Extortionate uk holidays .. again

[Justwantohibernate]

Sorry I know this topic has probably been discussed before but I can’t get over how expensive uk holidays are compared to abroad, the problem is we have a 2 year old and school age children so long drives wouldn’t be fun and I don’t like flying, I don’t want to stay at some dirty mouldy super cheap resort/accommodation. However looking at holidays for the Easter/May break the prices are extortionate. How do ordinary people like us on decent salaries but mortgage etc afford these prices? Where do you go on holiday in the UK with children during the school holidays?

Definetely will look at France for next year when youngest another year older

Yea we’ve done glamping which was really nice, but the price wasn’t massively different to a caravan so think with the stress of having little ones we’d go for the ease of a caravan or lodge next time, extra storage space, sound insulation etc

Solidarity @Justwantohibernate I too dont like flying. Before having DD i can remember sitting in the toilet at the gate wondering if i could get on (I did) and on one memorable occasion silently crying during take off.
The thing is i like holidays in the sun (very much frowned upon on MN - i know i should like going round a museum just as much, but i dont) and that is what flying gets you with convinience. When i had DD made myself fly so we could go to the beach somewhere nice & warm. I didnt like flying, but seeing tiny 3 year old DD bob about in a warm sea made it worth it for me. We live in the NW and have done UK holidays & european ones both driving & flying. All budget end & mainly mobiles or cheap apartments. Flying opened up more possibilities.& now my fear is much reduced. I almost enjoy the flight.

We used to stay with family a lot but parents quite elderly now and relatives don’t have spare rooms now they have older children

I think if you look for deals on accommodation outside of the usual obvious tourist hotspots and then search for things to do locally you can often build a really fun holiday. We have had some incredible trips around the North East of England- you have beaches, museums, lots of train history, beautiful walks (especially in Yorkshire), farms, Beamish, Sealife. Similarly we found Wales cheap to stay and we could drive to several cheap and free activities.

£800 for a long weekend sounds crazy. Honestly. Are you looking at Booking.com apartments / houses and sorting by the lowest price upwards? I mean you don't have to go for the cheapest of the cheap, but you can get a week for way less than that. I guess it depends how fussy you are and where / when you want to go.

I found this on Booking.com as an example, a whole week in a two bed house that sleeps five in Margate for £600ish in April. I'm sure depending on your location you can find similar deals if you book ahead.

This is what we always do to find somewhere.

www.booking.com/hotel/gb/chapel-view-huge-apartment-near-the-beach-with-gated-parking.html?aid=304142&label=mkt123sc-40dc9446-224a-4c91-b815-613d5a1078fe&sid=3e772ce76d75f578f7fff06f83f1e471&age=1&age=10&age=6&all_sr_blocks=941948301_366417117_4_0_0&checkin=2027-04-12&checkout=2027-04-18&dest_id=-2594140&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=2&group_children=3&hapos=11&highlighted_blocks=941948301_366417117_4_0_0&hpos=11&matching_block_id=941948301_366417117_4_0_0&nflt=ht_id%3D201&no_rooms=2&req_adults=2&req_age=1&req_age=10&req_age=6&req_children=3&room1=A%2C1&room2=A%2C6%2C10&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=price&sr_pri_blocks=941948301_366417117_4_0_0__63190&srepoch=1793714706&srpvid=d6b5f9d6caea4a00357e640c831177cc&type=total&ucfs=1&

Yes if I could fly it would open up so much, not only be cheaper but longer holidays too as half the holiday getting to and from destination with driving!

See a private GP, get meds to relax you flying. NHS won't do this anymore. Then hire a car at your destination and explore.

Can recommend hypnotherapy for fear of flying. I had three sessions. It has opened up a whole world. Might be worth investing (mine were £60 per session and I now use the recording she supplied of the sessions).

This would solve a problem for this year, the next and onwards!
https://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/

It's a pretty low budget as you've mentioned, but you could get a caravan for a weekend on a Haven site for that, especially if you went for a lower grade. Swimming included in the price and loads of relatively low cost activities available. Most are near the coast so you also have that free entertainment on hand.

There are other options on Booking or Expedia within your budget but honestly, choose carefully and read reviews etc because sometimes it's a real false economy as the accommodation can be hideous. And while it's not the be all and end all, it can ruin your experience.

I'm not sure where everyone is getting their cheap flights now, I fly regularly for work and flights have just gone up and up over the past year.

I'm not sure what I said to offend above 🤔 I was recommending a Haven holiday which could be offensive to some I guess!

I used to take mine to the west coast of France mostly, via the overnight Caen ferry. They loved it. We road tripped a lot too especially when they were very young, so easy as you have your own wheels, typically about 2000 miles over 2 weeks

Another thought is the ferry to The Netherlands, kids love ferries in my experience. Another option though is a cruise from Southampton, in school holidays I’m sure they put up prices but I’ve found such good deals on p and o if you’re willing to have an inside cabin.

We always used the Channel Tunnel as I'm too sicky on ferries. Tesco vouchers paid every year we went. Then a short 50 min drive down the coast to La Touquet and a guest house or mobile home park.

I mean I realise that a fear can be debilitating, but honestly all those hours in the car or on trains, for me the fear would have to be absolutely HORRIFIC for me to choose that over giving it a go.

Hope you do manage it one day though. People do say it gets easier the more you do it 💐

3 night breaks are always poor value compared to longer. Also Easter weekend is premium rate. We have a 2 bed fully refurbished cottage next to a beautiful beach. It’s £1007 for a 3 night break Good Friday to Easter Monday but £907 for Easter Monday- Friday so 4 nights for £100 less.
to answer the question it’s expensive because the UK is expensive. We pay £85 per changeover clean. 25% in managing fees, tax on profits, utility bills, cost of replacing damaged items etc are all far higher in the UK.

Get a decent tent on a good campsite with facilities and a pool , or you can.go to a site with ready tent ,.you can also get a discount code if you google it, between november and february weekends away are very cheap, you can.also stay in airbnb,

Actually it surprised me too but the cruise prices over half term are not much more than in term time.