Most parents will no doubt bemoan the fact that the school holidays are the most expensive time for a family break away. But, without taking the kids out of school, there's not much choice.
It's well known that prices generally shoot up when the schools are off. Half-term, Easter, summer or Christmas - it doesn't matter.
However, there's one trick that could save families a consider amount of cash. Savvy parents may well be aware that school holiday dates don't necessarily match in different parts of the UK.
Birmingham, for example, breaks up a week earlier than Devon for the summer in July. So a campsite, hotel or Airbnb in the south west could be a lot cheaper during that week.
In another example, children in parts of Wales go back to school three days earlier than those in areas of the Midlands, giving the chance for a weekend away before getting back to school.
With this idea in mind, BirminghamLive decided to run some dates through to see what happened. It went onto the Center Parcs website to look at just what a difference a week makes. And it's huge.
A four-day break in a new-style woodland lodge in Elveden Forest in Suffolk costs £1,149 from February 13 to 17, when most schoolchildren in the UK are on half-term. The same break from February 20 to 24, when Birmingham schools are off, costs £619. That's a saving of £530.
This is for two adults, a child and a toddler. Interestingly, in the following week (February 27) when all the kids are back at school, the price drops down to £389. Find out more on the Center Parcs website here.
And you can save £400 on a break at Woburn Forest in Bedfordshire. It costs £1,099 to go from February 13 to 17, but the price is reduced to £699 from February 20 to 24, 2023. The same four-day break costs £759 at Longleat Forest in Wiltshire (£1,099 for the week before) and £799 at Whinfell Forest in Cumbria (£949 the week before).
It'd easy to replicate this trick for anywhere and any type of accommodation. With a bit of research as to which parts of the country's schools are on holiday when, you could save hundreds of pounds.
