Petition to tackle holiday prices in school holidays

[Sb74]

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

@PinkAvocado Also, holiday companies are not charities

I've already suggested OP sets up her own cheap overseas holiday company. I'm sure with all her marketing director experience it'll be a raging success with hoteliers and airlines lining up to offer cut price peak time beds and flights.

I expect she'll make a fortune. Which I am sure she will generously reinvest to her company for families who need and deserve a holiday full stop.

meanwhile back in the real world.....

When I was growing up we never went abroad. My mom and dad couldn’t afford it. Instead we had a tourer caravan and used to go away whitsun and in the 6 weeks holidays to Devon, Dorset, Norfolk, etc. You name it we’ve probably been. My childhood memories are going away in that caravan. I agree that it does families good to have a break. But kids don’t care whether they’re in Blackpool or Barbados. Even if the school holidays are changed it just means the 6 weeks holiday prices will be 10/12 weeks holiday prices. It won’t bring costs down.

OP I understand you are frustrated but it wouldn’t be fair for childless people to subsidise families holidays. Surely you can appreciate that.

I think a better petition which id happily support would be remove the fines for taking a few days absence. Let’s say each family was allowed 2 days without being fined (before GCSe years) that might be an option.

Local authorities already set school holidays. The problem is that they still need to fit in Christmas and Easter and the exam timetable so they don’t tend to vary that much.

So why are you on mumsnet then?

To those who don’t have children that is??

I didn't realise that going on holiday was such a fundamental human right that it was worth wasting parliaments time

Childless people would not be subsidising families. Families are subsidising couples as it is now. It should be fair and equal ability to purchase. Anyway. Don’t know why I’ve re-engaged. My petition is going well so we’ll just have to see what happens.

Well it is......

If all the inequalities to challenge, this is the one that you want to start a petition about?!

So why are you on mumsnet then?
To those who don’t have children that is??

🙄 That old chestnut.

*already suggested OP sets up her own cheap overseas holiday company. I'm sure with all her marketing director experience it'll be a raging success with hoteliers and airlines lining up to offer cut price peak time beds and flights.

I expect she'll make a fortune. Which I am sure she will generously reinvest to her company for families who need and deserve a holiday full stop*

This is a genius idea. Perhaps some kind if “pay what you can afford” scheme so all of us with £500 budget for a week camping in wales can now go to Spain or Florida onthe same money?

O/p, i very much doubt that affordability of holidays comes within the remit of parliament. If it did presumably it would be under benefits and welfare? Perhaps increasing tax credits so deserving families can afford nice holidays? I think that is more likely than parliament suddenly gaining communist type powers where they can dictate to private companies what they can and can’t charge. The end game there would be those companies would just fold if they can’t make enough profit and then holidays would only be available to the super rich.

Holiday prices have always gone up at peak times. Anything that is popular at a certain time will have a price increase from lolly ices to concert tickets to clothes. It's part of being in a fre market economy.

When our kids were small we were skint so it was picnics made into an adventure in the park, daytrips to the beach etc. When we got more money but not loads IYSWIM we would use skyscanner and go on unpopular travel days to places in Europe that wasn't fashionable to keep costs done. We had a bloody great time. ( guess what, a lot of those places are fashionable now and costs have shot up!)

It wasn't our 'right' to go abroad or have fantastic holidays. It is our right to have annual leave ( holidays!) from most jobs and for us that meant time with the kids. The kids don't need Benidorm. They need fun and time with their care giver whether that's a parent or guardian.

Mine our adults and we travel a lot I would be pissed if prices shot up to keep the famlies happy. Bear in mind your kids won't be kids for that long and soon you too can enjoy fairly cheap holidays in term time when the crowds are back at school!
I love the cheap flights and the plane pricing tariff ( pay if you want to sit with someone you know, I don't care if I do or not, hand luggage only, way to go!!)!

Christ. People often find Mumsnet whilst misscarrying.

Then, well, the topics are quite interesting and not child centred.

But maybe you want to apply yiur own rules to the internet too?!

I'm off to start a petition about the hot weather. The government should give us all free air conditioning. Only for those with school age children of course.

I have children OP but appreciate that my dd was my choice and so I will be rightly paying for her.

I would agree with fines being removed for non exam years for a few days. I just don’t think this would be a fair solution to the childless. Families don’t subside them. It’s supply and demand.

I'm not a marketing director, neither is DH. We have a modest income. We take our DC on holiday at a high cost because we are able to meet our housing, travek, food, clothing and energy needs and have enough left over which we prioritise for holidays. Other people in similar circumstances might want a fancier car or a bigger house, you have a choice. There are people who can afford more expensive holidays than me and good luck to them. There are people who can't even afford their basic needs. Bringing down costs of package holidays for the middle class/middle incomes just is a bit of a strange focus.

I am a marketing director.

I’m also a single parent.

What are you planning to help people like me OP, who don’t get the special offers that apply to families as they’re dependent on two adults. I mean I am subsidising YOUR discounts....

@Sb74 My petition is going well

You sure about that? 5 signatories is a little shy of the 10,000 minimum for a response, let alonge the 100,000 for a debate.

(BTW, I blacked out your real name, wasn't sure if you knew that was publicly visible?)

You may also be interested in: petition.parliament.uk/help#standards

I honestly wouldn't back this, because rather than bringing down the prices for school holiday periods, they'll just increase them for all year round 🤷🏻‍♀️

That petition is going to the rejected pile. Along with the countless others of a similar ilk.

I'm not paying high prices for holidays because I can't afford to go. Full stop. Cut my cloth accordingly etc etc.

So I cant get worked up about it.

Oh my goodness.. I’m just trying in my small little way to help make holiday prices fair for everyone, What is wrong with that? Yes life is hard for us all. We all have our stories and problems in life, me included. I’m a perfectly nice, intelligent mum sick of holidays costing a fortune and I’m just trying to do something about that. Yes, there are bigger issues and I probably won’t get anywhere- I know all these things, I’m not an idiot but at least I’m trying to do something about it. My petition has only just gone up, and not even fully live, but I have a lot of local support. I don’t know any of you, you think I’m a idiot, fine. Think what you like about me. You don’t know me. I’m just trying to do something to change a matter I don’t think is fair. Goodbye everyone!

Schools set their own holidays and it’s actually not as easy as you’d think. The 6 week holiday has to be pretty much July 22nd-September 1st because any schools following the burgundy book teachers’ pay and conditions have to start contracts and salaries on 1st September.

The October half term is sometimes 2 weeks but the mid point from September 1st to December 20th is end of October. Much earlier then the kids haven’t settled in and you have a much longer climb to get to Christmas. Much later and everyone would be exhausted from a 10/12 week term.

The February and Easter holiday is more easily moveable; although schools cannot open on Good Friday, they can set their Easter holiday at a different time. We normally bear in mind exam season with this. The May half term (last week in May) can’t be changed because exam boards set GCSEs and A levels around this week.

You're not trying to make prices fair for everyone, you're trying to make them cheaper for you and more for others that haven't made the same life choices as you.

A marketing director would know that you don't make such a proposal without a plan. You have no plan.

(And why keep saying goodbye when you inevitably return?!)