'Should you go on holiday while in debt?' poll discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence

Poll between 22-30 June 2009

Should you go on holiday while in debt?

A family with total earnings of £35,000 has nearly £15,000 on a credit card (at 6.8% life of balance). They’re slowly chipping away at it, but are still five years off debt-free status.

Yet they haven’t been away for two years and are desperate for the guaranteed sun and a bit of the luxury of a foreign holiday, which would push off substantial repayments for a long time afterwards.

What would you suggest they do?

A. No holiday until debt free. Then life gets easier anyway. - 23% (3471 votes)
B. Camp in the UK. It’s dirt cheap but still a break. - 45% (6836 votes)
C. Cheap overseas break’s fine. After all the debts aren’t that costly. - 21% (3203 votes)
D. Time for a treat. After all they’ve been good for ages. - 10% (1520 votes)

Voting has now ended, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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Mozette

In the current economic climate there is no way I would advise anyone to take a holiday.

It does depend on other factors to an extent - job security, mortgage etc, but on the whole; no. Get it paid off asap.

Being 'desperate' for ...whatever... was possibly what got them in debt in the first place:rolleyes:

skintas_2

i need a holiday something tolook forward too, im amking al the payments every month, and i dont go out drinking or wasting my money so why cant i treat myslef to a cheap holiday

ThinkingOfLinking

I'd say Option B. I never went abroad as a kid or had any fancy holidays and it didn't do me any harm.

However, there are other ways to get a free holiday, such as saving Clubcard vouchers, or earning and saving vouchers from online surveys, or even mystery shopping (been offered flights all over the world). Of course, they could also enter competitions to win a holiday...

Mind you, I'm now relying on my modest overdraft to pull me through the next few months, til I get a job or go back to university, and while I wouldn't pay for a fancy holiday or even a less fancy one overseas, I am going on 3 mini adventures in the UK this year (a day trip, a 2-day break and a 5-day break), which is more than ever. Saving Clubcard and Virgin vouchers for a real break next year.

JimmyTheWig

The answers got to be B. I'd say a £9.50 Sun holiday if they didn't fancy camping in the UK.

My response to the other answers...
A. A cheap holiday can be very cheap if you plan it right, so I think they can probably afford it.
C. The debts _are_ that costly. Even at the good rate they've got themselves, they're still throwing away £20 a _week_ in interest.
D. I agree the deserve a treat. A cheap UK holiday would be a treat.

teddyco

I have a better idea!

Under Labour, the average family now pays 10% more in taxes.

Solution, get rid of this crummy government, lower the taxes by 10% and use that money to pay off their credit card debt.

Imagine what all of us could do with 10% more in our bank account rather than in the hands of this wasteful government?

jamtart6

life's too short! I voted D

blue35_2

I think C!!!

scotsbob

I can well afford luxury foreign holiday but out of choice I still Youth Hostel. It's more fun and I make more friends in hostels than hotels

Gigervamp

Thee are loads of people who never have a holiday and they get by ok without.

A holiday is a luxury. It's not a necessity, no matter how much you think you *need* one. You'll live if you don't go away.

Use the time off work to go for cheap days out with the family. Spend a day at the park with a picnic, go to a PYO farm and stock up on fruit and veg (cheaper than buying it in a shop), spend another day teaching the kids how to cook/preserve the fruit and veg you've picked, go to the museums etc.

And if this family is on 35 grand a year, they shouldn't be in debt anyway.

ceridwen

I tend to agree with Gigervamp.

I'm not perfect - as, having spent 7/8? years without a holiday at one point I thought "darn it....I've had one HECK of a lot of hassle since my last holiday - so I'm having a holiday...even though I dont have the money for it". But - overall...my position is that I wont have a holiday unless I can afford it - which HAS meant that I have missed out on the VAST VAST majority of my holidays ever..particularly with being single (ie the dreaded "Single Supplement" that adds so much to the holiday costs of singles).

I've now moved back to the point that I was at 30 years ago (ie the 1970s) where I realized that airtravel is BAD for the environment and decided not to fly at all ever. I had a coupla lapses and went on holiday by plane 2?/3? times - as no-one else seemed to know and/or bother about this and I thought "whats the good of me doing my bit - if everyone else is being selfish/shortsighted? If you cant beat them...join them"...but now that I've had a combination of other people ARE now joining me in my 30 years old position on the one hand/ I've read up the health hazards of flying by plane anyway (rather toxic air to breathe - courtesy of economy measures by many airlines)/I cant stand the hassle involved in flying these days...I've given up flying again...this time for good..

So - its staycations for me anyway - until such time as I have enough time to spend days travelling by train to get to wherever it is I'm wanting to go to on the Continent.