Is there such thing as a cheap holiday??

[Summerbornhelp]

Looking to book a holiday in the summer holidays but can't seem to find anything under £3k??

Just want somewhere cheap and cheerful, sunny, beach and pool for a family of 3.

I've looked on Jet2, On the beach etc?

What am I missing?

Flights booked separately (midweek is cheaper) and Airbnb should be doable for less. But I guess that’s if you’re happy to cook. I love cooking on holiday with new markets and shops to explore etc but I get that not everyone does

3k is a cheap holiday. But you can get cheaper.

We used to do Eurocamp. The kids loved it, and so did we.

You haven't looked every hard - I've just put two adults one 12 year old flying from Birmingham to Alicante 9 Aug and got loads at half that eg:

https://www.jet2holidays.com/beach/spain/costa-blanca/benidorm/paraiso-10-apartments?duration=7&airport=98&date=07-08-2025&occupancy=r2c12&board=4&oflight=1227932&iflight=1227937&rooms=19730&gtmsearchtype=Smart%20Search&smartsearchid=7071c4b6-775e-47e7-9159-a5d4016db0d1

Look at Jet2 again. They have over 2000 options for 2 adults and a 7 YO for the first week in August coming in at £3k or less for a week. Cheapest ones are not much over £1k

There'd quite a few on jet2 and tui for less than 3k if staying for 7 nights. There not luxury ones but they do exist

Another for eurocamp - we went to baia domizia outside Naples- a bit of travel and you’re in a mobile home (which I didn’t care about) but pool, family games and activities and great restaurants

You're probably not going to like my answer, but our holidays are usually about £1500 for 2-3 weeks (single parent and 2 DC). But that's either ferry & camping in France/ Spain, or Interrailing using the cheapest accommodation we can find. Not everyone's cup of tea (equally we would be bored to absolute tears doing a fly and flop holiday, and try not to fly because of the carbon emissions), but I think it's important to point out that other kinds of holidays do exist.

I never understand the association between booking your hotel or apartment at the same time as your flight and 'being bored to tears'. You have exactly the same opportunity to get out and about as a Eurocamp holiday. They don't nail you to the pool side for the duration.

Here's a week in an apartment in Corfu in early August for £1352

The carbon emissions of a single family holiday to the Med is so tiny it's not worth bothering about in the grand scheme of things either.

It's crazy how prices have jumped, there's a hotel we love that used to cost £3-4K in May or October a few years ago, now it's in excess of £6000, exact same hotel, dread to think what it would be in August!

Horses for courses, isn't it. Being stuck in a bland apartment in a purpose built resort, with little option to explore unless you a) hire a car (another expense), b) pay for excursions (again, another expense) or c) are lucky with public transport isn't for me, and I speak as someone who went on quite a few package holidays (including Corfu!) in my childhood and twenties. I was just pointing out that there are other options- for less money- out there.

And as for flying, well- I'm not telling anyone what to do. It's your choice. If you want to pay through the nose for airport parking so you can enjoy a wonderful airport experience (are package holiday flights still in the middle of the night like they used to be while I was a kid?) while actively contributing to climate change, then fill your boots. But there are other options out there.

Both jet2 and tui have loads of free child places holidays available. When you go on their website homepage they have specific sections which just show ones with a free child place.

Not all accommodation is in 'bland apartment blocks', many have lovely green outdoor areas and are in towns or on the edge of towns so in walking distance to amenities and many flights, especially those operated by Jet2, are in the daytime.

'Package holidays' are mostly unrecognisable compared with the stereotype of the 1980s.

We usually go to Eurocamp or book an apartment with a shared pool in a town by a beach. We've done holidays for less than 3k all in.

There’s loads of holidays under £3k for a week on Tui, in August

Oh some grass, that's nice. And you can even walk to a shop? Well, you've sold it to me 😆

That Corfu holiday posted above is a bargain. Corfu is really lovely and the apartment blocks are usually quite small and family run. Sidari isn't my favourite part ( I prefer Kalami or Kassiopi ) but it's still nice enough and I'd snap that up at that price ( we paid more for a couple of weeks in a caravan in Filey!)

There are buses to get you around to other parts of the island , boats you can hire for the day to go snorkelling or hire a car just for a day or two.

Well I don't know Corfu at all and I just picked one at the cheaper end that had good reviews. I'll look up those other places as it is somewhere I'd like to visit.

Corfu is beautiful. I'm tempted to book that holiday!

You can go Cyprus for 1400

You find the cheapest Ryanair flights to somewhere sunny but not widely known to Brits e.g. Beziers in France. Then you find a property on Airbnb, then you see if the same property is cheaper on other sites.
Also research how to jump thru the Ryanair hoops so you’re not ripped off for early boarding, seats and baggage.

I got a free child place on Jet2 but it is the last year we can get one. Holiday is £2300 for 4 of us with the one free place but it does look pretty basic! Greek island, B&B, end July. Last year we paid £7k for 10 days half board at somewhere much more luxurious in Croatia. My point is there are deals to be had but quality will vary enormously.

Why would you be stuck? Why would there be little opportunity to explore? Buses and trains and taxis exist, even if you don't want to hire a car, which is a normal thing to do.

And why assume you need airport parking? No, flights are not in the middle of the night.
Maybe keep your incorrect snobbery about other peoples choices to yourself?

Again, you do you 🤷‍♀️. No need to be defensive. I'm just pointing out that other holiday options exist, and to my mind they're much better value.

Plenty of low-price holidays just not via any tour operators or travel agents