Where would you take your family if you had £5k (ish) to spend?

[A380]

French road trip。 something for everyone. Euro Disney, Paris, two or three days to the Alps and a few towns with municipal plan d’eau. Cable cars. South of France. Along the coast and back up. We did Euro camps when ours were kids , great if you like camping as you get proper beds and do t have loads of stuff in the car. You could combine the two.

 

[rubbershoes]

somewhere in central asia

Budget wouldn't really cover that. The price of flights to Asia has gone up massively in the last few years

 

[rubbershoes]

You might be able to get an all inclusive in Mexico for that

 

[skyscraper101]

Are you thinking to go before school term starts? Or are you planning further ahead?

If the former I think Europe package thing would probably be the simpler option with three kids.

 

[Spymaster]

I'm definitely torn between a really nice AI in Europe vs a more adventurous/budget trip to Asia.
Or possibly a few nights in the US. But the tipping situation puts me off!

5k for 5 of you won't go too far in the US as the exchange rate is absolutely shocking and has been for some time. You'll find that modest accommodation seems unreasonably expensive.

Asia sounds nice and can be wonderful but I might think twice if I'm hauling kids. Depends on what you're looking for.

Pretty much everything you're likely to want can be found in the Med, without the long haul flying.

I'd second Majorca, but also consider Ibiza, and Croatia/Islands.

 

[MickiQ]

7, 11, 14

The first time we went to Florida we had an 8, 11 and 13 year old and they were the perfect age and loved every second of it. When we came back we had a minus 8 months old fourth child but didn’t find out about her for a few more weeks but that's another story.

I would love a cruise actually

We've been on 3 cruises and the only time we took one of the kids she was 15 so near enough an adult, they do cater for kids though. Cruises are also good for people with mobility issues especially those sailing from Southampton, it's a lot easier getting a wheelchair around a quarter mile long cruise ship than even the biggest plane.

 

[Pickman's model]

Budget wouldn't really cover that. The price of flights to Asia has gone up massively in the last few years

a spot of change from £6k

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[MickiQ]

I'm very jealous. My son has never been to Thailand but I've been with friends' kids and they absolutely loved it. It's 'only' a 12 hour flight. But at those ages they'll just be glued to their tablets while you drink all the booze.

And that's a bad thing?

 

[Petcha]

And that's a bad thing?

No, it's a parent's dream

 

[Thora]

Btw I had never heard of Eurocamps before. Looks brilliant.

My kids would probably quite happily just do Eurocamp every year We pick a site with kids clubs and a big pool/water park and near a beach and they're set. They even enjoy the ferry to get there.

 

[Thora]

Are you thinking to go before school term starts? Or are you planning further ahead?

If the former I think Europe package thing would probably be the simpler option with three kids.

Next year or even the year after, it will have to be school holidays though unfortunately.

We've already done our budget French campsite in torrential rain holiday at the end of May this year

 

[skyscraper101]

My kids would probably quite happily just do Eurocamp every year We pick a site with kids clubs and a big pool/water park and near a beach and they're set. They even enjoy the ferry to get there.

This came up on hot uk deals earlier and looked nice

7-Night Family Holiday at Lake Garda, Italy via Eurocamp (£115pp) | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

 

[moomoo]

I’d always pick AI. Otherwise it’s just the same old ‘what to cook for dinner’ every day but in a less well equipped kitchen.

We went to Bulgaria earlier in the year. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Cheap as chips as well.

 

[danny la rouge]

Barga, Lucca, Italy.



Wonderful hilltop town in the Garfagnana. Some of the architecture goes back to pre Roman Etruscan times. Wander the medieval streets of the old town listening to the professional classical and jazz musicians rehearsing from the many windows, sipping coffee - or caffe corretto - on pavement cafes, visit the many restaurants, swim in the public open air pool with views of the Apuan Alps, go during the opera festival or the jazz festival, visit the gallery of late Scottish artist John Bellany, who made his home there. Go to the Duomo on top of the hill. Eat gelato in the sun.

Go to one of the Sagra - open air communal food festivals - including the Sagra del pesce e Patate, an open air fish and chip festival held in the mountains (many Barga families opened fish and chip shops in Scotland and maintain connections).

Go in August for the night time market held in the “new” town.

Visit nearby Castelnuovo for the street market that takes up most of the beautiful medieval castle-town.



Visit nearby Lucca, with its piazza built around a Roman amphitheatre, with its Puccini museum.



Visit the Grotta del Vento (cave of winds). The nearby thermal baths at Bagni di Lucca. The hermitage of Calomini - a monastery built into the face of a deep rocky gorge above a high cliff.



Or take a day out to Florence or the Amalfi coast.

It’s all stunning and I’m talking myself into going back!

 

[PTK]

Barga, Lucca, Italy.

