Trout

iTrader: (1)

As it is that time of year that we mostly book our holidays what do you think is reasonable for a family to spend on holidays every year?

Do you go on one special holiday or more than one?

Two things triggered this question - one was being at Center Parcs and that can be very expensive for a week for a reasonable size family (£5,000 for a week peak time for a 3-4 bedroom top accommodation) and the fact that every kid in my sons class at school seems to go overseas for a holiday every year, at least once.

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

Centre parcs......I went to the Cumbria one and it was like a open prison but I'd paid!
Come to think of it prison was more fun

I pay about £1800-2100 , for ai family of 4....my little lad is only 2 though
Never booked this soon though do you get better deals?
I normally book a week before flying....saves listening to my missis chewing on about what needs buying or doing before going

billythekid

Zero in 2011, 2010 and prob 2012. Being self employed means no holiday.

davyboy

1 week skiing (maybe 2 but the 2nd one will be wife and I, and maybe just a few days)

2 weeks in France in the summer.

1 week camping/cottage in the UK.

So maybe £5-6k?

Hysteria1983

We font go on holiday every year, 2010 was a holiday in lanzarote where we hired two private villas and a pool, so it cost a fair bit.
Then last year it was a British holiday.

nik52wrx

Already booked ours, two weeks in Disney Orlando.
This year it's cost 4k for flights, premium economy with Virgin Atlantic and another 3k for a villa on at Old Key West resort, this includes the dining plan so no food costs whilst there.
When we're not going Disney my parents have a place in Marbella so it's a cheap'ish flight on Jet2, normally about 600 quid for the four of us. On top of that is food and drink money for a fortnight so i'm guessing another 1500.

We also go to Center Parc's in December which is normally around 500 quid for a long weekend.

Nik.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

We have not really been able to spend vast amounts as have a triple whammy of having to feed and clothe three kids all year round that leaves less money, then we have to take three which is expensive and then we have to go in the school holidays when all the prices double. 2010 we went to Turkey on an all inclusive with J4ckos mates family which was nice and our first "hot" holiday, we have been ski-ing with the kids a few times courtesy f the in laws and we are really lucky as the wife's family build a really nice holiday home on the sea front on Anglesey that her auntie lives in full time so we go there a lot, free holiday which has been great so we always get some kind of holiday. Been to Centreparcs a couple of times which always costs a couple of grand, to be honest I don't like it much, holidays for me should start and end on a plane !

This year we have told the kids we will go to America, luckily I have had a promotion and the wife is working, plus I have a share save scheme maturing which will pay for it, will be a one of as the eldest is sixteen and I guess he will want to go with his mates soon enough, I think that we can alays get more cash but getting more years whilst your kids are young isnt possible so whatever is costs its getting done.

Always amazes me how people afford some of the holidays they go on, we have no debts and I am on decent money but it doesnt cover two or three holidays abroad a year.

I reckon this year, it will cost ten grand to go to America.

nik52wrx

Where in America are you going?

Last year we booked everything through a travel agent, flights, accommodation and hire car which came to a small fortune, this year we booked it all ourselves and saved a small fortune.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Probably West Coast, done the other side, looking forward to it but I will have been two or three times already by then with work, not going anywhere near the Atlanta area, sick of the sight of it.

Will look at doing stuff individually, need to get on with it really, surprised at how much the flights are, like £900 odd each.

hodgy0_2

v expensive, with 5 kids

around ten k

tbh car hire is often the killer

that prob does not include solo childrens trips, my eldest is goint to Peru in June and my 12 yr old son has already been to the states twice this year

but we do have quite a few friends that have Villas abroad, that can keep costs down

Dingdongler

Interesting, I was thinking the same thing as I'm booking my holiday today. I always feel I spend far too much on holidays and never quite get the deals that others seem to find (but then I'm fussy as to who I'll fly with and at what time of day etc)

We will often only go away once a year, just due to work (I'm part self employed so lose money as well)

I don't do holidays in the UK, just not my cup of tea. Tried it a few times and spent money and not enjoyed.

Last year we went to Turkey (we love it there)

This year we've decided to go to Cancun in Feb and then a cheaper trip back to our regular haunt of Turkey.

The Cancun trip will cost quite a lot, but then there will be four of us flying business class with BA and staying at what looks to be a very nice hotel. So I'm pretty sure we'll be busting through the upper level on your poll.

It will be a lot of money spent on holidays this year and I do wrestle with my conscious with regards to this. But at the end I'm pretty sure on my death bed I won't regret going to all those nice places with my wife and kids

Dingdongler

Wtf??? You earn all that money and travel the world on business/work/perving and then you take your wife and kids to Center Parcs.

