Let’s take a family of four, the Joneses, from Llantwit Major, in the Vale of Glamorgan, with two young children who prefer to take their break in the school holidays.
They are a fairly typical middle-income Welsh couple with conventional holiday preferences. They’ll want somewhere within easy reach of the beach for their children, but without rubbing shoulders with any 18-to-30 types.
For them, the choice is between staying in a villa in Majorca or a cottage in Pembrokeshire – in both cases they’ll be away for a fortnight.
After some research on what their alternatives would cost, they may find themselves reaching conclusions not a million miles removed from ours.
Travelling costs in the family car from Llantwit Major to Cardiff Airport and back are next to nothing – around ￡2.50. Even with the 5p a mile the motoring organisations add on for depreciation, it’s still just ￡3.25. The total cost of parking and the airport journey then is ￡45.75
Saundersfoot to the holiday cottage and back is 162 miles. An average family car like a Ford Focus does around 40 miles to the gallon, meaning it would take four gallons to complete the return journey.
A trip to Folly Farm, one of Wales’ biggest tourist attractions which includes a zoo, a funfair, indoor and outdoor adventure play area and a country park, costs around ￡26 for the family.
A half-day kayaking lesson at the Pembrokeshire Activity Centre, in Pembroke Dock, would cost ￡35 for under-16s, so ￡70 for the Joneses’ two children. So the family will spend around ￡96 on activities on their Welsh holiday. The family’s total daily costs amount to ￡519.70
Tags: 5p, cardiff airport, cot, depreciation, family, family car, folly farm, ford focus, fortnight, glamorgan, holiday cottage, joneses, million miles, outdoor adventure, pembrokeshire, play area, return journey, saundersfoot, school holidays, vale of glamorgan, villa in majorca, welsh holidays