Family holidays remain a top priority for UK parents, with two-thirds (66%) travelling abroad with their children at least once a year, according to new research from travel insurance experts at Confused.com. The survey examined family holiday habits, including planning, costs, and how many parents continue to holiday with their adult children.
The majority of parents surveyed (84%) said it is important for their children to join them on holiday. Whether children come along depends mainly on the appeal of the destination (36%), followed by school or university schedules and affordability (29%). When choosing where to go, 58% of parents decide the destination themselves, while 37% make the decision jointly with their children.
Challenges of travelling with children
While family holidays bring excitement, they also come with challenges. For younger children, parents cited keeping them entertained, finding time to relax themselves, and maintaining routines while away. For teenagers, the main issues were managing moods or attitudes, keeping them engaged, and balancing their desire for independence with family time.
Parents still funding adult children’s holidays
The appeal of family holidays does not end when children reach adulthood. Almost 9 in 10 (89%) parents with grown-up children said they had travelled with them since they turned 18, and 87% of these parents still cover one or more holiday costs for their adult children, from flights to activities.
Respondents said they or their partner typically pay for the following
- Accommodation: 78%
- Transport at the destination: 74%
- Flights: 69%
- Food or drinks: 68%
- Activities: 59%
More than half of parents (52%) said they would stop paying for their child’s holidays once they became financially stable, while more than 1 in 5 (21%) said they would never stop contributing. Nearly half (47%) of all respondents also said they had paid towards their children’s holidays abroad even when they were not travelling with them, mainly for school trips (62%), but also holidays with friends (38%) and other family members (35%).
Bringing along a partner or friend
Almost half of parents said they would allow their children to bring a partner (48%) or a friend (47%) on a family holiday. Of these parents, 67% said they would help cover the additional traveller’s costs, including accommodation (45%), food or drinks (47%), activities (42%), and, for 1 in 3 (32%), even flights.
Expert advice on family travel insurance
Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, said: “For family holidays, consider a family travel insurance policy, as it is usually cheaper than individual quotes. It also simplifies the process, as you only need to go through it once. You can add up to two adults and eight children aged up to 18 to one policy. More than 547,000 families looked for this type of travel insurance policy on Confused.com last year.”
“Make sure your policy type covers the trip you are planning. For example, if you are going on a cruise, you will need specialist cover, which can be selected during the application process. Additionally, if you are bringing gadgets to keep the children entertained, it is sensible to include these on your policy in case they are lost, stolen, or damaged during the trip.”
“If you have other travellers joining you, such as your children’s friends or partners, it is important to check that they have insurance in place too. Group travel insurance is an option. Similar to a family policy, you only go through the quote process once, and it can cover up to 10 people, but you do not all need to live at the same address.”