This Christmas, Harriet Goudard is spending £7,000 to take her family back to France – where they moved to the UK from six years ago.
The 43-year-old used to live in Burgundy, central France with her husband – who is originally from Lyon – and their two children, but moved back here along with their dog, cat and two horses just before the pandemic hit.
They haven’t been back to France much since the move, so this year the need to connect with family and home soil for her husband “far supersedes any other holiday budget”.
The family will be staying in the ski resort of Les Contamines at the foot of Mont Blanc, and the trip will cost around £7,000 overall – with the cost of ski passes and in-resort living jumping over the past five years – but despite the high costs, she says it’s worth it.
Harriet, who is from South Devon and works as an equine-led leadership mentor, said the family of four will drive for their trip, as they find flying stressful, but the travel costs will probably total £1,700.
Sadly, none of their pets will be joining them on this trip because of extra bureaucracy post-Brexit, she said.
She added: “My husband has really pushed for this trip. Primarily, he has made it happen, by arranging his work around it. I have run a promotion on my business, and a few new clients have jumped on board as a result, which I am grateful for.
“Aside from that, our day-to-day expenses are pretty predictable when we’re out there. We self-cater at least two meals per day, often only ski for half days, and a half day of snowboarding is more than enough for me, so we save money that way.”
The mother-of-two worries about unexpected costs though, such as problems with their car, extra gifts for loved ones and treats on the way.
This isn’t the first time the family have spent Christmas abroad. They’ve been to Lyon a couple of times since leaving France in 2019.
But their typical family Christmas would be spent at home with family.
Another person who will be spending Christmas abroad at a high cost is Sophie Forbes-Perry.
Her and her husband have spent nearly £5,000 on their festive trip to Thailand this year.
After a difficult year due to failed IVF, spending Christmas in the sun with just the two of them gave them something to look forward to – so no expense was spared.
The 43-year-old, from Nottingham, has booked 10 days in the Kata region of Phuket and six days in Khao Lak.
They have spent around £2,000 on flights, £1,700 on accommodation, £1,000 in cash for spending money and £200 for airport parking and insurance.
Speaking to The i Paper, Sophie – who is the co-founder of a charity – said: “After not going abroad the last couple of years, we missed having some winter sun as it makes winter feel more bearable and not so long.
“To save for the trip, we put money away each month and use a 0 per cent credit card to help us spread the cost of the holiday.
“That way it makes finances not feel so difficult over the Christmas period, especially when buying presents for family and friends.”
It is typically more expensive to travel at this time of year, but there are some ways to make it a little cheaper, she said, like flying on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
She added: “Plus, we book everything separately ourselves so we have more control over what we are spending and can tailor it to our needs and criteria. It may be more expensive but it’s definitely less stressful.”
As this isn’t their first time spending the big day in another country, she feels well prepared. It is their third time doing Christmas abroad – the first time they went to Sri Lanka and the second time in Thailand.
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Sophie, who also has a holistic coaching business, continued: “I find when we have spent it abroad, I come back rested and recharged for the start of the year. If we’re at home, we typically spend it with my in-laws.”
They plan to spend the cash they have exchanged on eating out, paying for tuk tuks and taxis and for low-cost purchases or tourist attractions.
For anything else, they will use Sophie’s debit card which she can use for free in foreign countries.
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