How much do you budget/spend per year on holidays?

onlyroz

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I went to Benidorm as a teenager and didn't like it much then.

Have you been to any of these resorts or any like them? I'm envisaging 6am 'towels onto lounger' chaos, seriously noisy pool area (they're huge!) and long queues for drinks or food. Or are they actually quite civilised?

I've not been to any of those resorts apart from Sa Coma in Majorca (which I expected to hate but ended up liking quite a lot). I was just trying to show that it's possible to visit a range of different European countries in the peak August season while staying in 4* resorts without having to spend more than £4k.

My experience with European beach resorts is that you get a decent clean room, good pools and beaches, decent and plentiful food, and normally with a good range of optional excursions available. If you're interested in lounging by the pool all day then it seems to be uniformly expected that you get up at 6AM to stake out your spot. This is true wherever you choose to stay.

clearingout

I try to put away £500 a month for holidays (dont' always manage it), to include spending money and buying clothes, getting to the airport etc. I usually spend around £3,500 for 4 of us (only me as an adult) on a half board basis for 2 weeks during the summer holidays and then obviously additional food and drink costs when on holiday. I speak Spanish and French so we always go somewhere I can communicate well and therefore never have issues finding a cheap, back-street supermarket to get cheap drinks and snacks - I fill the fridge and we're away! This always seems far cheaper than the additional premium for all-inclusive, probably 'cos I'm not much of a drinker and in the heat, we find we don't need more than an ice-cream for lunch. Taxis to places of interest generally seem to work out cheaper than than guided bus tours sold by travel companies in-resort and allows me some flexibility with the children who bore easily - full day tours are not for us. I sometimes take a UK caravan holiday at May half term and when my ex has the children in the summer, I do a city break - again in either France or Spain. Groupon worked really well for me this year for a trip to Madrid - was very impressed with the hotel and it was really quite central. I use Quidco for cash back and add about £300 annually through that for holidays, as well as surveys through Pinecone (about £150 a year) which is my airport taxi money and airport perfume purchases!

blues

We budget £4/500 a month for holidays. Just 2 of us. This gets us 2 big holidays & a couple of city breaks a year. We love holidays though and prioritise these above other spending, such as clothes, cars etc.

pollyanna24

Gosh, I'm taking my two girls away next July and I have budgeted a meagre £1,500 for it. It is a cheap holiday in Spain, but they are young, so as long as there is a pool, they'll be happy. I'm going with another single mum and this is what she paid for her holiday this year.

Other than that, my other holidays are mega cheap as well. I go and stay with friends in Ireland.

I suppose it is all about priorities. If I have spare cash, I tend to throw it at the mortgage. But I have in my mind that I am doing it for a better future. The only problem is my kids are only young for a short while, so maybe I shouldn't be doing that. Have to find a happy medium I guess.

whiteguineapig

we always buy food from the supermarket when we are away, we never eat out in cafes/restaurants
if possible we try to get a deal which includes breakfast but other than that just eat in our room, it does save a lot

ani*fan

I think this is a really interesting question about holidays; I've been wondering the same myself as me and OH try to work out what to do for our summer holiday next year. For all my years being single I stayed in hostels when I went away. It was about the adventure and really exploring so I didn't mind bunking up with strangers. When I go away with OH, we want time alone in a lovely environment so we fork out much more than I used to and it's totally worth it for us.

But pollyanna makes an interesting point...

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Gosh, I'm taking my two girls away next July and I have budgeted a meagre £1,500 for it. It is a cheap holiday in Spain, but they are young, so as long as there is a pool, they'll be happy. I'm going with another single mum and this is what she paid for her holiday this year.

It depends who's going on the holiday and what it's worth to them. If I am ever lucky enough to have kids, I probably won't push the boat out for expensive holidays. If they're happy with a pool and some sunshine then that's what we'll be doing.

