People with school age kids, what kind of holiday, if any, will you have this year?

[allthatmalarkey]

Before the kids, we did various kinds of holidays including camping. We can't camp any more as one of the kids has SEN and needs to be inside four solid walls. We're on above average income and we cannot see how to afford a summer holiday. A week in a static on the south coast in school hols is over £1k. Self-catering is similar or more. A week's package holiday is more £2k (family of 4). We've done self-catering abroad and it's slightly cheaper per week than the UK, but you have travel and even car hire costs on top. How are people doing it? What kind of holiday are you planning, what's your work/income situation and how hard is it to find the money?

2 adults and 2 children, 11 nights in menorca, all inclusive. But approx £4K

An over night to Hastings and little Hampton

@allthatmalarkey look on the breakfree holidays page on facebook for ways of getting a cheap haven holiday

I'm having 2 holidays this year. One cheaper than the other. I'm going to Whitby for 4 days and staying in an apartment and that is costing about £350 for 4 adults and 1 child, in April. I'm also going to Disneyland Paris at the end of August for 5 days. That is costing a bit more aprox £1500 and that is for 2 adults and 1 child. I can highly recommend butlins for a cheap holiday, I've gone to butlins many times and my ds loves it there.

Have a good look at different options for locations and dates for reducing the price of self-catering in the UK. Eg not by the seaside in Cornwall or south Devon. Also some summer holiday weeks are cheaper than others. We did a week self-catering in north Devon for 2 adults + 2 children for just over £1000 the last week in August last year, it was lovely, dishwasher, washing machine etc, and we pay in instalments during the year. (I don’t recommend Ilfracombe though) There are often cheaper rentals further inland in places like Yorkshire and Norfolk too. Depends what you like really.

Long weekend away in a caravan park on a Sun type holiday. 3 nights attached to a half term £140 plus activity costs of probably £30 or so. Thats probably it, but we have loads of passes to local places (mostly that we get given as gifts - if family don't know what to buy and ask), very lucky to live in nice area where there is loads to do cheaply and family in London so we go up there for visits too. I think we have about average income - about £32k, 3 year old and 6 year old.

2 adults & 2 teens. We mainly go to mainland Spain, Costa del Sol in an apartment which costs about £1200 for 10 nights including flights. I always book the flights as soon as they are released.

Single parent to 6 & 10 years olds.
We are moving house soon and moving to the coast - we might not go too far this summer.
I would like to go Inter railing though - that is the plan if I can afford it (move will be expensive).

I'd like to plan a trip visit friends in Amsterdam, Berlin, South Germany, and possibly France and/or Italy too depending on time. Perhaps we stay north and visit Holland/Germany/Poland?

Kids want to go to Scotland, I looked up youth hostels thinking we don’t mind roughing it, cheap and cheerful etc, we are a family of 5 and it was £130 per night!!!!!! Absolutely ridiculous, o was expecting £50-60!!!

Youth hostels aren’t ‘roughing it’ these days though, I really wouldn’t want to go to the youth hostels I remember from my ‘youth’ - bare mattresses, BYO sheets, sleeping bag, food and teabags, (milk available if you were lucky) shared dormitories, bath by prior arrangement with the warden, do some cleaning or other job everyday to help...

about the price of the youth hostel. We've got camping equipment in the loft which for all I know has been eaten by mice. I would love to take the kids to one of the brilliant sites we've been to on the continent and my 3 yr old would love camping. I keep wondering if getting a caravan is the way forward, but OH flatly refuses. Says they're dangerous. Can you really save money with them?

Consider May half term - look at Landal and Sunparks which seem to be cheaper than European Centreparks. A lastminute break at Duinrell could be bargainous then too.

We'll rent an apartment in Cardiff Bay for a week.

Thanks for all the ideas, folks

Well my view is that the summer holidays are not affordable and in the past we have gone away at Whitsun. I've posted in the past as have other MNers about Union Park in the Lido di Jesolo - you could drive but flights took us back £1400 and accommodation in a lovely lodge £750 with Gusto Camping - Dutch Company and as half term isn't the same across Europe it is surprisingly affordable although eating out will easily burn £100 a day! Cyprus at October half term was £3000 with another £1000 spending money.
Alas now DCs are strapping teens we are probably looking at more costs as they can't squeeze into tiny twin beds (unless their legs hang over ends!) and we've ended up with the uncomfortable sofa beds!
We are also very lucky that Ddad bought a static caravan in Norfolk and the family gets a free week each in the summer
These days my thinking is that family holidays are overrated and I'd rather to away on my own

Take the fine and go in term time.

Or

Here are some of our holidays. We tend to use facebook, Airbnb, go direct. Flights and ferries wise we’ve always been flexible to where we travel from to.

Here’s our last few holidays based on 4 people 2 adults 2 teenagers usually self catering.

Barbados 2 weeks £2.4k + hire car and spends. Jan
Isle of Man £250 - 5 nights camping and ferry with car - Aug
US - £2k. For flights - massive spends but feee accom and car.
Belgium - center Parcs ferry and 1 week in Center Parcs - Aug - £900
Portugal - Jan 2 adults flights, car hire & 5* hotel b&b £500 7 nights. Also got upgraded to a suite
Sweden - £1100 two weeks Aug including flights, car hire, 2 nights hotel in Copenhagen and two weeks in cottage
Lanzarote 1 week including car hire and flights £600 Feb half term.

Spain 2 weeks Aug car hire villa and flights £1200

Flights wise we often use Ryanair and being in the north look at Glasgow, but the flights for Sweden we flew Stanstead to Copenhagen in August for £38 each return. Same with Spain but from Glasgow.

In the uk look at premier inns a bit away from popular areas.

House swooping is another cheap way of doing things

A friend of Mine dog sits and gets loads of free Accomodation in return for looking after the dog whilst the owners on holiday.

You can holiday abroad cheaply. We earn only just above average but manage one a year at least but we are happy to not been in respites and really enjoy the challenge of self catering.

Where in Spain are you going somewhere ?

South of Alicante flights where 450, villa £350 Just small shared pool via seek and sell site on facebook.

Flying from Glasgow last two weeks in summer

South of Alicante flights where 450, villa £350 Just small shared pool via seek and sell site on facebook.

Flying from Glasgow last two weeks in summer

Camping either in the UK or somewhere in Europe if we can get a deal on flights. we flew/camped last year and it was amazing how much equipment we could take.

Where in Spain are you going somewhere ?

Near campamor

We are very lucky that we have some very well off family members who are paying for three holidays for us this year. One in a log cabin with hot tub in Yorkshire, the kids love that, one long weekend in Portugal with the girls and then a trip to Florida.

We are by no means rich so I’m very grateful. In the past we’ve booked premier inns nearby to interesting attractions when the prices are cheap. I’m good at shopping around and have got a week AI in somewhere like Greece when we only had one child for £1.5k even in the hols if you do things like fly from Scotland (we are close to Scotland but have different hols).

We're having 8 nights in Morocco - £230 per person for flights and b&b accommodation in the summer holidays. We could have done it for less but wanted a pool.