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Petitions and activism
Original poster

Petition to tackle holiday prices in school holidays

228 replies

Sb74 · 04/08/2018 09:52

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226515/sponsors/new?token=PNpep4mVeQ9WPLw0WUsu

Please sign my petition if you agree with it. I’m asking for the government to change school holidays so they’re different throughout the country. There will be crossovers of course but by spreading out when schools have holidays will spread holiday demand and should lower holiday prices for families. Why should families, who pay more than couples anyway, have to pay 3 times more? We are held to ransom as we have no choice except feel like bad parents taking the kids out of school to get a reasonable deal. Families deserve nice holidays without getting into debt. Why do we all put up with it? The holiday companies can’t do anything about it as they respond to the marketplace like any other industry so school holidays changing is the only way to reduce the cost of holidays. I hope you will support this. It may seem unachieveable and a dream but all changes start somewhere. I believe some European countries spread school holidays out throughout the country. If holidays were the same for the schools within each county but staggered throughout counties as much as possible then this could change the landscape for family holidays for us and our kids and their kids. Life is expensive enough with kids why should parents be penalised for keeping the human race going. Surely travel is important to children’s upbringing to make them rounded confident people as well as having quality time as a family away from the stresses of home. Also wouldn’t it be better economically if people leaving the country and being off work was more spread out? I hope you can open the link to sign. It can be found on the government website for petitions if not. Look for heading’ to legally change school holidays in each county in U.K. so they are different. Please support this and let’s get fair prices for holidays

OP posts:
JacquesHammer · 04/08/2018 10:57

Parents living in England are not allowed to take children out of school in term time. So we are stuck between a rock and a hard place

Yes you can. Just pay the fine.

Original poster
Sb74 · 04/08/2018 10:59

I completely understand everyone’s views. I don’t agree with many but I respect your views. I’m someone that thinks change is possible and I drive many changes in my job so maybe I just have a different perspective on things than many. I don’t accept things if I feel there is a solution. I’m
not doing this just for my benefit, I just completely disagree that if a family wants (not should or has to but wants to) to go on holiday they are either forced to pay 3 times more or have to take their kids away from important education and be fined.. Its quite simple really. Yes there are lots of implications etc etc but the bottom line is families should be allowed to go on holiday for a reasonable price. All I’m trying to do is help facilitate that. Putting it on parliaments agenda. They can decide if it’s feasible or how to implement. Thanks for your comments.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sb74 · 04/08/2018 11:00

...... And I’m fully aware of what supply and demand is that’s my whole point.

OP posts:
loveka · 04/08/2018 11:04

You haven't answererd how you thing people who sell holidays are supposed to carry on making money in your scenario?

loveka · 04/08/2018 11:04

Think not thing.

ShotsFired · 04/08/2018 11:05

@Sb74 Sat I don’t think families having to pay 3 times more in allowed holiday periods is a joke. This is no joke. Families should be allowed to go on holiday for a reasonable price

What bit of "holiday companies will put their prices up to match any and all school holiday periods", are you not understanding?

You can't honestly think they'll just sit back and wave goodbye to extra profit on a plate? Unless your next petition will be to set up communist-style Government funded holiday camps?

Get real OP. Your idea is a complete and utter non-starter.

Xmasbaby11 · 04/08/2018 11:08

I wouldn't sign it.

It's supply and demand, and changing school holidays would simply increase peak season. They couldn't change that much due to exam dates. Plus having varied school holidays causes more problems as pp have said.

Stopyourhavering64 · 04/08/2018 11:08

When my dcs were small, we couldn't afford to go on holidays abroad and used annual leave to visit family in U.K....a foreign holiday is not a given!
Now dcs are at uni/ left home we can go on holiday abroad when we want and when it's cheaper and hotels not overrun by children
Holiday companies are businesses and work by supply and demand...its basic economics!

Costacoffeeplease · 04/08/2018 11:08

Just plain loopy

Maybe think of an actual worthwhile, serious cause to get worked up about op

ShotsFired · 04/08/2018 11:09

Parliament won't waste a single second on this, I assure you.

However, given you are such a fan of effecting change, I look forward to seeing your new business start up of "affordable family holidays" as I'm sure you will want to be the change you want to see. I'm sure you will be able to deliver exactly what it is you desire and will be a massive success.

Costacoffeeplease · 04/08/2018 11:10

And I don’t have children

drquin · 04/08/2018 11:10

I'll not be signing your petition, sorry.
For a variety of reasons, mainly as alluded to earlier but primarily ...

  1. There's a heck of a lot more I'd want sorted / fixed / changed in this country, and overseas, before I'll get worried about holiday prices.
I live in the north of Scotland .... would you like to campaign for more and cheaper holiday flights from our local airports please? There's less demand here, simply because of a smaller population .... but surely its unfair i have to pay more for flights from Inverness or Aberdeen than Gatwick. Agreed?
  1. There's no way on earth I'd support any kind of price "fixing" on what is an inessential, luxury service.

