Free child places ?

no such thing if your not paying for it within the rest of the package then we [those without kids ] are.

. do the sums look at Adults + y kids also X=Y as all adults [often works out cheaper anyway] also instead of just looking at Thomson/thos.cook try asking one of the major independents like A1 travel/Fleetway travel/ Hayes travel as they in many cases are cheaper still

wizard

mo rolfe wrote:

Free child places ??

Thats is a load of bull**** that is what they told me last year for my previous holiday, I waited until they released the 2nd edition and I got a free child place, they will just tell you that but take no notice, its the same when they say sorry that accommodation is fully booked then when 2nd book comes out they have the same hotel available to book.

Also like the other person said shop around some TO might still have free child place for the 1st edition

Well i think there is such a thing as a fee child place.Cos when ive tried to book up months later for the same holiday its alot more expensive

Of course theres such a thing as a free child place!!! Maybe those without kids pay for it but it's still free to others!!!

No idea if they give free child places for hotels but when self catering they soon get their money back in the under occupancy charges.

Personally I find the idea of "free places" wrong. Why should others subsidise other peoples kids. And those who do not manage to get a free place are doing so in the price they pay.

fwh

Most self catering is based on 4 adults, Most Half Board is based on 2 adults.
If you are 2 adults going self catering in an appartment based on 4 adults sharing you will pay the same under occupancy as those with 1 or 2 kids! So you are not paying extra to fund others kids you are actually paying extra to fund 2 less adults!!! Obviously this is a way the Tour ops get money out of everyone! Infact I think most app's/ hotels would have a room price and it doesn't matter if theres one of you or four the price would be the same!
If you can get a free kids price when Half board it is usually based on two adults sharing, therefore there is no under occupancy to pay. Unfortunately most places that are half board treat kids older than 12 as adults in which case if you have a child who is 13 and paying adult fare you usually get money off the adult prices, a sort of over occupancy payment!
So if you are two adults going half board and get a free child place for your 11 year old then that child is actually free! (If it's worked into others prices by the tour operator then thats their bad)

So if you are two adults going half board and get a free child place for your 11 year old then that child is actually free!

Someone, somewhere is paying for that 'free' seat on the aircraft! TOs aren't charities or child welfare organisations. The cost of those 'free' child places is costed into the TOs overall pricing package somewhere, somehow. A plane costs the same amount of money to fly regardless of the ratio between paying and 'free' passengers and that cost will be divided up between the fare paying passengers. And it's the same with hotels - operators will estimate the average paying occupancy rate and divide their overheads between the paying guests.

This is one reason why when travelling on my own I always avoid booking into hotels and SC complexes aimed at the family market because my holiday will usually cost me more if I do book such a place because I'll be subsidising the 'free' places and paying a share of the cost of facilities such as the kids club etc but that I won't be using. In my experience, the best deals for adult only travellers are to be had at those hotels, SC complexes and destinations which provide no family orientated facilities. And this is also why so many families find that it can be cheaper to pay the standard adult price for a child than book a so-called 'free' child place.

SM

SMa wrote:

So if you are two adults going half board and get a free child place for your 11 year old then that child is actually free!

Someone, somewhere is paying for that 'free' seat on the aircraft! TOs aren't charities or child welfare organisations. The cost of those 'free' child places is costed into the TOs overall pricing package somewhere, somehow. A plane costs the same amount of money to fly regardless of the ratio between paying and 'free' passengers and that cost will be divided up between the fare paying passengers. And it's the same with hotels - operators will estimate the average paying occupancy rate and divide their overheads between the paying guests.

This is one reason why when travelling on my own I always avoid booking into hotels and SC complexes aimed at the family market because my holiday will usually cost me more if I do book such a place because I'll be subsidising the 'free' places and paying a share of the cost of facilities such as the kids club etc but that I won't be using. In my experience, the best deals for adult only travellers are to be had at those hotels, SC complexes and destinations which provide no family orientated facilities. And this is also why so many families find that it can be cheaper to pay the standard adult price for a child than book a so-called 'free' child place.

SM

TBH I think most families and who travel during the last two weeks in July, during August and at the Spring Bank Holiday are subsidising everybody else who travel in May, June, September and October for half the price of those that get a (often not very genuine ) free child place, on which the adult prices have been hiked.

