Booking a holiday when paying off debt

azlan

flossy_splodge wrote: »

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, ..........

Why on earth would ANYONE think its OK to do this.
It's no wonder the country is in such a mess!.......

If you can't afford to pay for it you don't get to have it.
EASY.:mad:

I think it's kinda ironic that someone who would be so harsh has "[FONT=&quot]Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." in their sig :huh:

OP as others have said as long as you can make your payments, aren't adding to your debt and are ok with taking an extra month or so to get debt free, a little holiday may[/FONT][FONT=&quot] help you stick with your plan. Only you know if this is the case. Life is short and we need to remember to enjoy it sometimes too

You could try checking out the home swap/exchange sites too and potentially not spend anything on accommodation and have the chance to save on some food too - there are places all over the world
[/FONT]

onesixfive

All work & no play makes Jack (& Jill) a dull boy.

Take your holiday, but keep it cheap!

Make it a challenge (like clearing your debts) to see just how cheap you can make the holiday.

Remember you can't guarantee the sun, but it can be expensive to stay in UK, plus remember add on all the little extra's.

Why not go all-inclusive then you're not tempted to spend? (travel republic, Jet2, sunshine.co.uk, lowcostholidays etc etc all offer cheap deals - but don't book nor expect 5 star!) I dont know where you live or when/where you want to go, but you can have a week in Benidorm! all-inc for about £420pp.

I've read some of your other posts, and can see you are winning to clear the debt, so PLEASE don't undo all your hard work in a week or two.

ilovelondontown

scarlet_macaw wrote: »

There are a few factors we have not been told which have a bearing on this:

How much is the debt and how long will it take to pay it off?

Have the creditors agreed to any reductions in payments or are you 'just' paying off HP, credit cards etc because you felt the amounts due had grown too high?

This second point in particular is relevant to some of the more negative posts that have been made. If no-one else has suffered from your having got into debt and are making profits from their lending business as a result of your indebtedness, it is your decision and you need only be sure that you are comfortable that spending money this way will not create financial problems for you. On the other hand if the debt has been reduced as a result of a CVA or similar arrangement or there are non-commercial debts involved then you definitely should not be spending money on anything else until it is all paid off.

I'm not on a DMP, I have simply got to a point where I was buying now- paying later and realised that it wasn't a healthy way to live. My husband and I both earn good money and make massive overpayments to our debt monthly. In December last year I had over £11k of debt which is now down to £4.5k and I will be debt free by the new year. We've cut back on so many things, we didn't do anything extravagent for Christmas and turn down many social invites in order to make these extra payments.

We don't have children and don't run a car. We would be looking to go away in September/Oct when the season prices drop and would be going cheap. I'm even looking to find if someone we know has a holiday home we could rent rather than going through a travel agent.

But like many pp have said, its getting to the point where this debt free journey is testing our sanity and I think we both need a (cheap) break!

Fujiko

flossy_splodge wrote: »

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:

Like you, I have never been in debt unless you count our very small mortgage which we paid off years ago before my husband retired. We have always lived within our means even when it meant going without some of the things other people thought were essentials but we regarded as luxuries. Result - we have a debt free retirement, manage very well on husband's pension and can now enjoy some of life's little extras.
However, there are many reasons why people get into debt, and the person who posed the question seems to be handling her finances in a very responsible way, so far from criticism she deserves praise for behaving responsibly. My advice would be to go on the holiday you can afford, it will do you both a lot of good. Life is too short to wear a hair shirt all the time!

scarlet_macaw

ilovelondontown wrote: »

I'm not on a DMP, I have simply got to a point where I was buying now- paying later and realised that it wasn't a healthy way to live. My husband and I both earn good money and make massive overpayments to our debt monthly. In December last year I had over £11k of debt which is now down to £4.5k and I will be debt free by the new year. We've cut back on so many things, we didn't do anything extravagent for Christmas and turn down many social invites in order to make these extra payments.

We don't have children and don't run a car. We would be looking to go away in September/Oct when the season prices drop and would be going cheap. I'm even looking to find if someone we know has a holiday home we could rent rather than going through a travel agent.

But like many pp have said, its getting to the point where this debt free journey is testing our sanity and I think we both need a (cheap) break!

On the basis of those replies I would side with those who say give yourself a break and enjoy your holiday.

tallgirld

Go on holiday and enjoy yourself!!!

You are not creating more debt so look at it as a reward for dealing with your debts. WHEY HEYYYYYY. :-)

cazmanian_minx

I have to confess, we're looking at going away somewhere sunny in September. Living where we do, we get as little as 6.5 hours between sunrise and sunset at midwinter, we've barely had any sunshine for the past two summers and we found ourselves both badly affected by the lack of light by March this year.

Ironically, we're having better weather this summer than we've had for years, but we're wanting to bank some guaranteed sunshine before we go into the dark half of the year again.

wba31

ilovelondontown wrote: »

I'm not on a DMP, I have simply got to a point where I was buying now- paying later and realised that it wasn't a healthy way to live. My husband and I both earn good money and make massive overpayments to our debt monthly. In December last year I had over £11k of debt which is now down to £4.5k and I will be debt free by the new year. We've cut back on so many things, we didn't do anything extravagent for Christmas and turn down many social invites in order to make these extra payments.

We don't have children and don't run a car. We would be looking to go away in September/Oct when the season prices drop and would be going cheap. I'm even looking to find if someone we know has a holiday home we could rent rather than going through a travel agent.

But like many pp have said, its getting to the point where this debt free journey is testing our sanity and I think we both need a (cheap) break!

Go get a holiday! you're not in debt trouble, or committed to a DMP or IVA or anything like that where you're claiming hardship!
Ive been on holidays with Welcome Cottages, and if booking at times when the lil uns are in school we have stayed in some stunning places in the UK and in France for cheap. going self catering we buy a lot of food as part of a weekly normal shop before we go, and can pick stuff up when there.

joanne109

Have a great hoiday and try to cut costs where you can but you do deserve some time away if you have planned and budgeted for it.

I'm off to the south of France for 2 weeks next year - total cost £800 in a caravan and self catering and I bet my debts are a lot higher than yours!


Joanne

YORKSHIRE_GUY

I didn't get a holiday last year. Partly due to becoming a grandfather too though. So this year I've already been on a cheap city break in Europe. Late bookings can be great if you can be flexible.