We always like to plan ahead for our trips as this gives us the opportunity to budget. As we are currently planning Walt Disney World for 2026, it doesn’t leave us with a huge budget for holidays next year.
However, Rubi turns 16 next year and completes her GCSE’s so we feel there is a reason for celebrations, so we need to start looking at potential trips.
Budget holidays don’t always have to be UK based. The Sun Holidays offer abroad accommodation, but not travel. These start from £9.50 per person and have some really great places included. Countries include France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Austria and more. It is self-catering accommodation and most include onsite pools and entertainment with some offering restaurants.
The Sun Holiday offer works by collecting the codes, you need TWO codes to enter. Once you have your TWO codes you can book. They offer 3 nights and 4 nights for your holiday; you pick the date that suits you and the place you would like to stay. Usually, they will ask you for an alternative date to ensure you get a holiday. Please NOTE key dates in the school holidays will be more expensive as the price varies per date, location and band.
Travel is not included. So, if you have booked an abroad country you would need to budget for travelling to that country as well. We usually look at Ferry, Eurotunnel, Eurostar and Flights. Skyscanner is good for searching for flights.
Eurocamp is the next on the list. Some Sun Holidays are a Eurocamp accommodation. They offer accommodation in France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal and Slovenia. They offer discounts, so keep an eye on their page. These are self-catering and most include pools and restaurants.
Again, travel to the country is not included and would need to be booked separately.
Both are really good way to get a cheaper abroad holiday than going through the travel agents. You can book it yourself, so you’re in control of everything. You can look at all accommodations and which is the best way to travel there. As per the tips and tricks page, when travelling to a new country always look at the entry requirements.
We also use Love Holidays to book City Breaks as they are low deposit and offer payment plans. We look at the best time of year and when the kids are on Holiday and weigh up our option. This usually does include flights, which is handy as you wouldn’t need to look for them.
UK holidaying can be amazing too. Our favourite place is Cornwall, particularly St Ives! We usually stay about 4 miles away in Hayle. We recently stayed in Newquay at a Park Dean site. While it was a very small site, it was nice. The pool was heated, and the beach was only 15 min walk or 2 min drive. If you are a member of National Trust, you can get free parking at most the Beaches. We visited Crantock beach too and this was lovely as it’s flat access. We did say we probably wouldn’t stay at the site again as it was so far out the way.
We also love Dawlish Warren. We have stayed at numerous sites and always shop around for the best deals. My parents recently stayed at Lady’s Mile for the August bank holiday and said it was lovely. For 4 nights/ 5 days it was £496. This was for a 6-berth caravan that has 3 bedrooms and two toilets. It was huge!
The kids frequently stay in Wales with their dad too! They love it there. It’s usually a Park Dean site called Trecco Bay. The normally go in October Half term and have a great time.
As with any holiday, it must fit your budget. Search for the area you want to stay, then look for the available accommodations. Use direct websites instead of comparisons as this can sometimes work out cheaper or the site mya have a discount or offer that the comparison site doesn’t. With some holiday sites they also offer a cheap deposit for returning guests.
One bit of advice, we always look at Trip Advisor before booking anywhere. This helps gauge what we are going to be getting in terms of accommodation. I always leave a very honest Trip Advisor review when we have stayed somewhere in the hopes it helps other families make an informed decision before spending money on a holiday.
I’m sure we will decide what we are doing eventually and I’m sure I’ll update when we do 😊.