I think it's impossible to say what an acceptable cost is. I have a friend who took her daughter to Disneyland when she was small. Her daughter barely remembers it now; she considers it money wasted. I think if you work out exactly what you need and what everyone will get the most enjoyment from, then that's priceless.

Hope you have fun whatever you decide to do.

pollyanna24

ani*fan wrote: »

I think this is a really interesting question about holidays; I've been wondering the same myself as me and OH try to work out what to do for our summer holiday next year. For all my years being single I stayed in hostels when I went away. It was about the adventure and really exploring so I didn't mind bunking up with strangers. When I go away with OH, we want time alone in a lovely environment so we fork out much more than I used to and it's totally worth it for us.

But pollyanna makes an interesting point...



It depends who's going on the holiday and what it's worth to them. If I am ever lucky enough to have kids, I probably won't push the boat out for expensive holidays. If they're happy with a pool and some sunshine then that's what we'll be doing.

I think it's impossible to say what an acceptable cost is. I have a friend who took her daughter to Disneyland when she was small. Her daughter barely remembers it now; she considers it money wasted. I think if you work out exactly what you need and what everyone will get the most enjoyment from, then that's priceless.

Hope you have fun whatever you decide to do.

My brother was talking of taking my girls to Disneyland, but he's now due a baby of his own, so his nieces might feel a bit neglected now, but to be honest, it's the kind of holiday I would do.

It just costs so much and at 7 and 5, I guess they are at the ages where they might remember it, but for a fraction of the cost, they are getting to go away with two of their schoolfriends. This way, at least I should be able to afford to give them a holiday again the following year. Disneyland or such like holiday is more like a once in a lifetime holiday for me. Although I have friends who go there every year and then complain and say I'm "lucky" that I own my house. I don't say owt, but it's mainly because I didn't spend thousands on holidays abroad in my 20s, but again, it's all priorities I guess.

Goldiegirl

taliwillow wrote: »

but £4k seems an awful lot to budget for holidays. Is this the sort of amount you all spend on a family of 4 or is it way out (either too much or too little)?

It's immaterial what other people spend. Everyone is different, with different income, like and dislikes, and different commitments and responsibilities.


If you can afford £4000 and you want to spend it, go ahead and do it - you don't need the amount to be validated by what other people do or think


For what it's worth, my husband and I spend more than £4000 a year on holidays for just the two of us - but we are at a stage in life where we can afford to do so


Don't worry about what others do or think. it's your life to enjoy to the full

HappyMJ

taliwillow wrote: »

Hello,

In the past we have always had just one holiday per year at a cost of around £500-£600 for our family of 4. We are now in a stronger position financially and due to the fact that I now work from home I find that if we don't go away then I just keep on working as I still receive e-mails and phone calls and I just end up doing the work as I know that if I don't it will just mean there is twice as much for me to do the following week - so we want to have some holidays. I am trying to work out how much to put away per month to pay for our holidays next year and I wondered what other people tend to spend/budget. My estimation is that we need £4k to pay for 1 week away in May half term, 2 weeks away in the summer (1 week in the UK and 1 week in France) and 1 week away at Christmas but £4k seems an awful lot to budget for holidays. Is this the sort of amount you all spend on a family of 4 or is it way out (either too much or too little)?

Taliwillow

I'd say it's about right.

For me...4 weeks. Family of four? About £150 per day for travel, hire car, hotels, meals and some spending money. That just about do it so about £4,000 so put £350 a month aside for that and you should have enough.

ibizafan_2

We have probably spent in excess of £16000 for two of us on holidays this year, including a tour of Patagonia, BUT, we have no mortgage anymore, we are retired (or semi-retired in my case) and this is what we want to spend our savings on. We have a small house, don't have brand new cars every year, and are not interested on buying "stuff". It does depend a lot on what stage of life you are at and your priorities. Also, when you are still working, you are restricted as to how much leave you can take. I still research to get bargains on holidays however. I hate paying more than I need to.