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Take an Autumn Break without Blowing your Christmas Budget

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Going on holiday in the autumn, in the run-up to Christmas no less, you must think we’re mad. We’re an average-income family and with two kids to buy presents for at Christmas, the holiday season is easily the most expensive time of the year for us. And while we’ve never been ones for spending unnecessary amounts of money, we don’t believe in missing out on having fun in the autumn just because Christmas is coming up.

So this year we set ourselves a challenge – to find an affordable autumn break that will leave us enough change to buy everyone a nice present at Christmas.

Embracing the season

This year’s beach weather may be over by autumn but that doesn’t mean you can’t embrace the spirit of the season on an autumn break. Autumn is the most colourful season of the year and there’s no better time to get back outside for one last time before the winter sets in.

Take an autumn break without blowing your Christmas budget

As a family with two small children, it doesn’t take much to keep us entertained. That’s why staying on a holiday park somewhere in the great British countryside is perfect for us. Our favourite activities is putting the kids in wellies and trudging through the autumn leaves, listening to the delicious crunching sound under our feet.

I’ve also been looking for some more creative activities that will get our kids excited about autumn. One of my favourite activities as a child was making an autumn collage. We’d spend an afternoon collecting interesting leaves, pieces of bark, twigs and conkers and use them to a create a collage when we got home. Younger kids might be happiest creating one big scattered collage but older kids could try and build a collage in the shape of a squirrel or a tree.

Choosing the perfect autumn holiday location

We’re going away in early October so choosing our perfect holiday location, it’s important to make sure there’ll be things to do whatever the weather. And of course we want a location that’s going to be stooped in autumn beauty.

Browsing the internet for the best places to experience autumn in the UK I came across Grizedale – a place at the heart of the Lake District and a true wooded gem full of green pines and ancient woodland. It looks like the perfect location for our autumn walk – the only thing we need to do now is find family-friendly accommodation that’s not too far away.

While we’re usually a camping family, there’s nothing we love more when it’s a bit chilly outside than coming back to nice warm and cosy accommodation at the end of the day. A few years ago we stayed at a Haven park with our own tent and there were loads of entertainment opportunities and activities to keep the whole family occupied.

So a last minute break in the UK at a Haven holiday park seemed like a good bet but since it’s autumn, we’re going to upgrade our accommodation from a tent to a warm, cosy caravan. We are on a budget so we won’t be able to afford the most luxurious caravan but when it’s about having a good time as a family, we don’t need the most luxurious accommodation. Standard caravans sleep up to six people, which is more than enough space for us, and have enough home comforts to make the caravan feel like a home away from home. And the gas or electric fire will be perfect for warming our fingers and toes after spending time exploring the autumn landscape.

Gina

4 thoughts on “Take an Autumn Break without Blowing your Christmas Budget”

  1. Wow! how cool is that? i love the lakes, you’ll have a great time. let us know what its like with haven hols…we have 2 young kiddies as well, hotels are too claustrophobic with us all in the same room, so we are looking at other options for next yrs hol . autumn is gorgeous isnt it :o)

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