The cost of family holidays is climbing steeply just as penalties for term-time travel hit new records. According to a report by Which?, the average price of a package holiday has risen by 4.2% since last year, with popular destinations like Bulgaria seeing even steeper increases of up to 11.5%, adding £119 more per person. For a family of four, that’s nearly £500 in additional costs to travel during the summer break.
With travel costs outpacing wages and the cost of living still high, many parents are choosing cheaper term-time holidays despite the risk of fines. Some 487,300 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised absences in England in 2023/24 with a staggering 91% were for term-time holidays, according to the Department for Education. Read more: How to save money on your holiday to Switzerland That’s up 69% compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Money from term-time holiday fines goes to the local authority to fund attendance support and cover administration costs. Any surplus is returned to the government. Rakia, a mother of four from east London, was fined £240 after taking her children out of school three days early last June to travel to Turkey but thought the penalty was worth it.
“I work hard, pay my taxes, and shouldn’t have to choose between my children and following a school calendar that doesn’t work for struggling families like mine,” she told Yahoo News. “We live in an overcrowded flat in a high-crime area. My kids deserved a holiday.
Just because we can’t afford peak prices doesn’t mean they should miss out,” she added. Rakia, who works full-time, usually fills the summer with low-cost day trips and free local activities but last year, she decided a term-time family holiday was worth the fine. She's one of thousands of parents facing the same dilemma.
The average price of a package holiday has risen by 4.2% since last year. · Halfpoint Images via Getty Images Derbyshire mother Natalie Elliott launched the Fight School Fines campaign after being fined twice. Her petition calling for up to 10 days of permitted term-time leave has now surpassed 150,000 signatures and will be debated in parliament later this year.
The sharp rise in term-time fines highlights not only the escalating cost of travel but also a tightening approach to school attendance enforcement. Joanna Lovell, head of news at Netmums, told Yahoo News: "This is one of the most emotionally charged aspects of the debate. Parents deeply value education, but many say it’s unfair to force a choice between schooling and family wellbeing."
Lovell says the Fight School Fines petition marks a pivotal moment for parents, with their concerns finally set to be heard in parliament. However, the petitions committee has yet to confirm a date for the debate.
