A UK-based single mother of five has taken her son's school to task over the staggering cost of a planned field trip.
Emma Mellor, 40, from Shropshire, learned that a three-night trip to Krakow, Poland, offered by her 11-year-old son's school was priced at a steep £799 ($1,000).
Mellor expressed her dismay at the daunting price tag, saying she felt a three-day trip should not cost anywhere near that amount.
The bulk of the fee was designated for return flights, coach transfers to Manchester airport, a three-night stay at a hotel in Krakow, and a variety of excursions, including a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. However, the expense doesn't end there. The cost includes just two evening meals, leaving parents to shell out even more for additional food throughout the trip.
Adding insult to injury, Mellor, who is self-employed and runs a wellbeing business, was required to pay a non-refundable £300 ($400) deposit just 11 days after receiving the initial email about the trip.
This news further fueled Mellor's indignation, leading her to pen a fiery email to the school. In it, she pointed out the price's inaccessibility to many families.
Mellor believes she's not alone in her financial predicament - particularly where single parent households are concerned. After the initial shock of the Krakow trip's cost, Mellor took her grievances to Facebook, garnering over 300 comments in agreement with her sentiments.
The trip's cost implications extend beyond the initial £799, Mellor argues, as parents must factor in other costs such as additional meals, clothing for the trip, travel money, and insurance. Furthermore, she shared in the same email that the school has plans for two more trips priced at over $1,000 each in 2024 and 2025.
Taking to Facebook, a number of people felt Mellor should simply accept that the trip was not a feasible option for her child.
One wrote: "If you don’t have the money don’t go. It’s that simple. It was offered. Not enough spaces for everyone so they know not all will go. Your choice to have 5 kids. Someone with only one might have a better shot to pay for it. I only had one kid so I could give him everything I wanted, for me I could easily pay that. Every choice you make will have consequences. You chose 5 kids which is wonderful as that’s what you wanted but you can’t have everything."
Another argued: "It’s an optional trip though? Why take it out in the teacher who likely didn’t even have anything to do with the planning?"
A third said: "My parents couldn’t afford to pay for these trips either but saw the value of giving me and my sister experiences that we couldn’t afford as a family. They paid half of any trip I wanted to do and I took paper rounds and a Saturday job to earn enough to pay the rest. Two major differences - we knew the trips were going to happen well in advance because the teachers were organised and planned well ahead; and under 16’s were allowed to take part time paid employment. The ability to plan ahead and an early work ethic are both helpful to society."