One thing I do I find about going further afield is that I tend to get a better quality holiday. The airlines are better, and the hotels are better. And often it does not cost a lot more than going to the Eurozone.

I usually take a one week holiday in the spring at home here in Scotland - and we have actually been very lucky with the weather most of the time. One year on Skye we all had to go shopping for lighter clothes because it was so hot. We usually pay around £350, £400 for something extra special, for a 3 bedroom cottage during the school April break. They have always been much better equipped than anything we've booked abroad. We usually eat out most evenings and if we pay more than £15 a head including wine then we've pushed the boat out. I live in Scotland so my travel costs are minimal. even for getting to the northwest Highlands but the other 3 don't but even so I reckon the total cost (= cottage rental, all food, all transport there) for 4 adults rarely exceeds £1,000 pounds all in. Admittedly we aren't looking for much in the way of evening entertainment beyond a nice meal and some decent wine to drink while we admire the view (one of the 'musts' for any cottage we book!). I tend to stock up on wine inadvance, buying on offer and putting it to one side - it's one of the bonuses of going SC at home - I can save money by taking 'treats' like this with us.

During the October school break we usually go to La Gomera in the Canaries. There we are paying 350 Euros for our accommodation, cheaper but the apartment only has 2 bedrooms which means that my friend and I have to share and we have to remember to pack the earplugs! It's very, very basic and whilst in a lovely setting it is far worse value than we get at home - even more so given the exchange rate. The travel costs are much, much higher though. My parents are retired and can go on holiday at any time but my friend and I work in jobs where we have don't have that much flexiblity and also cannot book to far in advance.Also, the need to book flights that will enable good connection times for the ferry over to La Goemra from Los Christianos reduces the options.

So this year, the travel costs alone will exceed £1,000 by the time you add in the costs of us all getting to the same departure point in the UK - I live in Scotland, my parents live in Liverpool and my friend in Sussex. This year I'm travelling down to travel from Manchester to keep the journey simple for my elderly parents, whilst my friend will fly out from Gatwick. We're hoping that neither flight will be delayed as the costs will escalate if we have to get involved in travelling on different ferries etc. We don't bother taking out travel insurance for the Scottish holiday but wouldn't risk it abroad. So now that they are both turned 80 and my mother has a complicated health history, this alone is adding an extra £140 to the cost. We are expecting that this year eating out will cost around the same as it does here in Scotland with the result that I expect that in total this week will cost us approaching £2,000 in total for 4 adults. Yes, we will benefit from guaranteed sunshine and that is why we go - it gives us all a good sunshine boost before the winter, but apart from the sunshine we are paying close to double what we would to do very much the same things as we do in Scotland in the spring.

Yes, I am sure we could go on an October break to mainland Spain for much cheaper but the large scale resorts aren't our cup of tea nor do we want to be tied down to a HB deal in a hotel. And if we had to share a room in hotel without extra living space I doubt that my friend and I would remain friends for long! And 2 single supplements would bump the cost too. I'm not complaining - we pay to get the sort of holiday we want and we still consider it good value - we wouldn't keep going back again if we didn't - but the similar sort of holiday in Scotland costs us much much less.

This year we didn't have the usual spring break in Scotland - we couldn't co-ordinate dates and instead I went to Seville with 2 other friends where a 2 bedroom apartment during the Feria cost 900 Euros! Add on flights and a much higher cost of living due to the exchange rate and we probably didn't get much change out of £500 per head for that trip either. I'm not convinced that, for the sort of holiday I enjoy, it is automatically cheaper abroad - and the Cuban trips certainly aren't! But I happily spend a total of £2,000 a time for those because they are such a unique experience and one I simply couldn't get any other way or in any other place at that sort of price.

SM

PS. Realise that I and others have been led a bit astray from the original topic! But I think that the point, or at least my point, is that surely we all make our decisions about when and where to holiday on more grounds than just cost alone? I can holiday cheaper in the UK than in La Gomera but like that guaranteed sunshine in the Autumn. A dance holiday with the quality of tuition I get in Cuba would actually probably cost me more here given that what amounts to private lessons here cost upwards of £50 an hour with a decent professional - that would add up to £1,500 in tution alone!

I think you're right that we have gone on this one a bit.

I think Fiona's point (which I totally agree with) is that although long-haul holidays may seem expensive, because of the cheaper cost of living in a lot of the countries, it may work out cheaper than short haul.

As you say, people choose a holiday for their own reasons - whether it be gazing at a 'pile of stones' in Egypt, lazing on a 'Bounty' beach or because the hotel has a great kids club.

