There’s no denying that holiday prices soar outside of term time, but just how much does it cost to take your family away for some much needed R and R?
We asked eight parents to reveal how much they spent on their last family holiday during the school break. The total amount included flights and accommodation, but spending money had to be found on top of this, and trips varied from a caravan in Sussex to all-inclusive in Cape Verde. See how the prices compare to your last holiday:
Family Of Four: Gran Canaria, £3,500
Lisa Hodson, 34, who blogs at Holly Bobbs, said last year her family tried to cut the cost of their holiday, having previously spent £5,000 on a family trip. “We paid the same price for a family holiday as we did for our honeymoon to the Maldives years ago,” she said. “We had a lovely holiday but certainly noticed the difference between spending £3k, which in itself is a lot, to spending £5k. It seems more and more difficult to get holidays without breaking the bank. ”
Where? Gran Canaria, Spain’s Canary Islands.
Duration: Two weeks.
With: Two adults and two kids, aged six and seven.
Booked: Online with a travel agent.
Family Of Four: Malta, £1,600
Maria Hyrapiet, 40, who blogs at Suburban Mum, said last year, her family flew out to Malta on the day schools broke up. “It was our first holiday as family of four and also the first time we travelled in the summer holidays,” she said. “The airport was a little chaotic, as other families had the same idea to travel on the last day of term too, but the holiday itself was lovely and although it’s annoying having to pay over the odds it’s just something we’ve gotten used to and have to budget for in advance.”
Where? Malta.
Duration: One week.
With: Two adults and two kids, aged five and eight.
Booked: Online, booked flights and hotel separately.
Family Of Three: Greece, £1,500
Gemma Baggs, 29, from Bath, headed to Halkidiki in Greece last summer with her partner and their two-year-old son. Their hotel was all-inclusive but she also took £400 spending money.
Where? Halkidiki, Greece.
Duration: One week.
With: Two adults and one toddler.
Booked: Online.
Family Of Five: Greece, £3,000
Emma Louise, 29, from Dorset, who blogs at Even Angels Fall, spent an additional £500 on food, drink and activities during her family holiday to Santorini in Greece. “Staying in the El Greco hotel and spa resort, we had an amazing time making memories and taking photos of the absolutely stunning scenery,” she said.
Where? Santorini, Greece.
Duration: One week.
With: Two adults and three kids aged 20 months, five and seven.
Booked: Travel agent.
Family Of Five: Battle, £105
Hattie Sleap, 32, from Tunbridge Wells, who blogs at ThatMumBlog, said: “Even though we are a high earning family the fact that all of our kids are over two now (and so all require a plane ticket) and two are at school (so we have to go away in the school holidays) has made family holidays incredibly expensive. As a result we have recently bought a caravan so that we can make the most of going away in the UK and have worked out that even if we only used it twice it has financially been worth it.”
Where? Battle, East Sussex, UK.
Duration: Four days.
With: Two adults and three kids aged three, four and seven.
Booked: Online.
Family Of Six: Cape Verde, £5,500
Emma Maslin, 37, who blogs at The Money Whisperer, said she prefers all-inclusive holidays while her children are still little. “Although it’s more expensive up front we rarely spend a penny while we are there as transfers and all food, drink, ice creams and in hotel entertainment is provided,” she said.
Where? Rui Touareg, Cape Verde, Africa.
Duration: One week.
With: Four adults and two kids aged four and six.
Booked: Online.
Family Of Four: Portugal, £2,000
John Adams, dad of two primary-school aged daughters who writes at Dad Blog UK, said the last time they went away on holiday was two years ago. “The only reason we got it at that price is because my wife diligently watched to see when properties and flights came on the market and she booked them online the previous October, so a long, long way in advance,” he said.
Where? Portugal.
Duration: 10 days.
With: Two adults and two kids.
Booked: Online.
Family Of Four: Skiathos, £1,900
Hayley Challinor, 32, who blogs at Hayley’s Little Things, said it was cheaper for her family to go away for two weeks self-catering, than it would have been to go away for one, as they returned in term time, saving her £480. “We did travel out in half term but then travelled back during term time which reduced costs quite significantly,” she said.
Where? Skiathos, Greece.
Duration: Two weeks.
With: Two adults and two kids, aged four and two.
Booked: Thomas Cook travel agent.