I will be taking 700 quid for 2 weeks next sunday when I jet off to malaga, we are half board at a hotel, but will eat out a fair bit, drink every night, and I will be buying clothes and shoes as normal from mango and zara, even with the euro being rubbish at the mo, its still gunna be that bit cheaper over there than here, and the sales are on in costa del sol and are on till late august,, so shop shop for me.,always buy my duty free at manchester airport also, so hoping that 700 euro is enough, my partner is taking 800 euros..

Hi All. Reading some of these posts I'm beginning to wonder whether I've budgeted enough spends for our forthcoming holiday I can't believe how much some of you spend, although it has been 5 years since our last holiday abroad. We've budgeted on £1200 for a fortnight (family of 2 adults and 2 children, 7 & 3). We are self catering and always eat breakfast and lunch in the apartments but eat out in the evening, not a massive meal, usually just one course and maybe icecreams for the kids afterwards and one or two drinks. We are hiring a car but that's already paid for, won't be doing any excursions, and will give the children their own money for buying any bits they want. We have never been big drinkers or eaters on our holidays but we do enjoy ourselves (maybe doesn't sound like it to some!). Our last hol was when there was just 3 of us and we spent around £800 in a fotnight, but as that was 5 years ago am I underestimating what we may need?

I'm beginning to think that I'm a bit of a skinflint but I'm with Judith, Pippa and nicJW on this one! Getting away on holiday is important to me and I'd rather scrimp while I'm away and get that holiday than not have the holiday at all. So I very much cut my cloth according to the budget I can afford.

I usually do a big trip to Cuba each year - expensive for the basic holiday but compared to what some people seem to be spending, very cheap once I'm there. There is just me I know but a budget of 30 CUCs a day (1 CUC is roughly = 1 Euro) is more than enough and includes a big spend on CDs on the last day of the trip. I've never come back fully spent up - there's usually spare CUCs which keep me going when I first arrive on the next trip.

But I usually do a week in Europe somewhere in the Spring and a week in the Canaries in the Autumn - I couldn't do without them but I couldn't afford them if it I had to stretch to some of the suggested budgets to be found here. This spring I went to Seville for a week with tow other friends and took approx 700 Euros but this included my 300 Euros share of the 900E rent on the apartment for the week (very high compared to what we'd normally need to pay because it was the week of the annual Feria), we ate out for our main meal each day, shopped in the supermarket for bread and fruit for breakfast, olives and similar 'picks' plus jamon or similar for lunch or a light supper plus of course the obligatory daily bottle of Manzanilla. We also did a trip by train to Cordoba and used taxis a fair bit because the weather was so appalling! We visited all the main cultural sights etc and did two days/nights at the Feria. I shopped for shoes and handbag which admittedly got charged to my debit card but everything else, including manzanilla to bring home and various other treats (and two handpainted fans to add to my collection) all came out of the cash spend as did the CDs. And I still have about 60E left in the 'holiday purse'. It never felt like we were scrimping but it was clearly a budget holiday compared to what some people seem to spend.

In October I'll be going for the usual week on La Gomera for which I'll be budgetting 400 Euros for my share of the communal kitty from which will come the rent for the self-catering apartment, the taxis and ferry fares to get us from TFS to Valle Gran Rey on LG and back, all food and drink, including eating out for our main meal each day and a probably a whale watching trip as well as a day out on the local ferry to one of the other harbour villages. If we decide to hire a car for a day or two, one of us will charge it to a card and then divvy up the cost between the 4 adults later. When my brother and his two teenage daughters come with us we adults each need to budget a bit extra because we then need to rent 2 apartments and we share the kitty costs out equally between the adults and the girls go 'free'. Even so it has never gone above 500 Euros per adult. Again it never feels like we're scrimping and watching the pennies but I guess we must have quite simple tastes!

SM

Hi nicjw,
I shouldn't worry if I was you. I think you'll manage ok on £1200 as the children are so young. I'd say if you eat every meal out you'd struggle a fair bit, but since you'll only be eating a one course in the evening you should be ok. I'm going on our experience on the Costa del sol at Easter, where we found we spent about £650 (2 of us) in a week. Saying that, we were B&B but did eat lunch and 2 course evening meal out almost every day. Strangely enough on the 2 days we bought from the supermarket to make a picnic lunch, we found we spent more than we had previously eating a snack in a beach side taverna
Your money gets you a lot less now than it did even a year ago because of this nuisance euro rate.

we go to Nerja each year and stay in a self catering apartment for a fortnight.Our usual spend is about £500 between the 2 of us. We tend to eat in tapas bars with the odd meal out, and we usually buy a few bits and bobs to bring home. We do buy plenty of drinks though, but the local bars are really well priced.

I was thinking £1000.00 for 2 adults,and 2 kids sc in gran canaria 2 weeks,I am planning on cooking simple things every other night, breakfast and lunch on the patio,i would love to eat out everyday but cant afford it this year.Any tips on how to make the budget go further??

The reason i like AI holidays, it`s all paid for up front and if you haven`t much spends then at least your meals and drinks are paid for. We go AI and still spend about £800 in a fortnight but i have 2 teenagers.i have done my first DIY this year and we are off to Egypt AI in 3 weeks.£1700 for flights, £940 for hotel, would have gotten cheaper flights if we could fly from London. We went to Rhodes SC about 4/5 yrs ago and spent £2000.. the holiday cost £1200 ended up having to watch the pennies towards the end of the holiday which is why we do AI now..£500 hope she`s a good bargain hunter..

sharon

Thanks for the reassurance Shirley h. I was beginning to worry that my budget was way off. Will take some plastic just in case though.