Fiona, I do think you are absolutely right. We met some people while we were in turkey last year, who told us all about their holiday to thailand. We were sold. Looking at the holiday as a whole. flight, accommodation, transfers, eating, drinking, trips and spending money it would be a great deal to go to Thailand.
I hate long flights but would put up with it to experience somewhere new.
Now heres the rub, I see a bargain airfare to turkey (I love turkey can you tell ) and before I know it I have booked it. " hey jim (my husband) You wont believe how cheap I got these flights to turkey" " but I thought we were going to thailand". So there lies my problem, I cant see beyond a cheapy air fare
Still there's always next year............

hugs la x

There was a good article in yesterdays Sunday Mirror (holiday supplement) about avoiding the Euro zone.
Their suggested destinations were;

Bulgaria
Tunsia
Morocco
Turkey
Cape Verde
Egypt
Dubai
Croatia

La
If you love Turkey, why not
Re it being cheaper, it may well be but the important thing is that often people see long haul as being something that has to be way above what they would normally pay- but this is not the case for some destinations. And for somewhere like Goa for instance, you will pay way less than a short haul. For my Bali holiday our daily costs for food and drink will be about £20( and I do like a few drinks in the evening )- that is for 2 of us. Hiring a guide and driver for the day will be under £30( and probably nearer £20) Of course you have to do a bit of research to get the flight prices you want. Cheap destinations once you are there
Vietnam
Thailand
Bali
Goa
Rio
Kuala Lumpur

Singapore is cheap enough once you are there but hotels have really shot up in price
Hong Kong- I found a great cheap enough hotel and it can be ok as long as you don't drink too much It used to be the most expensive city in the world but food is cheap and public transport is brilliant and great value.But overall, not a budget long haul.
Caribbean- not cheap!

Cant see why they put Bulgaria on that list as the value of the lev is pegged to the euro, hence a very poor exchange rate compared with the past.

Patka

agree Pat
first reports from this season are showing prices way above last years but then- it is still cheap compared to other destinations I suppose.

Bulgarian prices are way above last year and the low value of the pound makes it a doubly whammy for visitors to Bulgaria, its no longer the cheap destination it once was. Esp as the flights are expensive to get there.

Patka

Actually what surprises me is how much people pay for their short haul holidays, my long hauls are usually cheaper. We were pricing out 3 nights in a hotel in Algarve, nice hotel, £600 pounds for the three nights (thats just for the hotel B&B)...I won't pay that as I know that would get one of us to Bali for a couple of weeks in similar standard accommodation.

what surprises me is how much people pay for their short haul holidays, my long hauls are usually cheaper

Perhaps it's because they are looking for something different to you from their holiday? For example, if I can only take a week off work then I'm going to stick to shorthaul, regardless of whether I could get a fortnight longhaul for the same price. The farthest I'm prepared to fly for a week's holiday is around 4/5 hours - I find the jet lag otherwise is so awful that I've barely recovered before it's time to leave and start all over again. Nor do I like large AI resorts which is often where the longhaul bargains are - the more customised sort of holidays in smaller, less developed areas that I like are always likely to cost more than the mass market packages. I not sure that I could get the sort of holiday I would want in Bali for £600 for a fortnight (and this isn't the place to start a discusion about why Bali isn't a place I would be prepared to go to anyway at the moment). And sometimes the idea of visiting a specific place at a specific time means that I am willing to pay whatever it costs to do that and it is irrelevant whether I could go somewhere else for less if I simply don't want to go there.

In the end, I think it boils down to 'Is this a good price for what I want to do and where I want to go?' If it is and I can afford it, then I will pay it. I accept that many people, especially those with families who have to go away during the school holidays do have to be more cost conscious than I probably do. But I don't find it surprising that a couple would pay £600 for 3 nights on the Algarve if that is what they want to do and can afford it - for someone wanting a shorthaul, short break then Bali or any other longhaul destination is simply a none starter.

SM

Nor do I like large AI resorts which is often where the longhaul bargains are -

never done an AI long haul. Indeed in the places I like to go they either don't do AI or you would be stupid to do with the low daily costs of eating out.
I didn't start this thread to persuade folks to go elsewhere. It was really for those who want to go to a long haul destination but thought they could not afford it. Longhaul is not for everyone, I can accept that.

Sunbear wrote:

Actually what surprises me is how much people pay for their short haul holidays, my long hauls are usually cheaper.

Many people have valid reasons for not wishing to go on long haul holidays. Some are not physically able to cope with a 10 or 12 hour flight due to disability or medical conditions, it could be that they can only get away for a week or even just personal preference.

Many long haul destinations are to what would have been called third world countrys, when we were still allowed to name them as such & the lack of infrastuctures, medical facilities & general low costs of living makes them cheap once you get there. Many European countries have the same or better standards of living than the UK. Those countrys probably cost their governments as much to run as the UK does our government.

