[Closed] The cost or family holidays in term time...

What about half term weeks?

pondo - Member

Well, here's a thought - if you don't rate academia, why don't you just take your kids out and home-school them? Take your holidays when you want, and it means you're not burdening the education system with your kids, so kids who DO want to work, and/or have parental support, are more likely to get better results. And as teachers are heading towards performance-related pay, you're not going to inflict another lackustre f***-you predicted-grade-fail child on their pay packet. Happy days all round!

Erm, excellent idea. But, as I said....I don't have kids.

More parents teaching their kids at home would be great for me though! I'd get to work loads quicker without them all clogging up the roads!!

But then people would just buy flights in areas where there were no school holidays - lower demand so cheaper price, cheaper price increases demand, price goes up to meet the equilibrium point on the supply/demand curve, so no winners there..

[quote=GrahamS ]Well if they did stagger the holidays then it could be on a regional basis. I would imagine that the majority have kids in school in the same region.
For those with kids in different regions then there would still be some overlap (e.g. if one region started the 6 week summer holiday 2 weeks before another then there would still be 4 weeks of overlap).

What do you mean by a region? I think the majority of teachers at my kids' school live in a different LA area, quite a few in a different county - I expect if the nearby county border was a "regional" border then they'd be in a different region.

Any "softening" of the downsides to such a measure also reduces the supposed benefits of it - it's possible it might actually make things worse with all schools off for a 4 week block. Not only that, but is this only a summer holiday thing, aren't you going to do something to address the unfairness of the cost of half-term ski holidays for those low income families who can't afford those?

What about half term weeks?

Not every holiday could be staggered (Christmas? Easter?) but the main summer ones could.

The half terms are already staggered I think?

Don't have kids, so haven't experienced 'consequences' of kids missing a week and a half of school time but what other consequences could there be?

aren't you going to do something to address the unfairness of the cost of half-term ski holidays for those low income families who can't afford those?

Fair point.

Also apparently some low income families can't afford their own yacht. Something must be done. 😀

Konabunny, I might be an idiot, but please don't resort to insulting my children, not even for comedy effect.

Thanks.

Kryton57 I'm fairly sure he was insulting you and not your kids 🙂

Kryton...I don't think there was any insult there. And pretty sure there was no insult meant, even if some was taken.

OP, you could always stay home and pay more of your mortgage off. Go on day trips. That would be fun.

Erm, excellent idea. But, as I said....I don't have kids.

iolo - Member
OP, you could always stay home and pay more of your mortgage off

...which is another thread entirely and a conversation myself and Mrs K have just had, e.g. "Do we continue to strive to pay extra off the mortgage or say sod it and have a little bit of fun from time to time with the cash".

FWIW I'm going with a 50/50 approach, as my east-end Nan used to say, "save half, spend half..."

A week's car/ferry/camping in France was the only annual holiday I got growing up.

EuroCamp FTW!

No half-term / Christmas / Easter 'holiday' (always spent at home)

The knock-on effect now is I'd rather use my annual leave up on "long weekends" doing mini-trips in the UK, than week-long holidays abroad.

mrs xiphon is quite the opposite mind...

And all this is when the kids are small - wait till they hit Year 6/secondary, when school trips start at £300 plus spending money for a week, plus Cub/Scout camps......

That said, I had two "going away" holidays with my parents - week in Devon in 1976 and 2 weeks in Kenya (Dad celebrating leaving the RAF after 22 years showing me where I was born before it went chest skywards) in 1980.

Other than that, my folks went off every couple of years leaving me with the grandparents, and I went on lots of Scout camps and geography field trips/exchange visits. Did me no harm other than a strange curiosity as to why anyone would want to spend two weeks by a pool/beach

The OP's kids could turn out to have just as poor reasoning skills and geographic awareness as their father.

Of which, school teachers you non (unless you are lucky enough to go to a good one).

Isn't it more that they're discounting during term to try and sell some rather than jacking up the cost during the holidays?

It's economics 101 or making hay while the sun shines...

Well if they did stagger the holidays then it could be on a regional basis. I would imagine that the majority have kids in school in the same region.

This is what they do in France and it seems to work OK

I went past the Jaguar dealership the other day - £60k! Outrageous! Something should be done!

I would imagine that the majority have kids in school in the same region.

More problematic for those of us who live on county boundaries, or who teach in one county but live in another.

But again, that is ultimately down to parental choice

anyway....one of the reasons that August holidays are currently v expensive is due to the fact that you've left it so late. I just checked my holiday cost jetting out on the 8th August and its gone up over a grand for the four of us!

And I booked later than i should have.

Yeah OP. Don't try to do nice things with your kids.

Make them have crap holidays like we had; never did us any harm.