View attachment 437988

Wonderful hilltop town in the Garfagnana. Some of the architecture goes back to pre Roman Etruscan times. Wander the medieval streets of the old town listening to the professional classical and jazz musicians rehearsing from the many windows, sipping coffee - or caffe corretto - on pavement cafes, visit the many restaurants, swim in the public open air pool with views of the Apuan Alps, go during the opera festival or the jazz festival, visit the gallery of late Scottish artist John Bellany, who made his home there. Go to the Duomo on top of the hill. Eat gelato in the sun.

Go to one of the Sagra - open air communal food festivals - including the Sagra del pesce e Patate, an open air fish and chip festival held in the mountains (many Barga families opened fish and chip shops in Scotland and maintain connections).

Go in August for the night time market held in the “new” town.

Visit nearby Castelnuovo for the street market that takes up most of the beautiful medieval castle-town.

View attachment 437991

Visit nearby Lucca, with its piazza built around a Roman amphitheatre, with its Puccini museum.

View attachment 437992

Visit the Grotta del Vento (cave of winds). The nearby thermal baths at Bagni di Lucca. The hermitage of Calomini - a monastery built into the face of a deep rocky gorge above a high cliff.

View attachment 437987

Or take a day out to Florence or the Amalfi coast.

It’s all stunning and I’m talking myself into going back!

View attachment 437994

Wow, that is wondderful. That bridge, in particular.

 

[danny la rouge]

Wow, that is wondderful. That bridge, in particular.

That’s the “Devil’s Bridge” - Ponte del Diavolo - across the Serchio river that flows down the valley.

 

[planetgeli]

I used to want to visit Kyrgyzstan. It's main advantage is you don't need a visa.

Then I found out about bride kidnap. Look it up.

Cannot justify that.

Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan: Bride-kidnapping

 

[bellaozzydog]

Morocco. Cheap as chips flights from Gatwick, hot sunny. Cost of living super cheap, family friendly. Cheap accommodation, beaches, mountains, camels.

 

[bcuster]

If I were American, I'd go to Cornwall and Porthcurno.
If I were English, I'd go to Sandbridge, Virginia...

 

[Glitter]

Do you want a ‘big’ holiday or do you want an ‘experience’.

I would recommend Lapland but you probs won’t get more than a long weekend for that (depending how you do it etc)

 

[Gromit]

Croatia. Pula, Zadar & Spilt are all lovely.

Use it as a base to see Venice (Ferry), Zagreb, Ljubljana & Budapest.

 

[Ted Striker]

Could easily do a self drive Safari in Kruger South Africa on that money. Life changing experience IMO (indeed it was for me).

Quite dependent on knowing where to go and how to book, but nothing I couldn't steer you through.

 

[Ted Striker]

Btw I had never heard of Eurocamps before. Looks brilliant.

It's all we did for family holidays as kids. Best time ever!

 

[kebabking]

We did a 3 week, lazy as fuck, holiday in Skiathos - we got a villa with a pool, and we did pretty much nothing but eat, swim, fuck about on boats, and laze about.

It was fab, and the three weekness (word?) was a huge part of how relaxing it was.

I fancy a road/walking trip through Central Asia - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan etc... but I'm not sure my children's perpetual 'dad, I'm bored...' would add much to the trip. One of when they've left home, I think.

 

[Ted Striker]

Greek islands-y is a good shout

(As a part time resident of Ibiza, I can suggest the idea of coming here with (just) 5k (and kids) is not the one)

 

[belboid]

I used to want to visit Kyrgyzstan. It's main advantage is it's the only 'stan' you don't need a visa for.

Then I found out about bride kidnap. Look it up.

Cannot justify that.

Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan: Bride-kidnapping

You dont need one for Uzbekistan either. Definitely not for ten days, maybe even longer now.

I would have recommended it but, it's probably too fucking hot then and I'm not sure how great out would be for the younger kids.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I think you should invest it all in crypto and then after the market works its magic you'll be able to afford an out-of-season weekend at Pontin's (self-catering)

 

[planetgeli]

You dont need one for Uzbekistan either. Definitely not for ten days, maybe even longer now.

I would have recommended it but, it's probably too fucking hot then and I'm not sure how great out would be for the younger kids.

Yes, fair enough, Kazakhstan also apparently. 30 days.

But I don't want to detract from this, a point the world seems largely ignorant of.

Reconciled to Violence: State Failure to Stop Domestic Abuse and Abduction of Women in Kyrgyzstan: Bride-kidnapping

 

[PursuedByBears]

To the posters recommending central Asia: have you ever been on holiday with kids?

 

[tim]

THE Salento in Southen Puglia: beautiful beaches, amazing food and wine, lots of beautiful small towns and cities and Ryanair flights from Stansted.