Best budget summer holiday ideas for a week with two young teens

[popsickle555]

I am looking for inspiration for a one week holiday this summer with myself and DH and our two teens (12 and 14) who like sightseeing and adventurous stuff but also relaxing by pool, reading books / eating out etc. Not into shopping, will do walks and bike rides under duress 😂. We don’t have a big budget.

Because of our limited budget I’d love to know what are the most fun / enjoyable holidays you’ve been on that are low budget with young teens. Can be U.K. or elsewhere. I’m leaning towards U.K. to make budget stretch further but because everything is so expensive now here I’m wondering if there are better options elsewhere. Also would consider a city break type thing if it’s a low cost place.

thank you! 🙏

My (currently broken) van has a wine cellar 😆

It's ex wheelchair adapted, meaning there's a pit where all the gubbins used to go.

It’s much cheaper to go through the tunnel than ferry, even if it means more driving on the French side. I always used to use Tesco vouchers as you used to be able to exchange for 3 x their value. I think it’s 2 x value now but still a cheap way of doing it

So dramatic. The main road part is about 3 minutes. You also pass a handy train station and there’s a bus stop outside.

Luckily the sights are available to see outside the hours of the “Tuscan noon” when I’m sure the OP would be in the pool or relaxing under a parasol.

It doesn’t matter where you would prefer or where I would prefer, this holiday is a budget break with 2 teens, eurocamp was an option but looked expensive and the OP hasn’t the first idea about camping.

Sorry for describing your roll mats, little camping stove, fly nets, tent poles and handy zip lock bags as “camping shite” 😅

Right. Very pleasant 🙄

I don't take any of the items you've listed as part of my camping kit.

Love this idea! We are a long way from channel crossing (6+ hour drive) so I’m never that eager to do that really…

No need to fall out everyone 😅. I do know a bit about camping as we’ve been in the uk but we borrowed all the stuff from friends who go a lot…they can’t lend us it again as will be using it so it would mean I need to buy everything, not impossible but I guess yes it’s an added expense possibly not used as much as we’d like.

if we do eurocamp etc or similar we will fly as currently flights from our local airport total £400 return to much of Italy and France so cheaper than driving for us anyway given we have to stop overnight or two on the way usually as well as it’s a really long way to the ferry port from us up in Yorkshire!

We flew to Geneva as generally cheap and plentiful flights , hired car, drove to lovely valley near moraine, rented ski chalet house with hot tub in Airbnb- cheap as it’s not actually high season there (that’s winter)
lots to do - ski lifts up to hikes and glaciers, swim in lake near morzine and hire paddle boards, go mountain biking…

@popsickle555 If you're in God's Own country have you considered the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam? That puts you in easy reach of Dutch campsites (obviously) which seem highly rated, but also quite a few in Belgium and northern France (which have the virtue of often being quite cheap - there's three or four in Picardy coming up at under £1,000 for a party of four for the second week in August).

My experience with Eurocamp-type campsites is that the on-site shops etc are quite expensive and limited, so unless you're in one of the rare ones within walking distance of a supermarket then not having a car can prove to be much more expensive. It also means you take can your own bedding and towels, which helps keep costs down.

Two adults can bring back 48 bottles of still wine (36 litres between them) in their vehicle for personal consumption/gifts.

The Isle of Wight is fantastic so much to do and lovely beaches.

Hmmmm... 18 litres per adult. Lasts me about a week. 'Twas much better when unlimited!

Each adult can also bring 42 litres of beer, but the bloody kids take up most of the beer space these days.

Mine loved Eurocamp - we did the tunnel and drove - I like driving in France and we stopped at hotels with pools - it was all an adventure!
Also got a single parent discount

You drink 24 bottles of wine a week?

Take the ferry to France and book a camp site in Normandy or Brittany- abroad but keeps fuel costs down. Bring your own tent for the cheapest option but look out for deals at places like Pierre et Vacances or independent gites. If budget allows, the overnight ferry is usually a hit with dc

From Yorkshire it’s an easy days drive to Portsmouth then overnight ferry to st malo or Caen, short drive the other side, you have a lot more options with a vehicle, most camp type sites don’t have public transport

You’d get a narrowboat for a week for that; choose a route with plenty of locks and interesting places to stop en route, and it’s a nice mix of chilled, busy and fun.

We’re taking my 15 and 13 year old granddaughters on a multi-day kayaking trip next spring, having tested their intetest earlier this year. I did that with my own kids years ago and it was a big success.

https://www.visit-dordogne-valley.co.uk/activities/sports/canoeing-kayaking

I agree with this - feels like a proper holiday but can actually be much cheaper than uk and you can filter on liveliness, facilities, budget etc with Eurocamp

Not every week, obvs.

We've just returned from a eurocamp in Italy. Went in May half term so school holiday prices. Accommodation was £700, flights £800, car hire £200. Site had pools and entertainment and was great and we did day trips into Rome/to the coast.