As a family we love nothing more than going on holiday but with six people it’s not always as affordable as it used to be before we had four children to consider. We do holiday in the UK quite frequently but the weather isn’t always on our side and sometimes we find ourselves craving that sun, sea and poolside cocktail!
Going on a family holiday abroad doesn’t have to break the bank and there are ways to do it on a budget if you’re savvy. Keeping the holiday closer to home is a great place to start as the cost of travel fares can add up if you’re looking at long haul.
Using a website such as https://www.holidaygems.co.uk, which specialises in sun destinations closer to home, is a great place to start as they offer great family deals on destinations such as the Canaries and Balearics. We’ve also found that booking a package holiday, which includes an all-inclusive deal, saves us a fortune as the kids eat like there’s no tomorrow. The constant requests for ice cream and cold drinks can easily be met when you go all-inclusive and it’s nice not to have to say ‘no’ all the time but still be confident you’re within your budget.
The Canary Islands, a place we have visited as a family many times, is one of our favourite destinations to take the kids. The flights are relatively short, the weather is pretty much guaranteed to be glorious and they’re very geared up for families offering fantastic facilities from babies to teens.
A little tip we’ve picked up over the last couple of years, which applies to any kind of travel, is always choose to pay in the local currency when given the choice. This way you will avoid hefty fees to convert your charge into GBP before the payment is made. It can be a bit of a shock when you get back to the UK and you see a large fee appear on your bank statement for currency conversion!
As I mentioned, the Canary Islands are very family friendly. We often don’t feel the need to take the kids on expensive days out to the zoo or waterpark as we can usually find local parks and splash pads for the kids to play in and they have just as much fun, if not more and we’re able to do it all within budget. Restaurants are also very geared up for kids and welcome them to dine during the evenings. If you’re not all inclusive eating out is usually pretty inexpensive with a bottle of wine or carafe of Sangria costing just a few pounds.
Remember, when you’re travelling with little people you can usually take your pushchair and/or car seat with you (check with airlines for specific requirements). This will save hefty rental charges from places like car hire companies or your hotel.
I could go on and on about ways to save money when going abroad as a large family but I’d love to hear any ways you save money and stick to a budget – leave them in the comments below.
