’s incredible tides. We watched whales play out at sea and did an amazing whale watching trip from Provincetown in Maine. We were so close we could reach out and touch the barnacles!

@Surelyitscoffeetime

£800 each for flights to Spain?!

Presumably return flights. We've paid over £800 one way Malaga to Birmingham for two people in February (it was a last minute emergency) so I'm quite sure this could be the case in the summer holiday.

£18,000? Crikey!

I have not read the thread but Jūrmala, Latvia is also an option if you’re considering Parnu.

But for £18k, I’d opt for a villa in the south of France or Italy with dining options galore. You could even have a private chef for some nights.

It depends where you are. Greenland had lots of mosquitoes in July. Sweden definitely hass, near water. North Cape, Norway, Tromso, Lofoten islands and Svalbard are worth visiting. Fabulous.
Have you thought of USA canyons? We began in LA and drove to Vegas. Visited Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, Bryce, Monument Valley. Death Valley. Fabulous road trip with daughters who were 15. Each place very different. Beautiful hotels. All planned by us.

@SuperBlondie28

Oh yes definitely am. But £18000 is insane unless super rich

But look at it this way. Couple earn £60k between them. Just under 'average salary'. They are managing fine on this income. They both get a promotion and now earn £80k between them. £40k each - hardly a super rich, massive salary - but if they were managing on their previous salary they now have an extra £20k PA in the household pot and could spend on a holiday if that was their choice/priority.

It's not as far fetched as one would initially think .

My vote/suggestion is also New England. We love Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. All three are beautiful.