Far from being an enjoyable prelude to a relaxing break, planning the family holiday is likely to leave mums feeling stressed and tempted not to go away at all, according to new research.
The survey of over 1,000 UK mums by Holiday-Rentals.co.uk has revealed that 84% are left to plan the family holiday by themselves, with 60% finding it a stressful experience. The problem has reached such an extent that many have considered not going away at all due to the stress of trying to plan the perfect getaway.
The research has found that, behind moving house and preparing for Christmas, planning a family holiday is the most stressful event in most mums’ lives.The survey found that the journey to and from the holiday destination is the most stressful part of a family holiday, with almost a third (29%) of mums stating that long flights, cramped car journeys and claustrophobic ferry trips cause anxiety. Making sure that everyone has packed the right things and organising passports and paperwork also top the list of holiday hassles.
Although it is overwhelmingly mums that organise the family holiday, many do get a helping hand from the rest of the family once they arrive. When on a self-catering holiday nearly half of mums share tasks with the rest of the family, compared to a mere 22% when at home. Typically Dad lends a hand by barbequing, helping to prepare meals and washing up, while everyone helps to keep the place tidy.
Accommodation also proved to be a major bone of contention, with many mums complaining about inadequate facilities or arriving to find they hadn’t quite got what they booked!
One disgruntled mum commented; ‘My worst holiday ever was when we arrived and discovered, having booked two interconnecting rooms, we hadn’t got them. My two and half year old daughter was put in a room on her own with double doors to fire escape which didn’t lock and the heating didn’t go above 17 degrees!’
Another said, “Don’t assume anything! We thought going to a well-known family holiday camp would be fun. How wrong we were; the caravan stunk to high heaven, the camp was tacky and the entertainment was awful! We won’t be doing that again!”
Greg Grant from Holiday-Rentals.co.uk says: ‘Based on the results of our research, it’s not surprising that mums can find holidays stressful!.........Renting a holiday home provides families more space, privacy, comprehensive facilities, and the flexibility to take time out for themselves. Unlike hotel rooms, holiday homes give kids space to breathe and parents freedom to relax in another room, but everyone is still under the same roof.”
Family Holidays - Fast Facts 54% would consider taking their family holiday in term time to save money
Sun, sea and sand is still the most common type of family holiday; 86% take this type of holiday with their family. The next most common are cultural/historic trips (28%), followed by rural retreats (23%) and activity breaks (20%)
Families today are well travelled! The vast majority take one or two holidays in the UK and Europe, and 56% take one holiday outside Europe each year too
87% of respondents prefer self-catering accommodation for a family holiday
78% of respondents had been on holiday with extended family and 84% found it a good experience
For the majority of Mums, the thing they most enjoy about family holidays is simply relaxing and spending quality time together, over and above sightseeing and doing activities
TV and games consoles are the items that Mums would most like kids to give up on holiday
March 2008
Holiday-Rentals.co.uk surveyed over 1,000 Mums in January and February 2008.
To help ease the pressure on mums, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk has developed the “Mum’s Holiday Guide”, offering advice on everything from choosing the right location, to packing and how to get the rest of the family involved in organising the holiday. The Mums Holiday Guide is free to download from www.Holiday-Rentals.co.uk/MumsHolidayGuide and has been created with advice and top tips from real mums, allowing everyone to benefit from the nation’s collective experience!
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