Sometimes the 'mean spiritedness' of those that begrudge families a much needed break in the sun at a time when the temperatures are sweltering, you can't get a sunbed and places are packed and restaurant service has goine to pot is beyond me. Still I suppose that is society as it is today.

If families were not forking out a fortune during then six weeks there would be no bargains for anyone else at other times. Everybody knows this is about the only time holiday companys make a profit on things.
On this site you are dammed if you do and dammed if you dont.

If you take your kids out of school (which I havent done in 10 years as I am one who still believes in Education) you are a bad parent, and if you happen to get some kind of reduction for a child you are ripping all other holiday makers off.

Holidays during the school holiday period of time are more expensive than any other time of the year even for those that travel without children. All to do with supply and demand rather than subsidising cheap holidays the rest of the year. Surely a TO wouldn't otherwise sell the holidays at the rest of the year if there wasn't a degree of profit in it?

I think where SMa is coming from is not to choose a hotel with child facilities as without children you are contributing towards the cost of it within your holiday price. A small cost, but a cost nonetheless.

Mark

Maybe Mark, but I have read articles in the quality travel press that beg to differ saying that holidays outside of that period are virtually sold at cost and there is a big push to sell during the six weeks as that is the main stay of the holiday industry, obviously I am talking about travelling from the UK, mainly to European destinations.

Free child places in the main are offered up until a child is 12 (apart from apartments) after that those with kids of 13, 14, 15, 16 (still in Education with no income) are paying the same as for adults, but are getting an inferior deal i.e.no entitlement to alcohol, which obviously is correct for minors, but which many adults seem to cane to within an inch of their lives and many kids dont eat anywhere near the volume of food that an adult does.

So I really don't think there is any need for people who get a once in a blue moon free chld place or subsidsed child place, perhaps once or twice over their kids lifetimes to be made to feel any guilt over it.

Adults can more often than not choose to holiday outside the school hoiday periods, I know I did before I had a family, those with school age kids who care about Education can't.

Ive been pricing up a holiday for next year,. 1 week in June (my daughter is still young enough that im able to take her out of school at this time) and the "free child place" isnt a free child place at all. The apartments I want are based on 4 adults sharing so I looked at (a) 2 adults/1 child and (b) 3 adults. There is only £46 in price difference because of supplements. In my opinion free child places are a waste of time in SC apartments because they just dont (or rarely) exist. It all looks good when you are pricing these things up, but when you actually take the time to read things through and look at the cost breakdowns, they dont actually give you anything - well, a reduction of £46 in my case.

Sarah

Adults can more often than not choose to holiday outside the school hoiday periods, I know I did before I had a family, those with school age kids who care about Education can't.

Nor can those who work in education even if they don't have school age children of their own - as is my own case.

SM

Thats why I put 'more often than not'. I also am in an Education related profession.

just booked my holiday for next year and managed to get a free child place ,

i looked at it last week and there wasn't any for the hotel i wanted and this week there was so glad i waited

Brilliant mo rolfe. Glad you got a good outcome, sometimes it pays to wait a little.

I also work in a school environment and have to take my holidays when school is closed
i can however take leave of absence and not get paid for it which i am doing this year , as for free child places , when enquiring about a holiday seen in the shop window , was told that was gone , priced up another holiday but no free child places , the travel agent actually worked out the cost for 4 adults compared to 2 adults 2 children it actually worked out cheaper for the 4 adults than paying the under occupancy charges.

To be honest this is why we started going to hotels rather than apartments when we had kids because it was more expensive to go self catering than half board or even allinc!

Other people are subsidising child places true. However single parents do not get the Free Child places they have to pay the adult price for their child. Surely if you are going to "Give Free Child Places". A child is a Child whether they have 2 adults or one. Just an observation. Of course they are a con but solo parents should not be included as they do not get cheaper holidays.

The holiday companies want the money does not matter how they get. Children probably use more of the facilities and get parents to spend money. Their child free places cost them one way or the other.

Similar applies to single travelers Mickey. I recently priced up a single, DIY, short trip & found I would be paying exactly the same for accommodation, s/c or even HB, as I would if 2 people were occupying the room.