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!

But if someone has £1k to spend you won’t be recommending long-haul. And if someone has £18k to spend you probably won’t be recommending a holiday park in the UK (jokes about Center Parcs aside)

you can spend a lot less that £18k in Vietnam and have a fabulous holiday. I have been many times and stayed in great hotels for £50 per night. Ime it depends how much research and planning you are prepared to do yourself. For Vietnam I have always booked everything myself: internal flights, taxis between cities etc.

I can see options for long haul adventure with Trailfinders coming in at 6k for a family to Thailand, Vietnam, Costa Rica

Remember that trailfinders prices don’t include flights. So if you were to book something like this you would need to add the cost of flights on top. Plus the costs of food etc.

You can usually save quite a bit of money by booking yourself rather than using a company like trailfinders.

https://www.trailfinders.com/tours/south-east-asia/thailand/bangkok-and-surrounds/tour-tropical-islands-temples-and-tuk-tuks

DP and I have done a couple of amazing fortnights in Southern California. Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, San Diego etc. So so much to see and do there tailored to your family's interests. The people are lovely, the food is great and the sun is shining.

We're looking to go back with DD when she's a bit older.

Type of trip tells you more than a budget ever will

But the type of trip can depend on the budget

It helps - but still so many variables.

You can do two weeks in Disney and stay at a partner hotel for less than 5k. if you stay there at the Grand Floridian it will cost you 40k.

I really am confused as to why you won’t concede budget is important when asking these types of questions.

This website might give you some ideas for Canada:

https://www.canadiansky.co.uk

I’ve also seen recommendations on here for Newfoundland - it’s one on my list to do.

ETA: I might mean Nova Scotia rather than Newfoundland!

I was thinking £18k certainly wouldn't cover 2 weeks in the Maldives, so I am not surprised to see you say that. We spent 4 nights there in August 2022, our summer holiday was 3 weeks in Sydney (which was mid-winter there) and I just wanted some beach time for the kids. We stayed in one of the resorts close to the airport, so although it was luxurious compared to your typical fly and flop in Europe, it was far from top end of the Maldives prices because you could see the city from the resort in a lot of spots. The room price was not completely crazy, but by the time you've added meals in their expensive restaurants (because you literally can't eat anywhere else) then the bill was £3,700 for our entire stay. That covers 5 lunches, 4 dinners (with negligible alcohol) plus the room on a B&B basis, plus maybe 6 cocktails in total. Admittedly 3 of us went paragliding one day and that is also included in that bill. However it's easy for me to see that a full 2 weeks in the Maldives would surpass the 18k budget, without even considering flights. Lots of people have made useful suggestions, hope you find something perfect for your family op.

Seems like you're just showing off your money.

It's not the most important point and certainly didn't need to be in the title of the post ...

Seems like you’re jealous and bitter. Jog on.

I think it is the most important - because clearly some destinations will be out of reach on certain budgets.

I wouldn’t do Japan in summer 🥵 it’s beyond hot and humid .
Australia will be their winter and it’s actually extremely pleasant weather , especially if you like to go north or even just the Gold Coast .

Many Trailfinders holidays DO include flights eg a fly-drive 15 night safari to South Africa starts out at £2.8 per person economy. 7 nights in the Maldives all inclusive starts at 1.9k.

the big glossy brochures on holiday type don’t tend to have the prices in. There is a slimmer newspaper type edition that is dated per quarter and has prices including flights.

Oh wow yes, we spent time in Sweden. Mainly in and around Stockholm and we drove to Sigtuna .
we had an absolute amazing Airbnb and the weather was absolutely beautiful

A quick search of holiday threads shows most Mumsnetters don't post the budget in the title of the thread.

I am not sure if you are being purposely obtuse.

To be able to propose relevant recommendations you need a budget. True or holidays, houses and cars.

The flights in school holidays are the big expense. For summer holidays you’d be hard pushed to get flights for less than £900 each and that’s indirect and sometimes with rather random airlines. I’ve been tracking it for months. You’ve already looking at 6k for flights before you start. The cost is in the flights, not once you get there. I did 5 school holiday flights to Thailand for £3500 a few years ago. Not. Chance now

You've said it's the most important and I disagree with you.

Apologies, I should have been more specific. The family tours that the PP mentioned are priced for a family of four and generally don't include flights.

Obviously £2.8k or £1.9k per person both come to significantly more than £6k for a family of 4 too. The holidays including flights will be more expensive. I just thought the pp should probably have a heads up that that family trip prices like the one I linked don’t include flights and often don’t include much in the way of meals either.

And that’s fine - but I presume you think it’s important?

You couldn't drop £18K on a single holiday with two household incomes of £40K - not unless you lived extremely frugally. Like sending your kid to private school on that income - doable in theory but not really in practice, without making a lot of other sacrifices, and not if you had debts or wanted to pay a decent amount into savings/pension or overpay your mortgage.

It's a weird thing but I just can't imagine spending £18K on a single holiday - maybe just because I don't know anyone IRL rich enough to be able to afford this! I think I spend loads on holidays but my entire budget for me and my two kids is a third of this.

The title. In the title of the thread. Yes, it's important. The OP could have made it the first line of the first post, thereby giving everyone the information they need, within the post itself.

But to include it in the title of the thread is unnecessary and arrogant.

People comparing it to Gucci adverts in a magazine, give over. People don't compare themselves to adverts. People compare themselves to others like them, on forums, who have 18k to spend on a bloody holiday, while they couldn't afford presents for the kids at Christmas.

Have a little empathy, oh rich ones.

But if I hadn’t been in the title then everybody might have clicked on it?