You tight fisted git

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

EFA

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Not been on holiday since Turkey in 2003. Dunno, just not really bothered about them considering the hassle of booking, travelling and flying. That and having the financial means, especially since 2007-8 when things went, erm, **** up

Hopefully this year we'll save and take Isaac somewhere for a holiday in the UK, even a week in a B&B somewhere nice would do. Saying that we can't go abroad currently as my passport is wrong and Nat/Isaac don't have one.

There is maybe the option of a mates French house and also her grandads Spanish holiday home. We'll see

Chip

About £10 this year I expect not including the odd weekend break away.

Ian

iTrader: (10)

need a £0-£500 option lol

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

I used to have three holidays a year and a nice exotic one over the xmas period but since this recession I have dropped down to just a summer holiday

dpb

We're back to Africa this year only the 2 us , Vic Falls someone girlfriend sort of knows is renting us house for a few weeks livingstone reasonable price ( i hope) . Flying emirates lusaka and then an 'adventurous' train trip , 4 quid - each! . Least thats the plan sofa but she may well chicken out so itll be direct flight

GlesgaKiss

None at the moment.

My parents used to do as you've mentioned there. we usually went abroad twice a year - once at easter and once in october. As well as for the obvious aspects, I think they wanted me to see and get used to lots of different places for later life. Also went on a lot of weekends or short breaks in the UK and particularly England, which is why I'm probably more tolerant of you ***** than the rest of my country.

PaulC72

before being made redundant in 2009 and then taking on a much lower paid job we had about 4 holidays a year usually one in England, 2 to spain and one to Florida, however since then we had one last year and a short break the year before.

This year and if plans happena s they currently are we willbe off to Spain in Feb as our daughter wants to visit universities over there, one to Majorca in May and maybe a stay at home one in June/July (not discussed it yet lol)

As I usually book it all myself we tend to save quite a bit as the flights usually only cost around £100 and the villa around £200 - £300.

Leslie

Both having been in the Services, Mrs Leslie and I have seen a good bit of the world and to be honest, all the hassle of travelling etc. does not appeal to us.

Living down here is as good as a holiday anyway.

Les

Dingdongler

Where is that Les?

Chip

Les lives in sunny Devon.

The Pink Ninja

iTrader: (23)

I dread to think how much its cost to get a family of 4 To Disneyland with a Villa and a hire car and all the park tickets, We`ve been saying to the kids they can go to florida disneyland for the last few years as its taken that long to save up and get the cash together, All booked and paid for now 2 weeks in march/april time. As they are a bit more grown up now(10 & 6, we were thinking of it when they were 6 & 2) and i think they will enjoy it more and hopefull remember it as i dont think i`ll be able to afford it again the the near future.

Oh then there is the spending money!!!!

Leslie

As Chip says, and we are very happy here too.

Les

Turbohot

We always did holiday-ish activities with our kids e.g. camping away, canoeing, visiting museums, art galleries, theatres etc. but we didn't book regular holidays aborad with our kids every year, like other parents did. Their daddy and I worked together on our theatre projects, and we were just very busy with that. We worked abroad quite a bit, and took them with us whenever we could. We took them to India for family visit quite a bit, when they were little. We stopped by at places like Prague and Russia for a mini holiday with them. Once we ended up stopping at Afganistan when my daughter was only 5 months old, but that is another epic. Their grandmother took them on holidays to America, Malta, France, Greece, Italy, Germany and other places over the years, while we toiled on our work projects in the UK. So, our kids didn't miss out on travel n' exposure, even when their parents didn't do many relaxing holidays abroad with them. I did want to live the concept of just the sun-sea-sand holiday with my family like others, so I fulfilled my wish in 2011 by booking an all-inclusive family holiday to Egypt. It cost me 4K for 2 weeks for myself, both my kids and their grandmother. It was something different, I suppose. Both kids are 18+ now, anyway. They enjoyed quadbiking, watersports, and downing cocktails to full. It was good fun. I want to do the Caribbean next with my children. I have frequented Caribbean, but I want my adult kids to be there, to behold and enjoy the paradise with me. I may think about it this year after doing China and India with work and family business.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Two years ago we went in the Spring.

Villa for two weeks $1,400

Car for two weeks $800

Passes (Disney and Seaworld) just under $1,000 (three adults, two under five kids)

Flights - £2,400 for all five

So around £4,500 plus food and petrol

Trout

iTrader: (1)

It's always cloudy and damp when I go - it's a conspiracy!!!!

ChefDude

Last year was our most expensive holiday year, just over 28K. There's just 2 of us too.

Dingdongler

Yes, it is a lovely part of the country