This week’s post comes from Michelle at timeandpence.com where she blogs about money making, money saving and having more time with your family.
As a regular money saver, I love being able to have cheap family holidays but to save money on a family holiday in the UK can be difficult. With very little discounts during the school holiday period and the prices of accommodation being hiked up every year, more and more families struggle to find the money to cover the costs.
The best option to save money on a family holiday in the UK is to take your child out of school during term time. This is a difficult subject and I don’t want to get into talking about the legalities of this, but taking your child out of school during term time for a holiday can save you hundreds of pounds! The prices are cheaper, it’s that simple!
However, the current UK government guidelines state that schools can only approve your child’s absence in exceptional circumstances, so for the majority of us, unless we want to risk the chance of a fine and a possible prison sentence, this just isn’t an option.
There are, however, other ways you can cut the cost of your holiday to make it more affordable. Here are a few ideas:
Go Camping
If you’ve never been camping then it’s certainly worth a try. Getting back to nature and a simplistic life for a couple of weeks can be perfect for a relaxing holiday. Children love the adventure and freedom that camping brings, making it ideal for families. It doesn’t suit everybody but if you take to it and enjoy it, you can save huge amounts on your family holiday.
As one of the cheapest ways to get away, you can pay as little as £7 per night for a basic pitch on a farm. If you prefer some home comforts you can book a site with more facilities. A pitch with a heated toilet and shower block and electricity running to your tent will average around £30 per night, still making it one of the best ways to save on a family holiday in the UK.
Buy an Old Caravan
You can pick up an old caravan for as little as £500. After years of camping in a tent, we bought an old caravan. My husband and I spent 48 hours cleaning and stripping it out, my husband replaced the old carpet with vinyl and my mom made us some new curtains. It now looks as good as new.
With your caravan, you will have the option of leaving it sited somewhere or paying for storage costs and towing it around with you. We leave our caravan on a site for £1200 per year, giving us unlimited holidays for the price of what we would probably pay for one!
If you decide to store and tow your caravan then it’s definitely worth shopping around for prices as storage costs can vary dramatically. Better still, if you’ve got the space, park it on your drive, or see if you can come to some agreement with a family member or friend who can store it for you.
We love our little caravan and what better way to spend a summer’s evening than a BBQ outside your own little holiday home.
Book in Advance
Some of the larger hotel chains will provide you with a discount if you book in advance. Particularly the more ‘value for money’ chains such as Premier Inn and Travelodge. These can provide very low prices earlier in the year and you can pick up a room for as little as £29 per night if you book in plenty of time.
Take a Spare Bed or Two
When staying in hotels and guest houses, many would assume that having a family means you have to pay for a family room but that isn’t always the case. For a family of 3 or 4 you can sometimes get away with asking if you can take a camp bed with you to put at the side of your own bed.
This can be particularly useful when there isn’t a family room available and often guest houses are happy to do this if the children are small. There is often a small charge for the extra breakfasts, but other than that you can save yourself a few pounds. Worth asking!
Make Your Own Breakfasts and Packed Lunches
If you are staying in self-catering accommodation, this is fairly simple to do and you can even do an on-line shop before you go to have it delivered to your holiday home. This can save you shopping during your holiday and buying things you may not have otherwise purchased.
However, if you are staying in a hotel or guest house, this can be a little more tricky but there is a way around it. Taking an electric cool box that you can keep in your room for fresh butter and milk and something for sandwiches can be a great way to make your own breakfasts and packed lunches while on holiday, providing a significant saving on meals.
This is something I have had to do in the past as my son has allergies, so while making his packed lunches, I made us one too!
Lots of ways to save…
So, from my own experience, cheap accommodation and a little bit of advanced planning, combined with savvy spending on food, can help you to save money on a family holiday in the UK.
All there is to do now, is go and make those family memories!