Sad that we will probably never overseas again

[BooseysMom]

Just that really. We're in our early 50s and had a child late in our 40s. We never seem to have enough money and everything just gets more and more expensive. We are both working but don't earn that much. We rented for so long that we didn't get on the property ladder until late. We have holidays but they're the same each year, a caravan in Devon. Never anything more adventurous. We would have to get passports sorted too which is more expense. I don't know what i'm asking really except why have we got so boring and even too scared to go anywhere different? It's crazy when you only get one life!

We are choosing to have inexpensive holidays so every few years we can go somewhere we really want to and spend a bit more. It can be done.

Passport costs aside, I think you would be surprised at how reasonable some holidays abroad can be and especially if booked fairly last minute. Jet2 had some brilliant deals last year, including the May half term. We have never travelled outside of the school holidays but take a look at their package holidays (flight only is not so reasonable) or even Tui. Not sure how much a week in a caravan is but if you can get a half board or at least bed & breakfast deal then it can work out fairly cheap .

If you have a caravan holiday every year you are used to basic accommodation and self catering so why not look into a self catering holiday abroad? You can get a self catering apartment on a holiday complex so you would have access to a swimming pool and sunbeds. If you stay near the beach you would have that too. You could travel around on public transport which will be cheaper than a hire car. All the main holiday sites offer self catering accommodation now.

I’m in a similar boat. Had my child young but didn’t get on property ladder with my partner until my mid 40s. We’ve never been abroad in 25 years as when you rent you just can’t, we had to move a lot and so on. We’ve only had about 8 self catering caravan holidays ever. It is depressing.

We had DC late, partially because we loved travelling too much. I'm mourning a little as abroad holidays for us (in Aus), with two DC, on school holidays, are unaffordable.

We haven't given up, though! We save a little each week into a dedicated travel account, and take cheap local holidays (it is possible), while saving for occasional overseas holidays. We do sacrifice a lot day to day to do this, though. It's not easy.

We also travel cheap by mostly self catering and eating out/staying out of the main tourist areas and avoiding expensive activities. We also choose destinations with good deals, rather than choosing a destination and trying to afford it.

Took DC to Japan last year. It'll be 2-3 years before we can go anywhere else, but we're making it happen. It's just slow. I refuse to wait until DC are grown, as we'll be too old (I think DH will be physically unable) to do anything fun.

If you're not going abroad there are lots of wonderful places to visit in the uk. Devon is one place but what about the rest? New forest, Norfolk coast, Wales, Yorkshire. I could go on.

Camping in France comes to mind. We did loads of that when the children were small.

French campsites are really nice. So much better and cheaper than the UK equivalent. Why not cost it out and see whether it can work?

We did loads of Eurocamp type holidays when the kids were small. We drove to France and the Netherlands and flew to italy. Yes, the accommodation is basic if you are used to a somewhat more upmarket travel experience, but it actually worked better for us having a separate room to put kids to bed and being able to sit in the livng room or out on the deck playing cards or having a glass of wine. A week in Brittany gives you a change of scene, fairly cheap costs if self catering and once you have your passports you are set for 5 or 10 years, so not like it's an annual cost

We went camping in Whitby a couple of times when we were skint - had the best time! As PP mentioned above, there are plenty of adventures to be had around the British coast.

May and Oct half term tend to be cheaper for holidays abroad. Also, look for destinations with shorter flights (eg. Majorca is 2 hours, Northern Europe) and look for basic, self catering accommodation and spend the equivalent of your weekly shop on your holiday food.

Life can be really tough when feeling financially stretched, you have my sympathies but try to think outside the box. If it’s important to you then you can make it happen!

Just a thought… could you ask close family to help renew your passports instead of birthday/Christmas gifts this year? Might not be a possibility but worth mentioning!

You can totally take the amount of money you spent last year on your caravan holiday, put it in Chat GPT and ask for suggestions for a UK holiday in tha budget. I bet you can go many amazing places instead of Devon every year.

I spent my 30s (single) travelling to amazing places then had children in my 40s. Single parent in 50s now, huge mortgage and still tied to travelling in school holidays. I really miss the days of rocking up in an exotic country with no big plans!

we went camping in France last year and although I budgeted carefully it felt like it cost a fortune (basic camping on small site rather than eurocamp)

we’ve done a couple of package holidays in large hotels but it’s never as relaxing as I imagine it’s going to be

as PP says, it helps to think outside of the box and it really helps to arm yourself with knowledge about flight pricing. This Easter we are off to southern Europe to explore beach/mountains independently and our flights were well under £300 in total!

Assuming you can avoid peak school holiday season it’s not too expensive to go abroad. Yes the passports are annoying but they last 10 years.

Pick your destination carefully though. Spain not too bad. Netherlands and Scandinavia are really expensive as are parts of France

What’s your annual holiday budget OP?

We have 3 children….when they were young we did campsites in the Vendee in France for 6 years on the trot….we drove there….did self catering in a pre erected tent and stayed on a lovely site with pools and close to beach ….it was much cheaper than package holidays……im 60 now and am taking my GC 10,8 and 7 to the same site this year

What’s your budget?
if you go during school time it is a lot cheaper. Under 2 year olds are free with some airlines and in hotels if they share the bed.

It's probably cheaper to self cater abroad and it would likely be a better holiday than it would somewhere like Devon. Guaranteed sun, warm sea, cheaper food and drink. As well as a caravan or apartment also look at Eurocamp type sites.

Also consider the second half of August as peak summer demand is starting to drop off.

So go to a different caravan each year in different places in the uk. There are loads of great holidays here. Loads of adventures to be had.
Also, have you thought of getting a second casual job? I waitress and use the extra for treats. But it could be saved for the passport fund? I saved £50 per month for years to go on a 50th birthday trip last year.
Going abroad is always more expensive than holidaying here (in my experience). But a weekend abroad and a city break can be done quite cheaply. You could plan for a few years time.

Just as an aside if you shop at Tesco you can use clubcard vouchers to pay for the euro tunnel, we do it when we go to the Netherlands on holiday.

You can travel cheaper

For example trusted housesitters. We often have had families stay at ours for 1-2 weeks whilst we are away. All they have to do is feed the cat, and give it attention occasionally. Otherwise they are free to explore area as much as they like. We have a separate guest accommodation in a nice holiday area they use for free in exchange for cat sit.

We would save to have an AI abroad holiday every three years, luckily my parents lived near the seaside so we did get a nice beach holiday every year even if my mother drove me up the wall.

You could go to campsites in France for less money than one in Devon. Use Tesco vouchers for the ferry cost.

dont write yourself off
why shouldnt you go abroad in time?
you dont have to buy all passports at once for a start

Try booking flights and accommodation separately as I find that works out cheaper than a package.

Ryanair has flights in feb to places like fuertuventura, carcassonne, Gran Canaria, Naples and Alicante from £16 one way.

then get a cheap air b & b when your there. Places like Portugal, Spain and Morocco are cheaper than the uk for buying supermarket food and eating out.

If you can manage a week in a static caravan in Devon during school holidays, we’ve found you can get a week in Northern France with Eurocamp for the same price including the ferry. Definitely look at Eurocamp if you’re bound by school holiday prices - there are some very reasonably priced sites depending on what you want and how far you want to drive.