Hi Boots,when we've been self catering I've taken odd bits in my case,tomato sauce,rice,packets of sauce ,mix,coffee,tea etc,I also take a cool bag and ice blocks in case I want to take a picnic to the beach,this all helps a little.We never take more than £1000 for two weeks,and usually bring a little home,too.

I spent about £500 two weeks half board in Turkey - almost entirely spent on alcohol.

Have got the cooler bag for picnics and will take a few bits and pieces in the case to save a bit of money. We are off to Menorca and I know that the beds and parasols on the beach are really expensive (around 18 euros for 2 beds and brollie) so will buy a parasol and beach mats when we get there and am also going to take a beach tent for the children (only £4.99 from Home Bargains). Even if I leave them there that'll save us loads over the fortnight.

and am also going to take a beach tent for the children (only £4.99 from Home Bargains). Even if I leave them there that'll save us loads over the fortnight.

Thats a bit cruel isn't it? Leaving the kids!

Perhaps I should rephrase that last sentence! The thought would never cross my mind to leave my little darlings there!

Slightly off topic, but I will never forget the lovely little lady who was on a 3 week tour to India with us many years ago. All hotels and meals were paid for, but we were still amazed to hear that she didn't change one penny into rupees. At one point I was asked to collect for the guide who was leaving us when we left for Rajasthan - when I arrived at her seat she smiled and said, "Oh! no dear. I never tip. I don't bring money on holidays - never have - it's all paid for you see." I felt really embarrassed - she didn't Jenny x

I can kind of see where she is coming from. It's sort of expected to tip because of low pay etc., but then if you look at it like just going on holiday in another country is helping their economy then really why should it be expected?

Or am I just tight? I do leave tips but it's only because I feel that british sense of obligation........

but then if you look at it like just going on holiday in another country is helping their economy then really why should it be expected?

How much tourism benefits the local economy really depends on the type of holiday and who owns the tourist infrastructure. For example, when I go to Cuba nearly everything I do once I'm there benefits the local economy. If we fly with a European airline then the local re-fuelling of the aircraft and the landing fees in Cuba add something in to the economy but not a great deal because the crew will be British and the profits will stay in Europe with the operating company. If we fly with Cubana then in addition the wages of the Cuban crew are likely to get spent in in Cuba, unlike if we fly with eg First Choice. Once there we stay with local families and apart from a small commission to the booking agent what we pay is going straight to the family and will be spent within the local economy. Everything we eat will have been bought locally and most likely produced locally too - the markets sell very little imported food. Our 'homestays' are done on a HB basis so we would be eating lunch out a local cafe or bar and this would stay in the local economy but most of them are state owned ventures and the staff are on very low pay and I would always leave the small change as a tip. Of an evening when we go out again we would be buying locally produced drinks in local bars and music venues, again usually state owned and hence everything we spend going into the Cuban economy. Occasionally we will skip dinner at the Casa and eat in a paladare, a small locally run private restaurant in someone's front room or patio so again 100% of what we pay will stay within the local economy.

This is in stark contrast to what happens if you stay in a tourist hotel in Cuba. Occasionally we stay in such a hotel in Havana for one night on route home. Very little of our 'spend' there will remain in the local economy - nearly all such hotels are 50/50 state international hotel chain partnerships. So 50% of the profits leave the country immediately, but so does a lot of the oveheads expenditure too. For example, the Sol Melia hotels import direct virtually all the food and drink served in the hotels branded with their name in Cuba - not just international alcohol brands but fresh food produce. This doesn't benefit the local economy at all. At least we will still spend our day and evening out of the hotel and be spending in local bars, at the craft market, locally produced Egrem CDs etc. But tourists staying in a large AI resort hotel in Cuba won't be doing that and the only real input into the local economy is via the staff wages - a pitifully small part of the holiday cost. I can appreciate why AI packages are very attractive to families but please, please don't delude yourself that you are contributing to the local economy in any meaningful way - especially if you decide not to tip the staff 'because everything has been paid for'.

Let's be honest, the reason why most communities put-up with tourists is because they come to spend money - stop spending and we might find ourselves less and less welcome in the places we holiday in. As far as I'm concerned the first clause in the 'job description' for 'tourist' is 'spend money' - that's the deal. If we don't, we run the risk of more and more people who work in the tourist industry in very poor countries starting to ask themselves 'Why bother?' Especially when more and more tourists seem to take the view that their money gives them carte blanche to ignore local culture and norms of behavior. I don't have a big budget for most of my holidays but by ensuring I stay in locally owned accommodation, eating out in locally owned cafes and bars, shopping in small local shops and markets, I quite possibly make a bigger contribution to the local economy than many people whose holidays cost a lot more but who are putting the bulk of that 'spend' into the pockets of multinational corporations rather than those of local people.

SM

SM
Well said !

Sanjiiiiiiiii

SMa - I'll second that! Jenny x

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread and report back after my earlier posts and my worries about not having enough holiday spends. Well we are just back from our 2 weeks in Menorca (2 ad and 2 ch) and feel a bit embarrassed about how little we spent. We budgeted on around £1200 but somehow only managed to spend £750 between four of us self catering. Not sure how this happened as we ate out every evening, however this was only one course and one round of drinks (all we wanted to be honest) and this cost on average 40 euros. On the one occasion we decided to have deserts this bumped the price up to 60 euros. Breakfast was cereal and toast and I made lunch which usually consisted of sandwiches, fruit, and maybe cakes or crisps. We didn't feel that we scrimped on anything but didn't feel the need to overeat or drink. I'm pretty happy as what's left is a good start for saving for next year's hols