Come back with the petition once we've got Brexit all sorted, adequate financing of NHS & emergency services, and there's no complaints about our education systems.

Original poster
Sb74 · 04/08/2018 11:11

Goodness me!! I don’t have all the answers!! Im not the Oracle!! I’m just raising an issue! The point is that if demand was spread out more evenly
throughout the year holiday companies would have more balanced sustained business and more even prices, therefore reducing prices in traditionally known peak times as they would be less intense. That’s the whole point behind this. I would hope everyone would be a winner. I can’t help if people have cross county issues, I don’t even know if that’s the best solution it was just a suggestion to get a petition to parliament. I’m not the enemy here I’m trying to help!!

OP posts:
JacquesHammer · 04/08/2018 11:12

I’m not the enemy here I’m trying to help!!

With respect you’re trying to help you.

Original poster
Sb74 · 04/08/2018 11:13

I’m not asking for price fixing I’m suggesting that the holiday companies would respond to change in demand by changing prices accordingly. Supply and demand.

OP posts:
JacquesHammer · 04/08/2018 11:15

The prices wouldn’t be even. They’d simply be raised for a longer period to cover all permutations of holidays.

WaxOnFeckOff · 04/08/2018 11:15

I had a colleague who used to go to some brilliant hotels and come back and tell me that my family would love them and was always shocked that the holiday that cost her and her husband £500 each for a week in June would cost around £6000 for our family of 4. And she's say "but look at the size of the DC, they'll hardly eat anything and don't drink alcohol " even more shocked when I explained we'd also still only get one room.

However, that's just the way it is. We can have cheap nice holidays when DC are grown up and they don't need luxury holidays.

drquin · 04/08/2018 11:16

But how far throughout the year? If folk want a "summer holiday", going in April wont work ..... because, well, thats half-term / Easter ...... when guess what, there's school holidays too.

I can't afford to go out to a restaurant on Christmas Day because they hike their prices.
Shall i go out for Christmas next Tuesday because it's cheaper?

Original poster
Sb74 · 04/08/2018 11:16

Yes I am trying to help me but also all the other families that have to pay extortionate holiday prices!! Such negativity out there!! You keep on paying these high prices then if your happy with that. I’ll keep on fighting my battle but I’m signing off here. Thank you. Enjoy you weekends.

OP posts:
Witchend · 04/08/2018 11:17

The only winner would be holiday companies who would put prices up accordingly.
The losers would be people without school age children who would be paying more and parents with children at more than one school (plus teachers with children at different schools) who could find that holidays didn't overlap at all.

You remind me of when my DC were younger and asked for something, then would come back with a suggestion of something they thought was a reasonable compromise between us but really boiled down to them getting their own way

JacquesHammer · 04/08/2018 11:18

You keep on paying these high prices then if your happy with that

I don’t. We holiday off season.

I’ll keep on fighting my battle but I’m signing off here

It’s not a battle. A holiday isn’t a basic human right Hmm

fairgame84 · 04/08/2018 11:18

therefore reducing prices in traditionally known peak times as they would be less intense

This won't happen though, regardless of whether holidays are staggered because everybody wants to go away from June-August. Unless you are willing to change climates and weather so the Costas are the same all year round?

OrdinarySnowflake · 04/08/2018 11:18

Fun story, the year before the fines came in for removing your dcs in term time, my dc1 was still old-school age, so we went away in June, dc2 was under 2 so we didn't pay for a seat on the plane for her.

The year later, start looking at the school holidays and like you, noticed the increased prices. I looked at the same hotel as we went to the year before and had a look at roughly the same week in June, even though dc2 would now need a seat on the plane, it was still over £500 cheaper than we'd paid the year before. The school holiday prices had remained pretty constant, but the term time ones had been massively slashed.

Of course if you didn't used to book term time family holidays before the fines started (and so demand fell), you probably would think the extreme difference is entirely due to rising prices in the school holidays dates.

Unfortunately, it's discounting to get families to take their kids out of school that causes the gap in price.

They would charge the higher rates all year round if they could.

ShotsFired · 04/08/2018 11:18

if demand was spread out more evenly throughout the year holiday companies would have more balanced sustained business and more even prices, therefore reducing prices in traditionally known peak times as they would be less intense.

No, they'd just be high/peak prices for more of the year.

I’m suggesting that the holiday companies would respond to change in demand by changing prices accordingly

Yes, they would respond by increasing the prices for more of the year. Thanks a bunch, you just made it worse for everyone!

Honestly, why don't you get this very simple concept?

TittyGolightly · 04/08/2018 11:19

the bottom line is families should be allowed to go on holiday for a reasonable price

I want to travel the world but I don’t want to spend more than £1000. Life’s a bitch.

All I’m trying to do is help facilitate that. Putting it on parliaments agenda. They can decide if it’s feasible or how to implement.

They debated it in 2014 and 2016.