How much is reasonable for a holiday ABROAD for a family 3 during half term?

[luckycat888]

Just wondering. I know lots of variables and range can be huge, but what do you typically spend going abroad during half term? A week in Faro has gotten ridiculous in my opinion.

Have you tried moving away from the main tour operators and either DIY or using a site like Love Holidays or OTB?

We are doing 7 nights in benalmadena, 2 adults (me and ds who is 18). Breakfast included at our favourite hotel (4*) for £1700.

We have booked Rhodes for next May half term and DD is coming with us who will be 17, for £2100, and that's all inclusive. I have to sort my own transfers but actually prefer a direct car than the bus that always seems to stop at our hotel last 😂

In the past we did one fancy AI holiday every couple of years and did s/c in Germany inbetween (we are Germans but didn't visit family, more showing DD our homeland).

If you look at areas away from the typical places like Bavaria or Austria you can find a s/c flat for under £1000-£1300/week. You may need a car. No pool but Germany has plenty and great lidos and waterparks.

Less weather secure than Spain but I don't fancy 35+ degrees anymore.

We also did S/c in Majorca, I personally found it a lot better and relaxing with a smaller child than a hotel.

May/October half term is often still a gamble with the weather unless you go to Canaries, southern Greece , Cyprus or Turkey but that pushes the prices up again.

Thanks everyone!

We stayed in a Yelloh village with a great pool last May half term. That was £1300 for a fancy lodge.

Next May we’re going to Alghero. Similar price for a nice apartment with a view. I’ll book the Ryanair flights as soon as they’re released.

@OhFortheLoveOvi think that Spain inc Balearics are going to be high for a few weeks and then drop off given the protests going on at the moment. Never mind the snakes in Ibiza…

We're doing AI in Turkey for 3 of us, I think it's around £4.5k for the week.

We could probably go cheaper but you get what you pay for and not Al are created equal.

We stayed at Gouves Waterpark it was near Herkalion. We loved it for the money, only downside was the soft drinks but they were OK if watered down. We bought some juice and kept it in our room fridge.

How old is your child? For obvious reasons there are more and cheaper AI options for a 6 year old than a 14 year old.

£1k per person for all inclusive. Summer holidays is more. We did manage £4,500 for 5 of us over Easter a couple of years ago. This summer is £7k for 5 of us as all my dc count as adults even though they are 13 😭

I'm amazed at the prices people are posting!

We are a family of 3 and did a week's all inclusive in the balearics for £1800 in the May half term. That was for flights and hotel. Paid separately for a private taxi transfer and were quite far from the airport so another £150ish.

Planning to do similar in the October half term and it looks like the cost will be similar.

I think it’s the same price in may half term as it is for summer holidays. Poss October half term and Feb might be cheaper but then you’d have to go longer haul to guarantee the weather. Can it be the summer holidays or only the half terms?

I booked a holiday park for family of 4 (toddler and baby) for the may half term just gone

we took the Eurostar to Amsterdam and a train to the park we stayed at.

we paid 1400£ (Eurostar ended up about 450 on top)

(half the price of centre Parc uk)

it was proper nice and it included entrance to a theme park and water park!

we could cycle to the beach

it was actual bliss

Packages are ridiculous. Go onto Skyscanner and get a cheap flight. Then find an air bnb. I found flights for £50 return each then acc for £1k on trivago. It can be done for so much less than jet2.

Its LOADS cheaper to go away in october or May compared to peak summer holiday.

We got 4 star all inclusive for family of 4 in Majorca for Oct holidays, for £2k. It was a wonderful holiday! Not super luxe, but really nice.

We're going in July for £4k all-inclusive plus to Tenerife. Again four stars.

You've just got to shop around, play with all the search filters and book early! We always go with Jet2 and usually one of the DC are a free child place. Eldest ds is now 15 so we pay for 3 adults + ten year old.
We don't mind hotels a little further out of the main resort too. Work out what you're prepared to compromise on and where your red lines are.

I have never managed to get cheaper booking it all separately, by the time you add luggage, transfers and upgrades it's never been cheaper than Jet2.

I looked for 3 of us for last year and it was about 5k for decent flights and all inclusive to Spain I imagine it will have gone up a lot since.

4 days in Rome next Easter just for dd and I and self catering was coming out at about 2k

really I’m going to Rome with my friend next Easter and got flights for 179£ return

air BnB for 600£

so way less money than that @Ihatelittlefriendsusan

where are you flying from

If it’s 2 adults and one child you will find free child places on jet2 or tui. We went to turkey in 2023 for around £2500 in May half term, and the same for a week in Spain last August both all inclusive 4 stars. I’m pregnant so not going this year but did look into an air b&b with another family with a pool etc, that seems to work out well if there’s a big group of you too!

It really isn’t
Screen shots of the first result for a TUI holiday in the med in May/Aug/Oct. I haven’t scrolled through and compared them all as frankly I cba but the days of a cheap break at half term are over (obviously assuming that you’re not taking the kids out of school for a few days either side which would of course drop the price significantly)

I'd love to know more if you don't mind sharing.

I don't look at Spain anymore as the prices are crazy for you get! I normally pay between 2.5k -4.5k for term time. 4.5k is July or August and is 5 star AI in Greece. Also book far in advance

There is absolutely no need, zero, to spend any more than £2k on a family summer holiday or may/easter holiday unless you want a hotel/AI/ in a major really popular tourist resort.

£2k is a healthy budget. Only when you want a package with all whilstles and bells does it come out at £3,4,5k plus.

Go on sky scanner. Put your dates in. Select ‘anywhere’ as your destination, pick carefully. Look up airbnbs outside of major tourist centres. Or campsites in the mountains, countryside, etc (but still in mainland Europe- weather will likely be much better than the UK at least in July/ Aug)

But not everyone want to camp (shudder, that's the worst for me) or a caravan.

I love a comfortable break where I have at least the same comfort as at home so a villa/appartment has to have a dishwasher, plenty of room to spread out, a washing machine and access to shops and restaurants without driving.

Or a hotel where I don't have a bare room with a hard bed and tiny breakfast/dinner options. Been there, done this when I was just starting to work.

I don't mind being away from the big resorts or even popular countries but the rest is not negotiable.

Yeah but if you want a holiday and don’t have loads of money, I was just pointing out it can be done, very easily, for that amount.