What is a normal holiday budget for a family of three?

[LimesLemonsOranges]

What’s a “normal” price to pay for the following holidays? By normal I mean nice, decent accommodation so not budget but not lavish either.

(1) week abroad (short haul) October half term. Think somewhere like Greek islands, Madeira etc

(2) two weeks abroad summer but before state schools are out (so 1 July). Somewhere like Austrian Alps, Dolomites.

For 2 adults and one primary age child.

What should I expect to pay for flights & accommodation?

I’ve not been abroad for 8 years so I’m completely out of touch, but am now in a financial position to travel again. Thanks

Well your on mumsnet so I expect most answers will be 10-15k for a week. However more than likely given the times you want to go I’d say 4-5 K for a week in a decent hotel

(1) week abroad (short haul) October half term. Think somewhere like Greek islands, Madeira etc
£3k
(2) two weeks abroad summer but before state schools are out (so 1 July). Somewhere like Austrian Alps, Dolomites.
£6-7k
English school terms aren’t really relevant, early July is still considered peak summer across most of Europe.
These are minimum expectations not maximum costs imo

We go to the French alps and self cater. Houses here are not expensive…. €600/week. We usually drive which is about another £600 in ferries fuel and tolls. But flights to marseille are pretty competitive…. Prob £150 return each. Plus hire car.

with a few meals out and some activities (aqua park, zip line, windsurfing, mountain biking…) I’d say you could do it for less than £3k.

October half term for a week all inclusive in greek islands can be done for under 2.5k. Couple examples. For a slightly more budget hotel you could probably do it for 2k.

https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/greece/rhodes/afandou/blue-sea-holiday-village?ibf=true&to=31-10-2026&from=24-10-2026&dst=ALL&sAccId=&geog=ALL&flex=1&org=LGW,STN,SOU&aa=1&rooms=2_1:7&outId=E6b72894ed5094e8cc46b22dec4d68c74&inId=Ecc093a315fef531b87cd3a7c90f60651&accId=GRRH0089&packId=2229448852/2/3219/7&boardType=AI&offerRooms=21:7/JWS01&transfer=GEMT55068KSS&dtransfer=GEMT55068KSS&isExt=0&lateRoomCheckout=0&theme=beach&ejhsort=hotelslist|21|i5ET6TO7

https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/greece/corfu/dassia/grecotel-daphnila-bay?ibf=true&to=31-10-2026&from=24-10-2026&dst=ALL&sAccId=&geog=ALL&flex=1&org=LGW,STN,SOU&aa=1&rooms=2_1:7&outId=Ebf9af7e118c6094552b376a056f11a68&inId=E9bb6e213424461e641f74eeb241e3974&accId=GRCF0012&packId=2174904704/2/3219/7&boardType=AI&offerRooms=21:7/DB01&transfer=GEMT54259KSS&dtransfer=GEMT54259KSS&isExt=0&lateRoomCheckout=0&theme=beach&ejhsort=hotelslist|18|7DDUObcr

https://www.easyjet.com/en/holidays/greece/zante/tragaki/atlantica-eleon-grand-resort?ibf=true&to=31-10-2026&from=24-10-2026&dst=ALL&sAccId=&geog=ALL&flex=1&org=LGW,STN,SOU&aa=1&rooms=21:7&outId=E6e833725c696115bf3466e1cb0fdc94d&inId=E2de48380bf1e6531d0e34558c87b5d2e&accId=GRZA0056&packId=2228679296/2/3219/7&boardType=AI&offerRooms=21:7/DB01&transfer=GEMT55088KSS&dtransfer=GEMT55088KSS&isExt=0&lateRoomCheckout=0&theme=beach&altAccIds=Z0201759&altPackIds=2285150123/2/3217/7

4-5k

It really depends on where you’re flying from, but I’d budget more than you might expect for decent accommodation during school holiday periods. Booking flights and hotels separately can sometimes work out cheaper, especially if you’re flexible with dates.

Definitely depends where you are flying from.
Also I got told by a travel agent that half term holidays are harder to get cheap deals unless you book very early, as half term dates tend to be the same across the country so the demand is higher.
Summer holiday time if you have flexibility over which week you go can be cheaper because there are more weeks to choose from, so if you are going in early July then your choice is greater. It would be best to search for your holiday and then amend the dates to see which weeks are cheapest.

flights would be from Gatwick

I’ve booked canaries for half term (though only can do 5 nights due to flight options) and it’s come in at £1200 for 3 of us.

we go away start of July every year and usually pay around 3-4k for 10 night depending on AI or B&B.

Yep. This is about what I would expect to pay for decent hotels and good flight times.

I don’t think those sound like particularly normal holidays to me. We generally wouldn’t pay more than £1500 per week self-catering for 3 bedrooms including flights. I am very good at finding excellent accommodation (I don’t do resorts) and I like cheap flights. I can’t say I’d go to any of the places you’ve mentioned. I’m more a city break type, Madrid, Paris, Berlin, etc.

We’re currently on a week holiday in Turkey. £4200 for 2 adults and DD9, all inclusive.

Op there’s a million different packages and ranges. Why don’t you say what’s your budget and start from there