From £3.8k a night Disney cruise to swanky Dubai jaunt, how the Radfords went on 14 lavish holidays this year alone
GOING on holiday when you have a large family can be stressful - and also expensive - but that hasn’t stopped mum-of-22 Sue Radford.
The parents of Britain’s biggest family have jetted away on a whopping 14 holidays this year, including luxury jaunts to Florida and Dubai.
Just this month, Sue shared photos of her kids on a winter break to Centre Parcs, which they visited last Christmas too.
While they regularly pile their kids into their £40,000 luxury motorhome for UK trips, the Radfords love jetting around the world too.
Sue, 49, and Noel, 53, from Morecambe, Lancashire, fund their lavish trips with income from their pie shop business, and they don’t rely on benefits.
That hasn’t stopped Sue defending their extravagant trips in recent years to Disneyland parks, Lapland, New York, Legoland, Centre Parcs and the Maldives.
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Sue previously launched an extraordinary rant at a troll on Instagram after she was accused of using "taxpayer money" to fund the family's frequent holidays.
And she previously added: “We work hard but we're not millionaires!
"The nastiness is upsetting though. We just want to be able to give our children the best possible life."
Here, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at where the Radfords have visited in 2024...
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Disney cruise and Florida
Mum-of-22 Sue fought back tears as she took 13 of her kids on a surprise Disney cruise in September.
The family embarked on the pricey excursion after a holiday in Florida, where they had visited the Disney parks.
In a vlog posted on their YouTube channel, Sue and her husband Noel explained how they pulled off the surprise.
"The kids all think we're going home, to the airport but we're not," Noel told their subscribers.
Instead, the family headed to Port Canaveral, where they boarded the cruise, which set them back £3,800 a night for their group of 15.
The Disney Fantasy cruise is estimated to cost $2,400 (£1,800) per person for seven nights.
The Radford family's 14 holidays in 2024
- Dec 2024 - Centre Parcs
- November 2024 - Dubai
- October - UK mini break in motorhome
- August/September - Florida and Disney cruise
- June 2024 - UK mini break in motorhome
- June 2024 - UK mini break in motorhome
- May 2024 - Netherlands half term trip
- May 2024 - Scotland in the motorhome
- April 2024 - Florida Disney trip
- March 2024 - UK mini break in motorhome
- February 2024 - UK mini break in motorhome
- February 2024 - Girls trip to Amsterdam
- Jan 2024 - Disneyland Paris
- Dec 2023 - Centre Parcs
Dubai
The couple enjoyed some quiet time on their anniversary trip in November ahead of daughter Millie's wedding.
However, Noel was less than impressed with the high-end Sunday roast he got at a celebrity chef-endorsed restaurant in Dubai.
Noel’s frustration on his posh Dubai trip has continued, after he was ‘absolutely ripped off’ in the influencer hotspot.
While on the luxury getaway, the Radford patriarch went to the iconic Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping centre, located next to the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
But when he was at the mall, which has over 1,200 shops and unforgettable entertainment experiences, the pie shop owner was not happy with his pricey treats.
Within recent months, the viral Dubai chocolate bar from Fix Dessert Chocolatier has taken social media by storm.
Noel then confessed that they spent £100 in total on just three bars of chocolate and thought it was a rip off.
Netherlands break
In May, as the kids were off school during half term, Sue and Noel treated their bumper brood to a trip to The Netherlands.
Posting on social media, the family’s matriarch claimed that her kids had been riding around on bikes, while she enjoyed a glass of wine.
She then gave her followers a look around the caravan site, as she added: “The camping areas were so quiet yesterday morning, then by last night they were full.
“Apparently it’s a bank holiday over here so [that] probably explains it.
“Nothing better than van life.”
Sue and some of her girls also went to the Netherlands in February for a girls break, where the busy mum whipped up some cocktails.
Who's who in the Radford family?
The Radfords are Britain's biggest family with 22 children.
Here are the kids from eldest to youngest include:
- Chris - born May 7, 1989
- Sophie - born December 13, 1993
- Chloe - born July 31, 1995
- Jack - born April 9, 1997
- Daniel - born March 3, 1999
- Luke - born October 1, 2000
- Millie Radford - born August 29, 2001
- Katie - born November 14, 2002
- James - born October 17, 2003
- Ellie - born May 6, 2005
- Aimee - born April 21, 2006
- Josh - born July 3, 2007
- Max - born December 11, 2008
- Tillie - born May 2, 2010
- Oscar - born October 22, 2011
- Casper, - born October 3, 2012
- Hallie - born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe - born July 24, 2016
- Archie - born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie - born November 6, 2018
- Heidie - born April 3, 2020
Sadly the couple's 17th child Alfie was still born on July 6, 2014
Surprise Disney proposal
Following a New Year getaway to Disneyland Paris, the Radfords headed back to Florida again during the last Easter school holidays.
The trip was special for the Radfords, as daughter Millie, who has three kids of her own, Ophelia, Chester, and Elodie, got engaged.
With the stunning Disney’s Magic Kingdom castle as a backdrop, Millie’s partner, Harley Passmore, got down on one knee and popped the question.
Crashing the motorhome
Sue and Noel often take their kids away in their motorhome at weekends and school holidays - and whisked them up to Scotland in May.
However, their holiday park trip got off to a disastrous start as mum-of-22 Sue revealed she was "fuming" with Noel after he crashed into a tap port while parking up.
"I caught the tap on the back end of the camper and scratched it all," the sheepish dad said.
How does family-of-22 the Radfords afford to live?
AS Britain's biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills.
Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their , it says: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe.”
The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out.
The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don't get a free ride as they're made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
"Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it’s not a lot but I’m also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the .
Sue added: "We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer.
“I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We’ve always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue famously don’t rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income.
They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting - which has run for four series.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show.
He told the : "The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature.
"If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee."
He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
"That's quite deep. I'm sure it will rub out and spray up. So it's not that bad."
Raging Sue, who first fell pregnant when she was 13, then blasted: "A bit? I'm fuming.
"Not being funny right but people say that women drivers are really bad, I just don't believe it.
"That's really annoyed me. It's bad. Honestly, I don't get how you've done that. I genuinely don't."
Ready with a comeback, cheeky Noel told Sue to "pipe down" as he pointed out she never drives the motorhome.
Girls trip to Amsterdam
When it comes to holidays, the Radford family barely let a month go by before enjoying a break somewhere.
And this was certainly true last February, when Sue took a few of her girls to Amsterdam.
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Sue took to the family's Instagram Stories to share some snaps from their city break, including some scenic shots of Amsterdam.
The group also treated themselves to a cocktail making session at the Miss B cafe and food shop.
