Booking a holiday when paying off debt

flossy_splodge

Oh my, I can't believe how irresponsible so many are.
NO NO NO , of course you should not be spending on non essentials if you have debt, if you doubted this you probably wouldn't have asked the question.
I haven't had a holiday in 5 years because to do so would mean getting into debt.
Why on earth would ANYONE think its OK to do this.
It's no wonder the country is in such a mess!
And before I get shouted at, I do not have debt, never have had.
And I live (survive) on just £108 per week at the moment.
Not fun but BETTER THAN DEBT.
If you can't afford to pay for it you don't get to have it.
EASY.:mad:

SoulScribe

I haven't been on holiday in 11 years, for a couple of reasons.

I haven't had a permanent, full time job since I started working, it's all been temp work. So saving for a holiday when I have other, more important, things to worry about isn't exactly top of my priorities list. I don't drive, so getting anywhere is an expensive venture. And I didn't have anyone to go with until recently - it's much cheaper to go with a friend and split the cost than pay single supplements.

In my opinion, thinking about a holiday when you're not entirely financially stable just isn't a feasible thing. I mean, sure, it's nice to have a break away, but missing one or two holidays isn't going to break you. Sometimes the act of having a holiday can be more stressful than staying at home, and really, are you going to enjoy your holiday if you're thinking about that debt?

If you entirely insist that you MUST have a holiday, caravan holidays aren't a bad idea. My partner's mum just bought me and my partner a caravan holiday in Skegness for 4 nights for just over £150 self-catering. The caravan we're renting can sleep up to 6, so it's roomy and has all the mod cons. The website was park-resorts.com.

Scientist_DFW

I say go for it. Make sure it's within budget so you can still make the minimum payments for that month then go and relax and recharge your batteries. You'll come back with a renewed motivation to pay off your debts because you'll be thinking of all the holidays you can have when you're debt free.

chocky

Oh my, I can't believe how irresponsible so many are.
NO NO NO , of course you should not be spending on non essentials if you have debt, if you doubted this you probably wouldn't have asked the question.
I haven't had a holiday in 5 years because to do so would mean getting into debt.
Why on earth would ANYONE think its OK to do this.
It's no wonder the country is in such a mess!
And before I get shouted at, I do not have debt, never have had.
And I live (survive) on just £108 per week at the moment.
Not fun but BETTER THAN DEBT.
If you can't afford to pay for it you don't get to have it.
EASY.:mad:

If you've never been in debt, good for you, but dont be judgemental of people that are. People get into debt for a number of reasons, sometimes its in circumstances that are beyond their control. The OP isnt ignoring their debts or taken on any new ones. She has stated that they are keeping up well with their payments, that their DRP is going very well and that they will not be getting into more debt by taking a short holiday. Sometimes you have to see the bigger picture and know that to have a short inexpensive break is actually good for morale, health and wellbeing, as well as providing a renewed energy and commitment to paying off their debts.

Roland_Sausage

There are no rules as such, you make your own.

My own rules are like yours - if I can do it without getting into further debt whist still meeting the debt overpayments that I have committed myself to, then I will do it.

Whereas some of the more extreme members on here would say that you shouldn't even be considering a holiday, you should be ploughing every penny into your debt and living on £5 per week in order to pay the debt off as fast as you can.

Each to their own but personally I made the decision to repay my debt over 2.5 years while still being able to afford the odd holiday, cinema trip, meal out, etc instead of paying it off in 1.5 years and being completely skint and miserable and having to watch every penny for that period.

You need to strike a balance that works for you. Do what you feel comfortable with.

chrissie55

Personally, we would settle for a day/weekend at the seaside until the debt is paid, but we're people who can't feel quite settled when debts hang over us.:eek:

JulieGeorgiana

Of course you should go on holiday!

Just use your money saving knowledge to do it in a more sensible way, stick to a budget!

When we were in debt we always went on a small holiday (normally a few camping trips a year with the children)! I always budgeted to set aside £50 a month for a holiday, and stuck to my budget.

TIP: Work out how much you need for spending (and extra's) and in envelopes put a 'daily amount' in each envelope and STICK TO IT.

We are debt free for 3 years (today) and we have just booked a big holiday for 2015, I have already set a budget for each day, but I know of a few day trip and meals we will be having extra so have budgeted separately for that, and they will be going in their own envelopes.

Between now and our holiday any extra money we get (eBay, surveys and vouchers - spent on essentials and swapped into cash) will be set aside for 'personal spending' on those non-essential items you want on holiday.

We have a small camping trip this year, and next year with the new baby due November we have friends visiting from Norway for a Christening instead of a holiday (still costs money). I still only budget £50 a month for holidays, but overpay my mortgage instead.

If you budget, you will find you'll enjoy your holiday much more, my first debt free one was the best holiday I'd ever had and we had a week camping with 4 days rain! But we came home with 4p!

Enjoy your holiday x

pennypinchUK

Could you afford the holiday without dipping back in to your savings? Would a holiday give you more satisfaction than paying off part of your debt?

If the answer to both of these questions is "yes", then go on holiday. If the answer to either is "no", you either can't afford it or it's not the right time to be spending money on non-essentials.

JuliusCaesar

Having a break if you feel you need one is good. Spending too much money is bad. Look for a real bargain, out of the main holiday season. Even when you are at home you have to buy food etc., so a really cheap holiday may not cost much more that what it would cost to stay at home. Camping is a cheap option if you have the equipment (and cook your own food rather than going to restaurants). If you don't have your own camping equipment you may be able to borrow it.

Cimscate

I've had some great breaks in this country using Tesco clubcard vouchers to pay for the hotel and the meals. Get 3 or 4 times the value of your vouchers so much better than just using them for shopping. Don't know if that's something you have looked into. Agree with other posters everyone needs a break sometimes.
:T