This is how we do it.... Holidays 2015 Vacation Time

Seeing the world is something really important to me, but with working full time and only getting 5 weeks off a year it can be tricky to fit in lots of worthwhile trips, not to mention the cost. Well I thought I would share with you all the cost of our 2015 holidays so you can see that yes, whilst vacations are luxuries and we can't always afford them, it doesn't always have to be crazy-expensive, if you shop around and if you often plan ahead, making some great money saving opportunities.

Holiday 1 (Skiing) - Saint-Gervais-Les-Bain, France. 4 adults, 24th January - 31st January 2015.
We booked flights with Easyjet (1 suitcase each and 1 set of skis per couple) from Bournemouth to Geneva £163.69 each return with seats being pre-booked.
The chalet we hired through www.holidayinalps.com (Chalet Baraque O'Neige, sleeps up to 7) - £155.25
Total per adult for flights and accommodation - £318.94

Of course if you are a skier (unlike myself, who prefers being wrapped up warm with Netflix and a good book), then you do have your ski pass on top of this, which can be costly - a good money saving tip is to see if you can order the ski pass in advance and you could save 10 or 20%. That said, Saint Gervais is a fab family resort only about an hour from Geneva airport, so it's great if you have kids, and the local patisseries (bakeries) do some pretty special treats.

Holiday 2 (City and Beach Beach Break) - Abu Dhabi, UAE. 2 adults, 26th April - 4th May 2015.
We booked this trip through Lowcostholidays to ensure money saving to the max - I get a small student discount there (1 suitcase weighing up to 30kg each is included in the cost) from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi £416 each return with seats being pre-booked, flying with Etihad Airways.
The hotel we booked is Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan 4* Room Only - £149 each
Transfers were £17.50 each return and the discount I got worked out at £20.39 each (every little helps!)
Total per adult for flights, transfers and accommodation - £562.11

We have started to investigate the most cost effective way of seeing the sights, and have so far found that the Yas Marina F1 Circuit is free to walk around on Tuesday evenings - so we'll be doing that. Plus, with the world's biggest waterpark, I'm sure this will be a must too. Any way to be a money saving pro and I'm there!


Holiday 3 (City Break) - Venice, Italy. 2 adults, 6th May - 9th May 2015.
We booked flights with Easyjet (hand luggage only, cabin case with no weight limit) from London Gatwick to Venice Marco Polo £34.58 each return with seats being pre-booked (**further notes below on this)
The apartment we hired through AirBNB (Olimpia's Studio in the centre of Venice) - £122.50 each
Total per adult for flights and accommodation - £157.08

We will be getting the water taxi from the airport, and the owner of the apartment has sent some fantastic information with how to get around, things to see and do, and someone will be meeting us on arrival in Venice. The apartment also has kitchen facilities so we won't have to eat out three times a day, which can be very pricy in Italy. I've heard not to visit Venice in the summer months as it can be a bit smelly, so May should be a good time to go!
**We got a bargain with the flights as we booked early, but also because I used £50 worth of Nectar points towards the cost - definitely recommend if you are a regular online shopper, a great money saving method to online shopping.

Holiday 4 (City & Sun Break) - Marrakech, Morocco. 2 adults, 30th June - 4th July 2015.
We booked this trip through Lowcostholidays - again I get a small student discount there (hand luggage only, cabin case with no weight limit) from Bristol to Marrakech £58.28 each return with seats being pre-booked, flying with Easyjet (yup, they're our faves!).
The hotel we booked is Adam Park Hotel & Spa 5* Bed & Breakfast - £72.91 each
The discount was smaller this time and worked out at £2.57 each (every little helps!) Total per adult for flights and accommodation - £128.62

I'm really looking forward to relaxing by the pool during the day and exploring the city at night, when I hear it really comes to life!

Holiday 5 (the 'Country Bumpkin' family trip) - Bradworthy, near Bude, Devon, England. 2 adults plus one dog, th September - 12th September 2015.
We booked this trip through Choice Cottages - perhaps not the best money saving website BUT this is a place we visited last year, and Marley (our dog) absolutely loved it. The converted barn is very welcoming, quiet and private, so we had a relaxing stay and have decided to come back again. The property is called Swallow Parlour, and I would recomment it to anyone; it sleeps up to 4, and allows dogs and has wifi at small extra costs.

Total per adult for accommodation only - £177.23 (including dog and wifi costs)

You can find a video from our last trip to Bradworthy here, which is of Marley escaping into the sea: http://em-maria.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/its-dogs-life.html

Total holiday costs for 2015 - £1343.98 each, which for 5 trips away, doesn't seem too bad! Please get in touch if I can help you with anything :-) I would love to share my money saving ideas with you.