spending money school skiing trip

(15 Posts)
Demolicious Mon 18-Mar-13 10:18:12

Just realised this thread was started back in 2010 !!

Demolicious Mon 18-Mar-13 10:17:52

Has anyone used the prepaid cards for their children on trips abroad ? Prefer that to cash but no experience of them - dd going to Canada for ski trip.

GetOrfMoiLand Tue 12-Jan-10 13:46:07

Lol - yes, i should have seen the fact that I didn't want to speak to XP for 10 minutes up a chairlift on a romantic holiday for two meant we were no destined for a long future together!! grin

greygirl Tue 12-Jan-10 12:07:18

Getorf, you didn't think wanting to go up in separate chairlifts was a sign......?wink

but i know what you mean, they are just so nicely organised.

GetOrfMoiLand Tue 12-Jan-10 10:18:54

I loved the ski lift system in Canada - there were always patrols, and there was a queue where you could go if you were a skiier on your own, which used to go down a lot faster than the regular queue, and also meant that all the ski lifts were filled up, which reduced everybody's waiting time.

Even though I was skiing with my Xpartner, we used to go in this single queues as it was so much faster, plus it was really nice chatting to strangers going up the lift.

greygirl Tue 12-Jan-10 10:12:39

our ski instructors in whistler were horrified that in europe there was nowhere provided to eat packed lunches! imagine walking into a restaurant in france, asking if you can use the loo and the 'greeter' says - 'certainly madam, they are that way, here is the water fountain, oh and have a free tissue as well'
to be fair the little places don't really allow it at busy times but the big 'motorway cafe' style places all have an allocated area.
and they have snow patrol to stop people going fast in slow areas
and on busy days, at the busy lifts there are people to make sure you queue properly and nicely.
it's just amazingly polite and stress free....

tulpe Fri 08-Jan-10 22:04:26

Greygirl - that's very interesting about restaurants etc in North America. I had no idea. Tempts me into looking in more detail now

tulpe Fri 08-Jan-10 22:03:10

Yes I would say £200 is more than enough. And if she ends up buying clothes with it then does it matter - as long as she hasn't starved herself and has had fun

GOML - we always take those mini bars with us for DCs when we go skiing. Cheaper than buying the chocolate in resort and DCs think its a real treat to have a mini Mars Bar every day . They certainly wouldn't have that at home but I think they need the sugar in those circumstances to keep them going. In fact, if you ask DS1 what he likes best about skiing "mars bars" will be his answer

baby01gem Fri 08-Jan-10 17:16:53

Thank you for all the comments. DD is 13, I will send her with a drinks bottle, and the snacks in suitcase. It's a 9 day trip, so from what's been posted £200 in total should be adequate?

I would not be surprised if she will have the cheapest thing for lunch, and will save her money to buy clothes at the end of the holiday.

greygirl Fri 08-Jan-10 16:44:00

north america isn't as expensive as europe for restaurants, and also tends to have self-serve and 'packed lunch' areas. they also offer free toilets, water and tissues!
the reason is the ski company own the lifts, the land and the catering facilities. so often a coffee at the bottom costs the same as a coffee at the top.it's all an 'experience thing',since you have bought a lift pass. my instructor was horrified that in europe you coudn't eat your sandwiches in a restaurant and had to eat them on a chairlift!

GetOrfMoiLand Fri 08-Jan-10 14:34:59

That's a good idea buy Tulpe re packing a load of food so she can take some with her - her ski jacket will have loads of pockets. Something like cereal bars, nutrigrain, something which will give her a sugar and carb hit whilst on the slopes. Plus you get really thirsty skiing, I don't know whether they would give tap water for free so would budget for a couple of bottles of water/whatever as well.

DD went to Austria skiing last year, she had lunch built in the price of her trip which was good. Mind you I am always panicking that dd will starve so I gave her extra money to buy food anyway. It probably all went on sweets if I am honest. I also gave her 80 euros spending money, I know for a fact that all went on crap.

tulpe Fri 08-Jan-10 13:12:47

Agree with GOML re expensive restaurants/cafes in ski resorts. Certainly the case in Europe. I would offer same budget - $20 per day and then another $50 spending money.

Also, I find that whilst I don't often eat breakfast on ski trips, by lunchtime I am absolutely starving and need something carb rich (Tartiflette is my major downfall along with anything with chips ) so she may be wanting more than a bowl of soup.

Pack a bag of mini-Mars or Twix into her luggage so she can take one in her pocket each day for mid-morning snacks. If she is having lessons, they won't stop at a cafe for a snack but usually will stop somewhere on the piste for a few minutes instead.

GetOrfMoiLand Fri 08-Jan-10 10:07:08

I have not been skiing in the US, but I have been to Canada and Europe, and all restaurants in ski areas are expensive. God knows what the exchange rate is but I would budget about $15-20 a day for food, and give her another $50 spending money.

greygirl Fri 08-Jan-10 10:04:32

i'd probably budget £10 a day for lunch/coffee (she may only need a bowl of soup at lunch but a midmorning coffee &muffin as well) and then ?entertainment/shopping money, maybe another £10 a day,. how old is she? how sensible? i have no idea erally, but she probably won't be drinking in the us as it's normally 21 for alcohol over there.

baby01gem Fri 08-Jan-10 08:42:13

My DD is going on her first school skiing trip and they are going to the US. I am unsure how much spending money I should send her with. The school have said £8 for lunch per day, plus money for souvenirs, shopping at a mall, and drinks (soft hopefully!!!).
How much would you send your DD with?

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