Re costs of long haul v short haul. Long haul equals expensive flight, cheap everything else. Short haul equals cheaper flight expensive everything else. Probably why the costs are similar. (bit of a generalisation, I know as you cant account for every hotel or flight in the equasion)

I'm with SMa and doepsmc on this

I travel long haul because I enjoy seeing new places with new experiences and finance is not the major consideration(though I don't have an unlimited budget) but I have friends who just couldn't face a 10-12 hour journey so are happy to spend a fair amount on a good hotel in a nice resort in mainland Europe, and even a further drop in the rate of the pound won't entice these friends to go long haul. Friends with children also say that they will continue holidaying within Europe because of the amount of flying hours needed for a long haul holiday are too many. These friends would also holiday in the UK more often but, and the big but is the unreliability of the weather. I recently had a holiday in the UK and had two weeks fabulous weather but how often does that happen.
As I get older I find long haul travel an increasing nightmare and forsee a future where I will only travel somewhere within a 3-4 hour flight.. I can be sitting in a cafe having a glass of wine after just a few hours travelling from home within Europe, it would take up to four times that amount to travel to the far east., and I don't see the pound/euro rate influencing my decision. . And like SMa I usually have a short haul holiday once or twice each year not purely because of finance but due to not wanting to take up two days of my holiday sitting on a plane.
I am a little at odds with Sunbears statement about being suprised how much people pay for short haul holidays. There are a lot of rich people in Europe who wouldn't think twice about paying £600 for three nights in a hotel room though probably the average person would'nt pay that amount. I am hoping to take my first trip to Portugal this year and have been advised that Lagos would suit me so have been checking out hotels . The most expensive 4* costs around €600 for the room incl. breakfast in high season dropping to around €450 in September and there are lots offers for 4* hotels at far lower prices.

I perhaps phrased it badly. I've had a lot of friends say to me you go to these far flung places, wish we could afford to go. We then compare prices of holidays and they are often surprised to find out how little I've paid, often less than they've paid for a holiday shorter haul. As for the £600 pound Algarve hotel we were looking for something comparable with Far East hotels, for the last few days of our break. But we both felt it was better value to put that money toward another break. We get luxury in Portugal by doing last minute villa holidays, then it is cheap.

I'm with SMa, doepsmc and Judith on this too.

The thought of a 10-12 hour flight is totally out of the question for me, I don't like flying at the best of times and experiencing a 9 hour delay last year to Spain, took both of us 2 days to recover from it, so it doesn't matter how cheap the far flung destinations are, they are just not on the cards for me.
It seems hardly worth travelling for a week, when what should have been a 2 ½ hour flight, actually took us 18 hours from leaving the house to arriving in the resort.
I appreciate that, that was unfortunate, but under normal circumstances the 2½ hour flight turns into an 8 hour day and with lack of sleep it still takes a day to recover.

I also agree with doepsmc general synopsis, what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts and third world countries don't appeal to me.

You can "beat" the prices and I'm not having a dig at anybody here., I'm just using examples
But, if you insist on drinking a special named branded whisky in Spain, then you will pay more for it, simply because it's been imported into Spain and I don't know off the top of my head the import duties levied in Spain, and if you have it with a mixer (bottle) you are getting/paying for 2 drinks and more in the measure than a standard optic in the UK.
I don't drink, but my OH likes a drop of brandy and if he insisted on a fine brandy like Martell in a Spanish resort, then he can expect to pay treble the cost, compared to the Spanish equivalent.

The same applies if you decide to go to a city/resort that is holding one of its major fiesta's during that week because accommodation will be in demand and landlord/hoteliers will capitalise on that, or insist on buying HP sauce instead of the Spanish equivalent. etc etc etc.

Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I'm not having a dig at anybody here, but if you re-read my post you will see my point about a bottle in the shops being €17, very cheap especially considering it costs well over £25 in this country

The point being made, was that the pubs, etc, in a lot of these resorts are now just taking the p*ss, not that alcohol is generally more expensive

Ok some people don't want to or can't go long haul I can understand that, but Fiona was just giving an option for people to consider with people worrying about rising costs within the Eurozone. I'm just back from Portugal so I've had experience of what the unfavourable exchange rate is like. A major part of my holiday is going out to eat in restaurants, I would'nt consider AI as I enjoy the freedom of choosing a different restaurant, even resort or town each evening. So the kind of holiday I enjoy has become a good deal more expensive in the EC. Just maybe if closer to home has become pricier, maybe people can look elsewhere a little further afield - US, Canada, Caribbean, Far East and find its not as unreachable as they might have thought.

thanks sunbear
If you have no interest in going longhaul now or in the future then this thread is not for you. I'm merely stating that if you would like to go long haul but think it is out of your grasp then you should do a bit of research, particularly into hotel and daily costs. Not all long haul destinations are cheap once you are there, but you can get a good selection. You can get a 5 star hotel in Thailand for instance for the price of a 3 star nearer home( in fact may be even less) And 5 star in Thailand is definitely 5 star in the UK.
Has anyone begun to think of going further afield?