Holiday planning?

[tom]

So my better half and I have been watching the holiday planning portals for more than a year now and it seems impossible for 2 adults and 2 teens to get a decent deal for 7-12 days off at a sunny place at the beach.
Here in Central Europe the best destinations for a holiday would be Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt or Spain/Portugal, though the latter may get pretty cold in winter too.
We are on a pretty tight budget as my better half is on sick leave right now and won't be able to come up with a few hundred or even thousand euros just for a week of holiday.

So, how do you plan your holidays when you don't have huge earnings or savings and don't want to go into debt for a few days off?

 

[Gummibeer]

We weren't in holidays for ~5 years because of low salary and now we have a dog. 😅
But we do weekend city trips (train or bus) and visit friends/family (saves hotel).

There are also places like tropical island (Berlin, Germany) where you have water, "beach" and lots of fun without the need to fly.

At the end I'm also against preventable flights and holidays don't require a flight for me - primary if you are on budget.

Why do you want beach during winter? You live in one of the best ski countries in Europe. 😅⛷️
And during summer you have a beautiful lake in front of your door. 😅🏊⛱️

 

[Michael]

I go away for weekend breaks mostly, stay with people I know in other countries, fly outside of school holidays, and also try to book it all myself instead of going through a travel agent. :)

 

[tom]

At the end I'm also against preventable flights and holidays don't require a flight for me - primary if you are on budget.

Yeah, same here. But I like having a week away from everything including no internet. Just a short shutdown for my brain where I can relax, swim whenever I want and enjoy one or more good books bundled with nice weather.

Why do you want beach during winter? You live in one of the best ski countries in Europe. 😅⛷

We'd love to go during the year and not in winter but prices are too high and we can't afford any other time. We found a few things in Egypt, but for 4 persons we weren't able to find anything below 1.2-1.5k. That's one months salary of my girlfriend.

And during summer you have a beautiful lake in front of your door. 😅🏊⛱

You mean this one here? 😅 Picture is from a short walk a week ago.

I have to say that I don't really like weekend trips as they are pretty exhausting for me and don't bring any value. Most of my friends live in Germany around Frankfurt am Main and Cologne so 4-6h one-way by car or even more when traveling by train (which is imho incredibly expensive).

Thank you all for your answers. They're greatly appreciated!

 

[l3ta]

I ask my dad for money when I want to travel. Probably going to spend Christmas in Aspen this year.

 

[adam]

I enjoy a 3/4 day last-minute cruise. The last one we booked was 18 hours beforehand to Paris & Amsterdam. Fortunately I live 20 minutes from Europes busiest cruise port. 👀

Doesn't really solve your beach holiday longings though and likely very impractical for anybody with dependents and jobs...

I had a nice time in Tenerife! There were some good deals there and was warm(ish) 25C when we were there in November. Have you looked at the Canary Islands?

 

[Gummibeer]

Yeah, same here. But I like having a week away from everything including no internet. Just a short shutdown for my brain where I can relax, swim whenever I want and enjoy one or more good books bundled with nice weather.

As an idea: internet and so on depends on you. If you don't want it just put them away. As an idea take a box with you and put all phones, laptops and so on in. You can decide if between breakfast and dinner or the whole time or whatever.

The beach and good weather topic: I would recommend to check out the uncommon locations. So several north Italian spots, polish Baltic sea. But also larger lakes, you will find several ones around your area and most times there's also a "beach".
I know that it's sometimes hard with child's. But reducing a bit the expectations and thinking outside the box helps a lot.
A remember such great holidays with my mom. Most times in Germany and in reach of train/bus because we don't have a car.

The most important is the time together and what you do together - not where!