How important are holidays to you?

[nkf]

I don't mean time off work but the going away etc...
My husband is mad about them and I want to rein in our expenses. I can't bear how much our summer holiday this year cost us. And yet I feel like such a meanie for saying we shouldn't.

Nkf, you're in London? If the other great suggestions here don't work out, you should definately consider house-swapping. There are loads of people out there who would love to spend time in London, especially people with children, who want to self-cater and would really appreciate somewhere child-friendly to stay. You could get a great place in Europe with everything you're looking for in return, and at any price you want to pay (some include car swapping too I'm told). I'm afraid I don't know specific websites, but i think someone has already listed a couple?

We have two hols, one at home and one away. We don;t spend much money on anything but essentials in between.

we havent been away since had children, im not one of those parent who drag children around airports and hotels. i mean, there is no offense, it just not my cuppa tea. personally i just cant do long haul or holiday abroad with two children under 3.5.
we bought caravan and we love it. we decided to comprimise, and we are happy with it.

Some places have larger taxis, I don't know how much they cost, but they would take five people easily. Does anyone know the pricing for larger taxis?

We took DS 2.2 to Spain cheaply, we found our own flights and booked a small apartment via the owner (found on a reputable web site). We self catered and hired a car (this meant cheaper accomodation - the app't was away from the sea, but had a pool on site).

Compared to a package deal it was hugely cheaper. DS and we loved it and plan to do it again...

There is a great play area, baby facilities in Madrid airport - near to the internal flights departure lounge, but brilliant for under fives, there is also a jungle gym for upto 11 years. Great when waiting for flight connections!