Option 1. Suck it up
Option 2. Don't go abroad
Option 3. Get a better paid job that will support your lavish lifestyle.
Option 4. Hire yourself out at weekends to raise some extra cash
Option 5. Move to Scotland so you can holiday at a different time.
There you are,lots of choice.

Get a bigger credit card and go somewhere nicer?

gogg - Member

Isn't it more that they're discounting during term to try and sell some rather than jacking up the cost during the holidays?

It's economics 101 or making hay while the sun shines...

[quote=Tom_W1987 ]Of which, school teachers you non (unless you are lucky enough to go to a good one).

Schools do teach you spelling and grammar though.

3 grand seems good value when you think that the plane you fly in might be a £377m boeing 777..

Cheaper to suit yourself and pay the fine.

molgrips - Member
I went past the Jaguar dealership the other day - £60k! Outrageous! Something should be done!

😀 A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

fasthaggis - Member
Option 1. Suck it up
Option 2. Don't go abroad
Option 3. Get a better paid job that will support your lavish lifestyle.
Option 4. Hire yourself out at weekends to raise some extra cash
Option 5. Move to Scotland so you can holiday at a different time.
There you are,lots of choice.

Option 1 & 2 - a brief convo with Mrs K and this is the result; we are investigating Haven holidays but would prefer some non UK sun. I have notice last minute deals are going at half price-ish, so maybe we'll book the time off work, hope for the best last minute booking we can get and if nothing comes up do something else with the kids. Option 3? Well I won't comment in details suffice to say I can't work out where it all goes...

dangerousbeans - Member
Yeah OP. Don't try to do nice things with your kids.

Make them have crap holidays like we had; never did us any harm.

I did think of responding in the same vain...

Rockape63 - Member
anyway....one of the reasons that August holidays are currently v expensive is due to the fact that you've left it so late. I just checked my holiday cost jetting out on the 8th August and its gone up over a grand for the four of us!

And I booked later than i should have.

I've not booked this type of Holiday before - whens the best time to do so with 2015 in mind?

often wonder how he'd cope with life without STW to guide him....

To be fair, there are others on here that I wonder how they breathe without somone telling them how too.

Every post is a question.

Yeah, it's a pain in the arse. Someone was only asking earlier what not to miss in Skye - like there isn't a wealth of information out there already instead of wasting folks' time on an internet forum.

[i]I've not booked this type of Holiday before - whens the best time to do so with 2015 in mind?[/i]

The best hotels get booked up as early as September for the following August, so you have to do your homework early and go for it.

Yeah OP. Don't try to do nice things with your kids.

Make them have crap holidays like we had; never did us any harm.

I didn't say they were crap holidays. In fact they were great.

Kids don't care about going to Portugal or wherever - they care about spending quality time with the family, having fun, making friends and going on adventures.

molgrips - Member
I went past the Jaguar dealership the other day - £60k! Outrageous! Something should be done!

If molgrips is ripping the piss out of you, you've got to realise you might be on shaky ground here mate.

I have notice last minute deals are going at half price-ish, so maybe we'll book the time off work, hope for the best last minute booking we can get and if nothing comes up do something else...

Find cheap flights first around december timeish malaga majorca or barcelona once that sorted find cheap hotels on teletext hols or low cost holidays loads all inc, a bit of checking of said hotels on trip advisor with plenty of reading between the lines. try for dates where you can take the kids out of school a day or 2 early ring em in sick this helps. book transfers and parking abit nearer the time. we're off santa ponsa on the 3rd april all inc 6 nights £540 £30 transfers and £30 parking at liverpool.

We left last years trip to Cornwall/Costwolds till the lat minute. Well the cornish week was booked but we wanted a week before somewhere, third week in August. It was a ****in nightmare, that ill never do again! We lucked in with the cottage we got but it was one of very few left!

Kryton57 - Member

A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

Has Benidorm moved country?
Has it departed Alicante and gone to the Algarve?
Maybe you've been charged 3k is because they need to cover the rebuilding cost.

we are investigating Haven holidays

We went on a Haven holiday a few years ago in Hastings, my wife has threatened to insert my entire bike collection where the sun don't shine if I take her on one again 😯 😯

Last year we rented a cottage from Cottages Direct and had a UK beach holiday, it was great fun and excellent vfm, only problem is that you can't guarantee the sunshine.

deadlydarcy - Member
Yeah, it's a pain in the arse. Someone was only asking earlier what not to miss in Skye - like there isn't a wealth of information out there already instead of wasting folks' time on an internet forum.

Is your inference here that for example, I should have used Google to find a local floor fitter I knew nothing of, rather than posting on a forum and receiving high praise recommendation from many for a chap that ended up doing a really good job?

Sometimes posting on internet forums can tap into a wealth of personal knowledge and experience that isn't based on marketing and sales.

