Save up for the school holidays
Lock the dates from the school calendar, enter what you can save each week, and see family-of-four trips that fit the break. Calibrated for Aussie families across all 8 states.
- ✓ All-in: flights, accommodation, activities & food
- ✓ Family-of-four calibrated
- ✓ Travel insurance & personal extras separate
- ✓ No signup to see what fits
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School holiday travel is a different planning shape from general holiday travel. The dates are fixed — you can't shift the term break — so the conversation is always about budget and destination, not timing.
The calculator below asks for what your family can save each week and how many weeks you have until the break you're aiming for. It then shows you the trips that fit — short Pacific escapes for the autumn break, longer European loops for the summer-Christmas window.
If you don't have your break dates handy, the SaveToRoam school holidays section has them for NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT and NT — for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
School holiday peak pricing
Flights during school holidays cost ~20-30 % more than shoulder-season equivalents — sometimes more for popular routes. The calculator's costs are shoulder-season; mentally add ~25 % to the headline number if you can only travel in peak.
Match duration to break
Autumn / spring breaks (~2 weeks) suit 10-day trips. Winter break (~2 weeks) is the prime mid-year window. Summer break (~6 weeks) is the only window for a proper Europe or Americas adventure. The calculator weights by duration automatically.
Book early for school holidays
Flights at peak fill up 6-12 months ahead at sensible prices. The earlier you lock the dates + start saving, the easier the weekly target gets.
Common questions
When are the next school holidays in my state?
Term dates vary slightly by state — NSW autumn 2026 runs ~13-24 April, Victoria's autumn break ~3-19 April, Queensland's ~3-19 April. The SaveToRoam school-holidays section has every state's calendar through 2028.
Can I afford a school holiday trip on $200/week?
Depends on the break and the destination. For a winter break (2 weeks, ~6 months out), $200/week × ~26 weeks = ~$5,200 — fits a Bali, Fiji or domestic family escape. For the summer break (6 weeks, ~12 months out), $200/week × ~52 weeks = ~$10,400 — opens SE Asia, NZ South Island, Hawaii in shoulder.
Is shoulder-season cheaper than school holidays?
Yes, materially — flight cost is the biggest driver, and peak-period flights cost 20-30 % more on most international routes. If you have flexibility (homeschoolers, school-leavers, families with younger kids) shoulder-season travel saves significantly. The calculator assumes shoulder pricing; add ~25 % if you can only travel in school holidays.
How do you handle the summer break crossing two years?
Summer break runs late December to late January. We list it under the start year (e.g. "summer 2026/27") so school holidays 2026 and 2027 each include their own summer entry. The calculator's months-to-departure works off whichever date you pick.
Turn the trip into a real plan.
Pick an itinerary above, set a departure date, and SaveToRoam locks the weekly savings target. Change anything — the number updates.
Free to start — no card required.