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Plus it's the kids I am talking about, not the parents.
Holidays do not have to be in a 5 star hotel in a far away land all the time. As grum says campsites, petrol, food are not seasonal. Indeed ferries are not massively more expensive in the holidays.
I am not rich but I can manage to get away in the Summer and Easter holidays. My lads holiday experience has not been noticeably damaged by the fact that it was in the school holidays or that we lived in a van or camped and didn't eat out every night.
When I was at school some twenty years ago from my class I remember someone going to Australia for 6 weeks, a third or so of the class would go away in June time (not all the same week) before the harvest (farming area), > 50% would take the day off to go to the Lincolnshire show. It's not a new thing and the class just carried on as normal.
Comparing now with 20 odd years ago, the premium for School Holidays bookings has increased by a huge amount.
I'd wager that the affordability was less 20 years ago though.
Do you mean only 1% of kids went on holiday in term time?Cos I'm fairly sure only about 20-30% of kids at my school went on holiday at all.
Yes, and Yes 🙂
But as long as we had a lump of coal to chew on we were happy 😀
But if its OK for one then its OK for everyone.
Isn't that the current state of affairs? Everyone has the right and freedom to take their child out during term time, they just have to convince the headteacher that the reason for doing so is good enough, if it is not good enough no time off, common sense really. Banning all term time holidays will have the effect of disadvantaging people like me, who can't necessarily have family holidays during official holidays.
All this stuff about taking the kids on an educational holiday is just bllox. If nice middle class families can take their kids on educational trips to Tuscany then surely chavs should be allowed to have days out of school so they can hang around on street corners drinking cheap cider and going on the rob in Asda?
I mean it'll be really educational won't it? They'll learn about the short-comings of a free market economy, liver disease, the first stages of alcoholism, the judiciary and the criminal justice system.
Our education system is fundamentally free but there are conditions attached. If you don't like those conditions then put your kids in a fee paying school. Then see how much money is left over for skiing holidays.
Why mention the emergency services and the military? I don't know anyone in the Forces or any police who take their kids on holidays outside the norm.
So, what do all the kids who holiday in the term time do during their school holidays?
Work, to pay off the term time breaks?
Go on other holidays?
Hang around the skatepark rolling up and drinking cider?
As grum says campsites, petrol, food are not seasonal. Indeed ferries are not massively more expensive in the holidays.
The ones I'm looking at are (as well as having gone up massively since last year). Most campsites are seasonal too.
My problem with this is the blanket nature of it. Taking a nipper out of reception for the last week of the summer term is clearly not the same as taking a 15 year old out for two weeks in the middle of a term.
And all the people comparing holidays to tellies and cars and stuff are mental, those things are the same price all year round.
The ones I'm looking at are (as well as having gone up massively since last year). Most campsites are seasonal too.
I went to France last year in August, the ferry return price with car was £70 - campsites were far from extortionate.
(edit: still seems to be pretty cheap - http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/ )
I went to France last year in August, the ferry return price with car was £70 - campsites were far from extortionate
How much did the whole trip cost?
I think many people here are imagining chavs living it up on state benefits in some Costa del Craphole high rise hotel when they ought to be working.
I'm sure that happens, but it's not the whole story so don't use it as a straw man.
I went to France last year in August, the ferry return price with car was £70 - campsites were far from extortionate.
Can't seem to get DFDS down below £140 in August, seem to be able to manage £70 in term time though. And yes, campsites are relatively cheap, but still cheaper outside peak times (ie school holidays).
Surprising though it may seem, we've spent hours looking at ferry/camping prices. The holiday we're planning to take (the same one as last year because we had a lovely time) costs considerably more starting the first week of the school holidays compared to the last week of term whichever route we take.
Not wishing to pick on a provider (they are all at it) but try reserving a few weeks at Bluestone in Pembrokeshire. The prices vary week by week, and are considerably more in holidays. Supply and demand I guess - maybe they even lower the prices a touch if they aren't booked by a certain date, automated booking systems can do that easily I'd have thought.
That said we have booked a long weekend due to an INSET day in our area not coinciding with their calendar. It was well over £100 cheaper than the following public holiday weekend.
Oh, Isle of Wight ferries too. Far more expensive in summer. As were all the rental properties. As were all the campsites.
I can't believe anyone is really denying it?
Can't seem to get DFDS down below £140 in August, seem to be able to manage £70 in term time though. And yes, campsites are relatively cheap, but still cheaper outside peak times (ie school holidays).
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And the campsite I was in in France is 21 euros a night for a family of four in July and August, as opposed to 17 the rest of the year (there was some others we went to that were a lot cheaper/more basic). Petrol and food cost the same all year. So including the slightly more expensive ferry a difference of maybe £12.50 per person to take a week camping in France in July/August as opposed to earlier/later in the year?
You could get plenty of cultural experience/language skills that way too. Just saying - it's not that you can't have a cheap trip in school holidays, it's that you can't have any trip you want for cheap in school holidays.