Family holidays too good to give up

With pennies tight, many Brits are re-evaluating their holiday plans. Afraid of missing out on the summer sun but conscious of cash, many young adults will be piggybacking their parents’ holiday plans this year - with over one in 10 (11 percent) joining a family holiday funded by their parents, according to research from travelsupermarket.com.

Over a quarter (28 percent) of British adults have previously been on a family holiday where parents have picked up some, or all, of the tab. And whilst the majority (31 percent) of those young adults holidaying with their parents get treated to the odd meal out or a daily excursion, staggeringly, over a quarter (27 percent) admits their entire break is funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad.

When comparing the research by age of respondents, it indicates this is a rising trend among the younger generation of British adults. Where just one in six (16 percent) of over-55s holidayed at their parents’ expense after reaching the age of 18, and just over a quarter (26 percent) of 35-54 year olds admit to having done so in the past, there is a sharp rise in this tendency among 18-34 year olds. Yet, almost half (42 percent) of 18-34 year olds admit they have taken advantage of their parents’ offer of a free or subsidised holiday in the past.

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at travelsupermarket.com, said: “We’ve already seen members of the Boomerang Generation return to their family homes for financial reasons, and now we’re seeing a Piggyback Generation take further advantage of their parents’ willingness to spend money on them.

“Thankfully, over half of those whose holidays have been subsidised by their parents said they enjoy spending time with their parents, so at least it’s not all in vain! We wonder whether parents feel the same when it is they who are hit in the pocket by this trend. Or do they just love having their children around them and sharing the wealth they have with them?”

The survey also revealed that people in Northern Ireland are the likeliest group to still have their holidays paid for by their parents (13 percent), which could explain why more people from this region than any other are planning another break with their parents in the near future (45 percent).

Best value holiday destinations for 2009 suggested by travelsupermarket.com are:

UK
Turkey
Egypt
Tunisia
Thailand
Iceland
Morocco
Bulgaria
South Africa
Canada

Top ten holiday money-saving tips are:

Choose your destination carefully
Consider cost of living/exchange rates
Look at travelling in off-peak times
Travel midweek
Use alternative UK airports
Use a search engine such as travelsupermarket.com
Try all-inclusive
Self-catering can work too
Stay outside the city centre
Look out for special offers

All figures taken from research carried out on behalf of travelsupermarket.com by Opinium in March 2009, among 2,165 adults residing in the UK.