how do you afford a holiday?

kforshaw

I do actually use a credit card for mine, though the balance is generally not more than a couple of hundred at a time.
We do also put money away each month for spends.
I also holiday on a budget - and am due to go on my third in November.

I went to Majorca alone in May for a week All Inclusive for £148 - £6.48 for the all inclusive accomodation and £140 for flights and transfers.I only spent about £40 when there as didn't need much spends.

Went to Tenerife in June for 2 weeks with partner. Flight was £140 each and accomodation S/c was £150pw so in total £290 pp. Ate out each night and most days, breakfast in apartment - we didn't do any trips though but I did do 3 scuba dives and spent £350 for the fortnight.

Going to Tenerife again in November - £155 for flight and £150pw apartment so about £230pw for both of us.

I know people who book directly out of brochures and spend the price I have for 3 holidays for a fortnight somewhere in the med. (In total I've paid £665 in total for my three hols!!:T)
I always book separately as it works best for us.

Chipstter

I decide where I want to go, work out how much I have to save to pay for the holiday and then decide if it's worth it! It's a horrible thought having to pay for the holiday when you get back, that would be really demotivating

Never thought about a 2 quid tin though, but I'm going to get one, thanks Magnolia!

cashbackproblems

kforshaw wrote: »

I do actually use a credit card for mine, though the balance is generally not more than a couple of hundred at a time.
We do also put money away each month for spends.
I also holiday on a budget - and am due to go on my third in November.

I went to Majorca alone in May for a week All Inclusive for £148 - £6.48 for the all inclusive accomodation and £140 for flights and transfers.I only spent about £40 when there as didn't need much spends.

Went to Tenerife in June for 2 weeks with partner. Flight was £140 each and accomodation S/c was £150pw so in total £290 pp. Ate out each night and most days, breakfast in apartment - we didn't do any trips though but I did do 3 scuba dives and spent £350 for the fortnight.

Going to Tenerife again in November - £155 for flight and £150pw apartment so about £230pw for both of us.

I know people who book directly out of brochures and spend the price I have for 3 holidays for a fortnight somewhere in the med. (In total I've paid £665 in total for my three hols!!:T)
I always book separately as it works best for us.

where do you book from? For europe trips teletext holidays has the best package deals plus you can haggle a bit, for trips in the US/ROW i find expedia the cheapest or small one man travel agents.

Magnolia

Chipstter wrote: »

Never thought about a 2 quid tin though, but I'm going to get one, thanks Magnolia!

Make sure you get one of them that you have to open with a tin opener! 2 for a quid in the pound shops

jackieblack

lynzpower wrote: »

We both save 100 pcm for our holidays account. We also save all our loose change and any cash we get given as gifts goes into it. I have in the past had my ebay proceeds diverted into that as well, along with money raised from car boots/ cash backs etc.

Holidays are the single most inportant spend to us- we dont go out much though! When I look at some freinds spending 100 quid a night on going out, 2 nights out = one city break- flights & hotel. 3x nights out= flight to the far east.

I priced up a weekend away in Harrogate for OHs birthday, - hot air ballooning, reaonably nice hotel, 2 days car hire, rough price of meals. This was turning into being over 700 quid!! . I decided instead to take OH to orlando instead, the flight and accom are coming up at the same price as 2 days in harrogate. Yes we will spend when there!

We also make all round cutbacks- it depends if there is much to cut back on though I suppose! We dont have sky, and i never pay full price for anything

Wow lynzpower, I am exactly the same! and could have written that post myself!
(Scary! :eek: )

Poly,put_the_kettle_on

kforshaw wrote: »

I do actually use a credit card for mine, though the balance is generally not more than a couple of hundred at a time.
We do also put money away each month for spends.
I also holiday on a budget - and am due to go on my third in November.

I went to Majorca alone in May for a week All Inclusive for £148 - £6.48 for the all inclusive accomodation and £140 for flights and transfers.I only spent about £40 when there as didn't need much spends.

Went to Tenerife in June for 2 weeks with partner. Flight was £140 each and accomodation S/c was £150pw so in total £290 pp. Ate out each night and most days, breakfast in apartment - we didn't do any trips though but I did do 3 scuba dives and spent £350 for the fortnight.

Going to Tenerife again in November - £155 for flight and £150pw apartment so about £230pw for both of us.

I know people who book directly out of brochures and spend the price I have for 3 holidays for a fortnight somewhere in the med. (In total I've paid £665 in total for my three hols!!:T)
I always book separately as it works best for us.

I'm used to finding bargains, but hats off for the Majorca one! :T

kforshaw

Poly,put_the_kettle_on wrote: »

I'm used to finding bargains, but hats off for the Majorca one! :T

I booked the Majorca one through Thomson - they have some cracking offers about throughout the year.
It was actually £21.00 for the week but I got £15 cashback on it (plus the odd pennies for using a debit card).
The previous year it cost me £16 odd (Cashback wasn't as high!)

I was gutted that I missed the week we're going away in November on Thomson for £88 for the week S/c, OH didn't make his mind up til after that price had gone!

cashbackproblems wrote: »

where do you book from? For europe trips teletext holidays has the best package deals plus you can haggle a bit, for trips in the US/ROW i find expedia the cheapest or small one man travel agents.

Generally the flights are Ryanair/Easyjet ones.
But I book private studios/ apartments via internet or nowadays privately through people we've met whilst away.

I use Resorthoppa for my transfers or local bus in Tenerife/Gran Canaria as I know where we get off.

minerva_windsong

I've been saving £50 a month since last October for my trip to Istanbul next month, and so far have spent just shy of £250 of it on a new passport, flights and accomodation. The rest will be used as spending money.

If I didn't have or couldn't save the funds I wouldn't be going, simple as that.

rinroo

H2b gets an annual bonus each year (he doesn't work for a bank lol) so that pays our deposit and they we pay each month, we book our holidays a year in advance normally as we have paid one off and are about to go, we look to book another for the following year straight away.

Wont happen this year though as we can't afford a wedding and a honeymoon/holiday so we will have a holiday/honeymoon year after the wedding.

There is no way we would borrow money to fund a holiday I just couldn't relax knowing that my holiday wasn't paid for and I'd have to return and start paying for it.

old_motters

If it's a short holiday i.e. a week or less or in the UK, I'll pay it up front all in one go. For longer holidays to the US or elsewhere first, I'll look for flights about 10 months prior to travel and as soon as I see a fare and routing I like I book and pay on the credit card. I aim to have these paid off within 2 pay periods. Then car hire, paid on the credit card and paid off in a single pay period. Then hotel, I'll do priceline, hotwire etc etc etc, until I see a hotel at a rate I want and pay on credit card and paid in 2 or 3 pay periods depending on cost. Finally, spending money goes into the bank until needed.

I don't ever come back from holiday with any debt, in fact there's usually a couple of hundred quid left over I've banked on for contingency.