Planning for school holidays !

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falconmum
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Planning for school holidays !

Postby falconmum » Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:14 am

We are about to enter the school system and although bemoaning the loss of off peak holidays, I am trying to understand how people manage planning/booking holidays during peak periods .
How early do you start looking for deals ?
What are the pocket friendly ways to holiday without resorting to camping in the English forests or going to Butlins type places ?
Are there options outside of EU that are attractive ?

Feeling a little lost with husband looking to book campsite holiday venues ... :roll:
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golfwidow
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby golfwidow » Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:24 am

Following as in same boat!
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falconmum
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby falconmum » Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:44 am

bump
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Lulubear
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby Lulubear » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:27 am

Deals in school holiday periods are somewhat limited. I tend to book several months ahead at least, not so much to get a 'deal' but to get a choice of decent holiday options that are not outrageously priced! Also, if you book well ahead it is often less time-consuming because when you make booking enquiries you find that your choices are available. If you leave it late you may waste lots of time researching holidays and making enquiries only to be told later that they are fully booked and you are back to square one!

Regarding finding a 'pocket friendly' holiday. We tend to book accommodation through the various websites that offer accommodation direct from the owners (e.g. Owners Direct). This takes a bit of research since you need to familiarise yourself with the location to understand where the accommodation is in relations to the local amenities - otherwise you could end up in the middle of nowhere without a car! The benefit of this (for us) is that we get good sized accommodation with separate bedrooms for the children, a living area and often a private garden and sometimes a private swimming pool. This is a much more comfortable way for us to holiday than all cramped in small hotel accommodation. Also, I find it really helpful to have amenities such as a washing machine when holidaying with small children. We book flights direct with the airline - usually budget airlines like Easyjet but sometimes BA works out good value so definitely worth comparing. Booking a long way ahead usually gets you better deals on these airlines.

If you are planning a skiing holiday I recommend planning a long way ahead if you want to go during February half term. Many people book one year ahead. Otherwise consider going at the end of the season in the Easter holidays to a high, snowsure resort.
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mrsbfrombalham
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby mrsbfrombalham » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:54 am

Sadly there is no such thing as a reasonably priced holiday once you hit school age. For flights, it pays off to book early (6 months + in advance) as there are always a small number of cheap seats on any flight. For package holidays and hotels there is little way out of paying double the price for the same thing :(
On the plus side, as your kids get older, the need for fully fledged childcare / kids club will diminish - I have found that this helps finding places that are marginally cheaper.
Best of luck
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SJH Mummy
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby SJH Mummy » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:59 am

Following too!
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lorrwa
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Re: Planning for school holidays !

Postby lorrwa » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:12 am

I'd echo alot of what Lulubear says, book flights early. Also register online with the companies you may be interested in, for notice of booking windows opening and occasional money off.

Also We've also done a lot of house exchanges in the past, obviously removes the cost of accommodation and you get a decent amount of space, we've also swapped cars. Though there seems to be less interest/availability now with the popularity of AirBbB. We're listed with www.homeexchange.com

We've not done it, but friends always go to the Dutch Center Parcs. Apparently cheaper and less busy than UK versions.
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