Never been abroad before, where's best to start?

bravobeastie

Neither me or my husband have ever been abroad before. (how sad is that? he's 39 i'm 29 lol)

Anyway, we will be applying for our passports this year with the view of going abroad next year, we have 2 children age 4 and 7 so i was wondering if anyone has any tips on saving money on flights, hotels etc

We don't really know where we want to go as long as its hot, with a beach and the hotel has a swimming pool, we know we want to go all inclusive.

Someone told me you can book a good deal 12 months in advance, also neither of us would have any idea what to do once we got to the airport, where to go, to book in, to board the plane etc

So as i say, we're complete newbies to all this and any tips, money saving advice etc would be greatly appreciated

ellieo

turkey is good we had our first holiday there

MrsE_2

Package hols are good value for flight & acc & transfer, as its your first time they will look after you & you will have rep services.

I suggest you say what your budget is & what time of year you want to travel? How hot would you like it?

Remember there is NO such thing as a free child place, if you get a free child place, you pay more for the adult ticket.

Portland are cheap.

cheiftravelknowitall

Hi there

If you manage to get to the shops/work/school then i'm sure you'll be just fine at going on holiday!

I would suggest for the first time go somewhere not too far away, eg - spain, portugal, majorca menorca etc. If you want to go in the school holidays you'll probably be best booking early, if you are going during term time and are flexible with your dates you could leave it till nearer the time and you might get a better deal.

As you're new to travel I don't think the DIY trip is for you. I think you'll probably be more comfortable on a traditional package tour where the rep will be there to answer any questions. (i used to be a holiday rep and used to get asked all sorts of questions)

I'd reccomend you get some brochures and have a look at some of the places. decide your dates etc and then get a travel agent or holiday company to look inot it for you. Be careful you don't get ripped off because you've never done this before!

ellieo

i never knew that about the free chlid place !!!!!!!!!

bravobeastie

MrsE wrote: »

Package hols are good value for flight & acc & transfer, as its your first time they will look after you & you will have rep services.

I suggest you say what your budget is & what time of year you want to travel? How hot would you like it?

Remember there is NO such thing as a free child place, if you get a free child place, you pay more for the adult ticket.

Portland are cheap.

Thank you, our budget? well i don't really know As its next year, we will have time to save. We don't want anywhere ridiculously hot, perhaps somewhere like our english summer when its lovely and warm outside and you can where shorts and t shirts well into the evening type of heat? Also having the children who won't be used to that kind of change

Also somewhere that would have a fairly easy to digest menu lol as the last thing i want are poorly tummies

I've had a little look on the internet, but the whole thing confuses me, i will be booking it via a travel agents so they can explain everything in laymans terms lol

I'm not overly bothered about kids clubs (it would scare me to death not to be able to see them) and besides a family holiday is about spending time with the kids anyway.

Am i asking a bit too much for our first time abroad? It seems i'm being really specific lol

cheiftravelknowitall

You're being quite reasonable actually!

MrsE_2

When, because if you don't want it REALLY hot that makes a difference.

droopsnout

I'm going to go against the flood of advice here, especially in view of your request for not too much heat, and I'm going to suggest that you take your car to Brittany, in north-west France. It's like Cornwall with added foreign culture.

I have been on a package holiday only once, so am probably not best placed to comment, but I was horrified by the constant need to be at a certain place at a certain time, to sign up to trips that were much cheaper using local transport (important when you have a family) and of generally feeling that I was being shepherded. (Of course, you may prefer to have a shepherd looking after you!) There was also a sense that the stops, trips and strange deals like stopping to buy chocolates at the roadside were just ways of getting money into the pockets of courier and driver. (Sorry to all the totally honest ones!)

That said, millions of people enjoy package holidays year after year. It's just not for me. I'm too independent. And some people will be outraged that I suggest taking your car on your first trip abroad. Well, driving in France is a total pleasure (big cities excepted). And you're always free to do just what you want.

It's like everything else: horses for courses.

How do you fancy camping? It's great for kids especially, reduces the cost of accommodation, and leaves you with a bit of extra cash for dining out and entertainment. Perhaps a great compromise would be a holiday with one of the camping specialists, who book your ferry, campsite, insurance, etc., and send the maps to find the site and everything. Look in the press and your local travel agent for brochures. Oh, they also have reps on site to help out and point you to the best attractions,and since you've got your car, you can come and go when you please, not when the hotel meal is ready or when the coach driver wants to set off.

Whatever you choose, have a great time!

John_3:16

I would second that, would also be less stressful and you can take more with you and the driving does not take long to get used to. Plus your duty free when you come back.

bravobeastie

To be honest i think my husband would do that, but for me and the kids, going on a plane and going to the airport etc would be part of the whole experience for us.