Perhaps the best thing about booking an all-inclusive holiday is not having to worry about spending a fortune on food and drink while you’re away, as it’s already taken care of.
You can load up your plate as many times as you want at the breakfast buffet and be double parked by the pool at lunchtime, a cocktail with a tiny umbrella in each hand.
But it seems one holiday goer isn’t so keen on making the most out of his money, as instead of ringing all-inclusive trips for all they are worth, he pays £300 to bring his own food along.
John Phillips forks out hundreds on top of hotel and flight costs to take a suitcase filled with Pot Noodles, crisps, sausages and sweets on holiday, as well as a George Foreman grill so he can cook bacon butties in his room.
His wife, Rebecca, initially started packing dried snacks for him three years ago after the 40-year-old refused to eat anything other than chips while abroad.
The mum-of-one has since had to up the amount of food she brings for her lorry driver husband, packing a full suitcase and wrapping up meat with ice packs in a bid to keep it cold during flights.
Last year the pair visited Egypt and took along a bag filled with 21 Pot Noodles, 86 packets of crisps, two packs of bacon, a pack of 30 sausages, cans of tuna, a block of cheese, and brown sauce, as well as 30 Club biscuit bars, 16 bags of sweets and breakfast bars.
The epic British smorgasbord cost the family £300 to take on holiday, on top of the £1,400 they’d already spent on the all-inclusive resort.
But 29-year-old Rebecca insists she isn’t annoyed at having to fork out more for the extra luggage, as she just wants to make sure John is eating.
Rebecca, from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, said: ‘I go on holiday and I eat anything but he just won’t. He’s always been that way.
‘He’s just so fussy with his food, even in the UK. It’s just easier to eat in than go out for food, he’s always been like it.
‘When we first met and we first started going away, he would just eat chips. Then we started taking stuff on holiday with us and it just accumulated.
‘It doesn’t annoy me. I love food and I love cooking food so the fact he’s happy with something he’ll enjoy, I prefer that.
‘It was more me who said “let’s take this [on holiday]” and it just accumulated. I wouldn’t enjoy the holiday if he wasn’t eating.
‘He will only eat the food we’ve brought. If he comes down to the hotel restaurant with me, he might pick at some bread.
‘We’ve been on boat trips before and I’ve taken a Pot Noodle with us.’
One major downside to this is that John’s fussiness does often mean his wife is left to dine alone during the trips. Although Rebecca says she’s resigned to this asit’s just part of her ‘normal life’ and her husband will ‘never change’ his ways.
John claims he’s been a picky eater since he was a child, always preferring ‘good old-fashioned English’ grub over anything else.
‘I like my home comforts when I go abroad. So instead of searching for decent food, I’ll just take my own food with me,’ he explains.
‘I’ve always been a fussy eater, I don’t eat much veg at all. I like chips, sausage, and gravy — that sort of stuff.
‘A full suitcase will normally last us but we can run out a day or two before. It’s an expenditure but you normally spend money on your weekly shop anyway when you’re back in England.’
And when asked why he pays for all-inclusive when he’s not going to eat, John admits that it’s only for the ‘free beer’.
‘The food doesn’t really matter to me,’ he adds. ‘Why go on holiday and worry about the food when I can take it with me?’
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE : Salt Bae’s £630 steak is now available for takeaway
MORE : Lidl is finally bringing back ‘elite’ discontinued snack after 3 years of begging
MORE : Warning for tourists visiting Italy as locals are fuming over popular holiday activity
Get need-to-know travel news, inspiration and advice from Metro every week.
Sign up here…
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
