Long Stay Holidays

Once, the term “long stay holidays” conjured up images of bingo-playing grannies taking off to Marbella for three month long all inclusive holidays to escape the winter chill. While the over-55’s still dominate the long stay holidays market to a large extent, today it is being undermined by students and even families, who see long stay holidays as a viable alternative to a series of last minute breaks booked throughout the year.

Long stay holidays on a budget

With the current economic climate in the UK so poor, many people are turning to long stay holidays as a way to escape financial pressures when the cost of living is at its highest and the cost of all inclusive holidays at their lowest – i.e. the winter months. Parents can often arrange tuition for their children while they’re away, so they don’t miss out on schooling. Work-wise, people can save up their year’s holiday entitlement and take it all in one go. Students, too, are turning to places like America and Australia, and booking self-catering or all inclusive holidays in one place for a few weeks, enjoying a bit of luxury, rather than taking a gap year and living out of hostels.
The days of bingo and golden oldies on the Costa del Sol have been replaced by a much sharper, younger image. Out of season, locations like the Caribbean, Cyprus and Malta offer long-stay holidays as well as short, last minute breaks, generating sorely needed income over a more reliable period. 

Destinations for long stay holidays

A lot of tour operators still offer the kind of long stay all inclusive holidays that were popular for the over 50s market during the 1970s and 1980s. There is still a need for places like Benidorm and Lanzarote, which offer traditional family holidays in the summer, to switch to good value “last minute breaks” of four weeks or more, in the winter. Now these have been joined by more exotic destinations like Florida, Egypt, Malta, Tunisia and the Algarve.

For many, long stay holidays means a winter cruise. This is where most of the traffic for long term all inclusive holidays comes from – especially in the 35 – 55 year age bracket. As well as being luxurious, modern cruise liners offer a home-from-home lifestyle, with Wi-Fi connection and business centres that allow people to continue working while they’re away. Cruise ships stay at sea for many months at a time, and the longer you stay on board the cheaper it becomes. This has led to many people booking a berth for the entire length of the voyage.

We at Future Travel have countless ideas for long stay holidays on an all inclusive or self catering basis, across the globe – why not take a look and see?