Family Holidays Abroad for Dummies

Imlay

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children aged 9 & 11) who have never been abroad before but are very interested in trying it! We have previously taken our holidays in a towing caravan at cheap sites as we were a family of 6 (we have a now21 year old and a 19 year old) as money was tight.

Please can you share you tips and hints about booking holidays, what to look out for to get a good deal, how to keep the costs down once you are there etc.

I'm also interested to find out how people fund their holidays. My experience of work colleagues range from people taking out loans, using credit cards in a "worry about it later" style and booking at the travel agents and paying it up.

Many thanks for your help.

bobbyhibs

hi

well i guess first off getting passports, which would take time to sort it , but will last 10years.
first off, where to go which would depend on what everyones intrests are in your family- a quick thought, disneyland, paris? a couple hours on a plane prehaps, not too far.
doing it online for getting good prices, and trying differnt places such as expedia for example- there are loads of others, e.g skyscanner for flights, hotel.com -trivago for hotels for example but there are laods of different comapnies .
I would recommend mykindatravel ,-they were super helpful with us- no harm in shooting them an email,im sure they d be glad to recommend things (and if you have a budget)
As for costs- i d recommened (and this also being a Money saving site) not to get in debt, of course imo.

what i have done in my previous holidays is book 9-10months in advance-though some people may think this is silly but in that long while i can save for the holiday and any spending money.
Though on the other hand if you save up for a good while and try get something late minute would also be a good idea.

also get travel insurance (loads of info on MSE)
hope this helps

tacpot12

Your children are at a good age to start holidaying abroad!

Going Full board or Half Board is a good option to keep the costs down. It's worth booking package holidays for the protection and convenience. Read the small print, and don't set any expectations with the kids that you will pay for activities at the resort until you see how much they are.

Funding is best done by saving monthly through out the previous year, but be aware that the balance on holidays can be due 8-12 weeks before you travel so plan your approach to saving with this in mind. Get a pre-paid credit card denominated in the local currency and load this with £20-30 per day to cover odd meals out, travel, and activities. Take a regular credit card for emergencies (only).

Get some Riemann p20 spray to take, and use as directed to help the kids avoid sun-burn.

leylandsunaddict

As it's your first time abroad I'd recommend you think about booking a package holiday. Unless you're totally ok with having to deal with any changes or problems prior to departure I'd suggest you book through a good travel agent. By that I don't mean the online agencies that only sell flight plus holidays (separate elements) and not packages. Horizon Direct are really good. Their customer service is second to none, and if you have any problems they are excellent. Just one example
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/278478/agents-hailed-as-heroes-for-coming-to-aid-of-cuba-mum

Just to clarify I am nothing to do with Horizon Direct. I just highly rate what they do and as an ex agent that says something lol.

Choice of board is personal preference. We love the freedom of self catering although we did used to stay in hotels.

Booking everything separately direct with airline and accommodation gives more choice and more control over your bookings but if something goes wrong while you're away you're on your own.

Personally I wouldn't book a holiday if I didn't have the money to pay for it but that is down to individual preferences. I just couldn't get into debt for a holiday. I'd prefer to have the money in the bank and just part with it when necessary.

Take out travel insurance as soon as you book and make sure you declare any pre existing conditions in line with the medical questions asked. You do need to make sure the cover levels and excesses suit your requirements. Don't forget passports. Stock up with a high factor SPF with a at least a 4 start UVA rating, preferably 5. Even once a day needs applying more often if you're sweating, in and out of water and towelling down.

Apply for a fee free credit card. Halifax Clarity is a good one, but there are a few around. Purchases over £100 then get Section 75 protection and cash withdrawals are at the Mastercard rate. You do pay a small amount of interest on a cash withdrawal but you can log in to your account and pay it off the same day so no interest incurred.

Happy Holidays!!

budgetflyer

As you are used to caravaning, then maybe a mobilehome site in Spain, France or Italy.
LARGE mobile homes with all mod cons including bbq and aircon.
What makes these holidays special is the space and freedom for the kids. Day and night activities.Some sites even have water parks
Check out
Eurocamp, Alfresco, Siesta, lifestyle, Suncamp, Europarcs, Canvas to name a few.
This year we took our grandson to Castel Montgri near L'Estartit. Booked accom with Siesta, flights with Ryanair and taxis with Suntransfers.

PompeyPete

If you can't afford it from your existing funds, plus savings before the holiday, then don't book it.

You never know what unforeseen financial commitments might crop up between booking and going on holiday, which could make you wish you'd given the idea of a holiday a miss.

A lot of people book holidays without doing any homework, and then find out their choice was totally inappropriate.....Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail.

