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!

I can think of so many reasons why I wouldn’t. I can afford it, but I had the same reaction as lots of others on this thread to the amount.

God no. With that budget Disney is the last place I’d go. We really didn’t enjoy it

If you wouldn’t - that’s fair enough of course.

But to think 18k holidays are for the super rich - is just wrong.

But without putting the budget in the title she risks people with good ideas not clicking and reading it.

plus people would just complain about opening the post and then seeing the budget. You can’t win. Envy isn’t a good quality. Why would you not be happy to see others spending 18k. It doesn’t affect you?

Suggest southeast Asia. Bali, thailand, singapore. Just did 10 days in vietnam. Vietnamese island phu quoc is a dream - loads of great resorts with fun for kids.

I’d ring trailfinders and tell them what you’ve told us and that it’s Vietnam, Thailand or western Canada (highly recommend Vancouver and tofino on Vancouver island)

Oh give over. The price is relevant to those of us who are also looking for recommendations in that range. If you can’t afford it, scroll on.

Oh come on that's life. Poor people can't afford Disney adverts, or walking past expensive shops, or Range Rover billboards. People just need to be adult.

There you go OP, it’s all your fault that people got upset with you because you didn’t take out your budget in the title OF YOUR THREAD. You MADE these people click on your thread and then scroll down a page and find the section where you can add a comment and then spend some time to get the tone and content just right to make sure you, and the whole of MN, damn well know how annoyed they are with you for your disposable budget and what a terrible person you are for asking for advice about how to spend it. How very dare you. I’m pretty sure if they could flog you, they would,

Now take that damn £18k budget and find yourself a cracking holiday for you and your family. And enjoy every last second of it because life can be hard and joyless and we take what we can get with the means we have. And New England sounds like an amazing place to visit.

Yeah nobody should drive a Range Rover incase it upsets me in my Ford fiesta. How can people justify spending so much on a car 😆

Don’t be ridiculous. That’s like saying they shouldn’t advertise Gucci dresses in Grazia magazine because some people reading it can only afford primark 🙄 Grow up and stop looking for things to moan about.

I never said it’s normal or standard. But £4.5k pp is also not wildly extravagant for long-haul. It’s not a business class budget, let alone first class. We are going to Japan in the Easter break, we booked early (so paid a bit less) but the flights would be £2500 per person in economy if I booked now. Business class is over £7k per person just for the flight. First class would be over £13k each.

Working in a London school, I’m surprised the OP doesn’t know anyone spending this sort of money on holidays. It’s clear from staff room chit chat that a handful of my colleagues each year are taking holidays that cost at least £4k per person. Whether that’s going to Disney world, treating themselves to flying long-hail business class or spending 3-4 weeks touring China , Australia, Japan, the US or South America.

My last trip to Japan cost about £3.5k per person for two weeks and someone on mumsnet once told me this was a bargain-basement price and I must have very low expectations in terms of accommodation and food. 😂😂

For those who don't think it's possible.

Two weeks in Disney this July for a family of 5, flying business class from Heathrow, with two weeks at Disney's Riveria resort, and two weeks park tickets is £61,412. That's with no food not even breakfast.

Now if that family chose to fly first instead of business - at a guess without checking that holiday would go up to 80k plus.

So yes of course 18k can be spent.

I would go for a private island in Indonesia on that budget, as it combines good weather with relaxed luxury and amazing scenery / wildlife.

https://www.earth-changers.com/sustainable-places/nikoi-island/

Yep, the people talking about this being he budget of the “super rich” clearly have no concept of how much it costs when someone says they took their kids to Disney world, which is a big treat for most people but hardly unheard of.

I just went onto their website and looked for Easter 2025. Two weeks in the cheapest Disney hotel, in the cheapest room, with economy flights and only quick-service dining is £17,200 for a family of four.

Agree.

Easter is a horrible time to go - insanely busy.

We usually try for October - you get much better rates. We stay in hotels in October - we wouldn't be able to stay in during Easter, the summer or Christmas.

It’s not strange to be just a bit curious about the finances of people who spend 17k on Disney world. Do they have savings? Pensions? Funds to pay for the kids through uni? It’s just to me such an insane amount to blow in a few weeks and I looove my holidays and travelling. It’s a big priority for me too.

I love planning trips and have been to most of the long haul places mentioned on this thread. I've never spent anywhere near £18k so unless you want 5 star luxury/premium flights, you'll be able to go where you want.

Mauritius has loads to do for kids! Snorkelling, boat trips, zip wires, forest trails as well as many beautiful trips to some of the natural wonders of the island.

Mauritius has loads to do for kids! Snorkelling, boat trips, zip wires, forest trails as well as many beautiful trips to some of the natural wonders of the island.

Mauritius is cold in summer months

We have been to Disney twice in the past two years, both times costing around £20k overall including hotel, park tickets and spending money. Family of 4, for two weeks.

We both work in professional jobs, both earning 6 figure salaries (but not hugely into six figures). On top of salaries we both get a bonus each year, so our bonus is our holiday fund. If we get a bigger bonus - as in the past two years - we go on a more expensive holiday than we would if bonus was less.

We have pensions, savings and investments and relatively small mortgage so are sensible financially, we are fortunate that we have jobs where we have enough disposable income to spend on holidays if we choose to. I definitely don’t think anyone who knows us IRL would describe us as super rich!

People aren’t being “curious” they are accusing OP being insensitive, showing off, being “super rich”. Someone even said that this was most likely a billionaire budget. It’s absurdly hysterical.

When a colleague mentions they took their kids to Disney world over the school holidays and stayed in one of the park hotels I say “Oh, lovely. I bet your kids had a blast and will remember that forever”. I don’t say “That must have cost at least £20k, don’t you know there’s a cost of living crisis? How insensitive. There’s people who have nothing you know.”
I’ve also never heard any normal person react like that to someone taking an exotic (and clearly expensive) holiday.

The OP hasn’t done anything wrong asking for advice on the holidays board about booking a holiday for a generous, but hardly outlandish, budget.

I think that was my favourite post on the entire thread. That billionaires are spending 18k on a holiday.

Genuinely can't believe people think you need to be billionaires to be able to go on an 18k holiday.

My husband earns very low 6 figures, I earn 38k for 3 days a week, and we go on at least 2 18k plus holidays per year - some years even 3.

And as you can see from the figures above - we are hardly Beyoncé and Jay Z.