Are we the only couple who can't afford a holiday?

sarahg1969

gratefulforhelp wrote: »

We are holidaying in the garden this year!

Same here!

We are lucky enough to go on holiday usually (self-catering to France). But this year, we really cannot afford it.

We've booked our girls on to a freebie DoIt4Real holiday using Tesco CC vouchers, but we're staying at home.

We've spent a few weekends sorting the garden, and it will be nice to be able to appreciate it. We usually go on holiday and come back to find everything dead and dried up, because our eldest is hopeless at watering the plants.

Hopefully things will pick up and we'll be able to afford a holiday again next year.

elliemoo

No holiday for us this year, with 3 children under 8 we just couldn't afford it. I just hope the weather keeps dry and at least they can get out to play or we can get to the park. It is hard listening to others talking about their planned hols and my kids do ask but I just explain that we can't afford it and they seem to accept that. Just enjoy your family and spend some quality time together.

bluecandy5

Last proper holiday we had was our honeymoon 2 years ago, before i started my dmp. We probablt wont have another one until im cleared on 2011 and thats the earliest i can think we'll have a holiday.

It does get me down but then we both have 4 weeks off a year, we can say we have as much fun at home, switching the phone off, and just enjoying our time together.

Its our 2 yr anniversary soon and im more than happy to just be at home with a nice cooked meal, candles and each other.

System

bluecandy5 wrote: »

Last proper holiday we had was our honeymoon 2 years ago, before i started my dmp. We probablt wont have another one until im cleared on 2011 and thats the earliest i can think we'll have a holiday.

It does get me down but then we both have 4 weeks off a year, we can say we have as much fun at home, switching the phone off, and just enjoying our time together.

Its our 2 yr anniversary soon and im more than happy to just be at home with a nice cooked meal, candles and each other.

Yes we are the same, on a DMP to 2011, every penny is basically accounted for until then, maybe after that.

beer_tins

The inlaws have a holiday apartment in Alicante, so that's where we're off to this year! No kids, so cheap off season flights and car hire. Plus it's cheap once we're out there, so cheap we can hardly afford not to go!

fairybird30

I can't manage without a holiday, but I always go on the cheap, this year I went in January to cyprus (it was still about 20 degrees) for a week which cost £300 for 2 of us.

Not having kids I am lucky enough to be able to go off season, school holidays anywhere are ridiculously over priced.

gaj86

Well, all I would suggest is that you look on hostelbookers.com for very cheap places to stay, or alternatively use the internet to befriend people in countries that you like ... then it's just the flight that you have to pay for.Airmiles (co.uk )might help, or cheapflights... Also, find a local supermarket and make your own sandwiches in your hostel!! I stayed in Amsterdam this week and the exchange rate means that everything is extortionate, so we ate bread and cheese from the supermarket to stay alive!!...

bathgatebuyer

PinkTwirl wrote: »

Yeah exactly, I can't afford it this year plus I'm single. I had someone quizzing me this week as to why I'm not going on holiday. Some people are really thick/nosey aren't they? The cost of living is very high when single, even on a good salary. All it takes is a £500 car service or new washing machine and it's a skint month on top of the mortgage, bills, petrol, food and trying to have a life!

Being single is the big thing for me too, PT. Someone I work with keeps saying to me,"You're boring - you never go away anywhere" but clearly forgetting that it's much more expensive per se to be living on your own than as part of a couple. If there was someone else in my house who earned what I do, I'd be going on holidays every year too :rolleyes:

Add into that the cost of paying the single supplement on a trip and accommodation can end up being ridiculously expensive if you're on your own.

At least with the trip to Australia the accommodation is taken care of (relatives) and I can justify in my own mind that the price of £500 really is worth paying to see the family I've not seen in 15 years. I certainly wouldn't pay that just for a break somewhere just for the sake of going. I couldn't justify it to myself just to say, "I've had a holiday".

I'd rather use it for something tangible.

mrcow

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

and it would break my heart to spend so much money on a holiday with nothing to show for it at the end!

One of my serious fears is getting old and thinking:

1. Where have I been? Nowhere
2. What have I seen? Nothing

I would consider it a waste of my life. The world is out there to see and enjoy. I can't think if anything worse than not to experience life and culture of other places for myself.

We all have different priorities. I guess I'll just never "get" people who don't want to take the world by both horns and travel it.

What else are you going to spend your hard earned money on? More "things"? No thanks!

Collect memories, not possessions!

YORKSHIRELASS

If I am totally honest I would love to jet off somewhere hot and sunny with OH and the kids for 2 weeks. We did that a couple of years ago and at the time it was great but this is now one of the debts sitting on one of my credit cards. Very very stupid.

Holidays for us are short breaks in this country either camping or youth hostelling using Tesco vouchers. We take our own food, dont eat out or go to the pub and do lots of research before we go so that we can find fun, low cost things for the kids to do. By doing this 2 or 3 times a year for 3 or 4 nights at a go the cost is manageable. I think that if you are lucky enough to be able to find a bit of spare cash its good to spend some quality time together.

I have also discovered that if you dont spend a fortune on a holiday you dont feel under pressure to enjoy it as much. If the weathers bad and the accommodation isnt great you dont mind so much if it hardly cost anything.