Take into account extras, such as will you need a hotel stay before you fly or on return.....How will you get to and from the UK Airport and the cost.....When you get there how much will transfers be.....Don't choose a hotel that's remote from the resort.....Don't buy excursions before you go, much cheaper and more choice when you arrive.....the list goes on.

Whatever you do, don't be sucked in by Travel Agents.....it's their job to sell holidays. Many will have as much first hand experience of the destinations as you have.....none.

Spend some time browsing the Trip Advisor destination forums.

hollydays

Don’t book with teletext ( search complaints about them on the forum)

Always check out all hotel reviews on TripAdvisor before booking.
Don’t just take the word of travel agents...
I only book accommodation that gets a TripAdvisor 4 or 4.5 star rating .
Hotel star ratings in Europe are no indication of the quality .
Decide what time of year you need to go and chose resort suitable to your needs( research research research)

Imlay

Thank you for all of the advice. There were lots of things in your posts that I hadn't consider so they have been very helpful.

bobbyhibs - thanks for the heads ups regarding websites. I shall look into those. Disneyland Paris would be a huge hit with my young ladies!

tacpot12 - thanks for your advise. I had been looking at all inclusive but was unsure if this would tie us to the resort / hotel too much. I hadn't considered pre-paid credit card. Monthly saving is what I was planning on doing asI was of the assumption that holidays had to be paid up front when they were booked (very naïve!) so it maybe worth us considering paying them up with the travel agent this time. Something for me to think about there.

leylansunaddict - I agree that package holidays would be the way to go. I think that co-ordinating everything would be too much at the minute as I have no idea what I would really need. It would take the pressure off having it already done for us. I hadn't thought of self catering as I am worried about money running away with itself with the kids but I can see that it would offer us more freedom to eat out. I suppose I would be worried that we would spend time looking for food shops etc and having to cook! I was horrified that some of my colleagues went into debt for a holiday and that they had a lack attitude to it in my opinion. (I would stress too much about it!) I LOVE the use of travel credit card ( I had no ideas that such things existed) and the logging in to pay for it off that day. I have just been accepted for the one that you recommended! Thank you so much for that tip.

budgetflyer - what a great idea. We are seasoned caravanners so that would be a middle ground and something that I hadn't considered researching. Thank you.

PompeyPete - I agree with the money front and am so shocked with my colleagues attitude but it does explain the amount of holidays abroad that they go on and their extravagance! I was busy thinking that I was very bad at budgeting when they could afford what they were doing but it seems that they are up to their eyeballs in debt and are continuing to keep going!! I shall look into the travel to and from the airport too as we live in Scotland it appears cheaper to fly out from England but the travel and hotels would need to be factored in too.

holydays - I've been busy reading TripAdvisor reviews and will stick to either 4 or 5 stars. Yes I agree research research research!!

Thanks again everyone. We have booked a cruise to Norway in July through our local travel agent (a new experience for me!) and all paid in full except the excursions and spending money. I'm off to google some October sun ideas for next year.

Kynthia

Enjoy your cruise. Hopefully you've already got cruise specific holiday insurance as standard insurance doesn't cover cruises?

Katiehound

and if you decide you like cruising next time book through a dedicated cruise travel agent Why? because they give you a discount- not large, but still a little bonus!!

Check your ports of call on Tripadvisor as well as local tourist websites to see what there is to do, if there are hoho buses etc.
You might find that there is a tourist card that gives you free / reduced museum entries.
If you list your ports of call on a new thread folk will likely suggest possibilities of what to do & see.
Excursions bought from the ship will be expensive but, if there is a problem and you are delayed the ship will wait for you.

Do not plan to buy any meals or drinks in Norway! frightfully expensive, even for a coffee. If you need it, take snacks /filled roll from the breakfast table!+ bottles of (tap) water. Bananas always seem to disappear fast on a port day!! (Can't think why!) There is usually unlimited food on the ship so fill up on board.
Yes, I know that means you aren't going to experience local delicacies but save your Krone for the sights! Stunning scenery
However it can't be dearer than Iceland where I paid £1.40 to go to the toilet!!:eek: (and paid by credit card)

I was going to suggest that you might consider a camping holiday. There are lots of sites where the large tents are already erected and there are activities for children on site.

yes, check you travel insurance

loobs40

Imlay wrote: »

We have booked a cruise to Norway in July through our local travel agent (a new experience for me!) and all paid in full except the excursions and spending money. I'm off to google some October sun ideas for next year.

check out cruise critic forums. Lots of information for first timers and there will be a specific forum for the cruise line you are sailing with. There is information on the ports you will visit, and there are also 'roll calls' for the particular cruise you are going on

You'll love it