Lets also remember my OP wasn't an ask, it was a demi-rant.

iolo - Member
Kryton57 - Member
A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

Has Benidorm moved country?
Has it departed Alicante and gone to the Algarve?
Maybe you've been charged 3k is because they need to cover the rebuilding cost.

No idea what you are bleating about iolo.

1) holidays in the sun are a luxury, not a human right
2) like all luxuries, they cost money and are subject to the rules of supply & demand - when demand is higher and supply is a constant, the price goes up
3) you knew the rules of parent club when you joined. one of those rules is that holidays [i]should[/i] be taken during the school holidays if the offspring are of school age. See also point #2

I can tell you where you went very very wrong Kryton57....

It was to have ******* kids!

On a helpful note a place like Sunparks might be worth looking at.

A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

Apparently in term time it is!

Having popped over to Benidorm whilst staying near Ailicante last week, I can safely say I don't think I would ever go there with kids. It seemed to be populated exclusively by drunks and old people on mobility scooters.

As for the whole kids hols and term time thing, as a child free couple we have a hard enough time finding somewhere nice and quiet to go when those of you with children have holidays, like eh whole of the bloody summer, Easter BH etc... Damn right you should pay more for it, they are usually the best times to go on holiday weather wise!
It's nice to have at least a few times a year when your offspring are safely locked away in school.

For less than three grand you can buy bikes and camping kit for all the family, cycle to the port, take a boat to Holland and Germany, and stay in mini-camping. You'll just get upset tummies and sun burnt in Portugal.

Lol@Educator

A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

More of a Vauxhall Cavalier.

I have notice last minute deals are going at half price-ish, so maybe we'll book the time off work, hope for the best last minute booking we can get and if nothing comes up do something else...

Done this a lot and we've always come up trumps. We were once told that last minute deals are used to fill up flights and the better hotels?. The best was £150 each for ten days half board in Menorca and all travel. The worst was one that cost about £600 for the four of us to Malta, the rooms didn't have air con...****ing liberty.
To go so cheap you have to book the time and be prepared to go anywhere at the very last minute, or spend a fortnight in a soggy Peaks campsite if it goes Pete Tong. It did once so we stayed in the inlaws static caravan in Bridlington for free and had one of our best holidays. The kids have grown up and have their own kids, but still want to go to Brid every year 😉

Kryton57 I'm fairly sure he was insulting you and not your kids 😀

I've not booked this type of Holiday before - whens the best time to do so with 2015 in mind?

Thomson and Thomas Cook normally release their following year holidays in April/May. We (4 of us) went for 2 weeks to a 5* All-Inc in Turkey last year for £3k, I booked it early summer 2012. Nearer the time the price rose to about £4.5k. If you book early there are usually free child places available, together with more choice of flights. Off to Eygpt this year on a similar holiday for a similar price.

Strange how one person's dream holiday is another person's idea of 2 weeks in purgatory.

No idea what you are bleating about iolo.

[quote=jon1973 ]

A holiday in Benidorm is not the "Jaguar" of holidays though is it.

Citroen Saxo, shirley?

Something should indeed be done about the cost of family holidays in the actual school holidays.

I want to go on holiday when there are few, if any, kids around. If the holidays stay this expensive in the holidays, parents will continue to take their kids out of school to go on holiday, and therefore, at the times that I want to go on a peaceful, kid free one!

fair point there.

of course, you could choose to go somewhere less attractive to families. I recommend the Canadian Rockies 🙂 it's very nice there

I struggle with long sentences

However, I will contribute to this thread. Some of the most enjoyable holidays I've had with my wife and kids have been those Sun holiday promotions for caravan parks...dire cheap and outside term time too 😀

[edit] - why does I N R A T S automagically change to "I struggle with long sentences?" Cheeky STW web monkeys 😆

I'm sharing a nice villa with a pool in a village in a quiet bit of Spain about 5 mins from the beach, 1 week middle of August £1200 quid for 4 of us all in including car hire. Don't fly at weekends, share the cost of a big villa, choose somewhere less travelled and it's easy to save a bundle.

Well, it's just cost me £4,100 for two weeks in Ibiza. All inclusive 3 Star (but 4.5/5 Trip Adviser rating) in August.

I couldn't care less, it's our kids first proper summer sun holiday and they will be 5 when we go.

And they do international beers and spirits in the All In deal. 8)

[img] [/img]

it's not just because of schools summer holidays that prices go up in the summer, i have studied many graphs and charts and pored over the data and realised it's lovely weather that is a significant factor.

It's not just the Brits that go on holiday, Germans are the most numerous holiday makers in many destinations, apart from the fact there are over 80 million of them they have good reason to go:

[img] [/img]

Pah, I see your Leipzig and raise you:

[img] [/img]

It's the sunshine figure for Manchester that's depressing, only 1071 hours. That's 800 hours less that the not especially sunny corner of France I live in.