Over 45s re-visit holiday fun from their youth

Empty nesters are still enjoying the same overseas holiday experiences as they did in their youth – according to research by tour operator Jet2holidays.com – whilst a third (35 per cent) are now doing so to bond with their ‘adult children’.

The survey, which polled 1,000 over 45s, indicates surprising similarities between what people enjoy most now and when they were child-free. Top answer was ‘exploring the holiday destination’ (61 per cent) replicating responses from earlier in their lives (59 per cent). This was followed in both instances by ‘chilling out’, ‘drinking lots of alcohol’, ‘adventure sports’ and even ‘going on the pull’.

What’s more, despite the current rise of the UK ‘staycation’, Spain is still the most popular destination, although the poll revealed an increasing preference for places like Turkey (tripled in popularity from 4 per cent to 12 per cent) and The Algarve (six per cent to 11 per cent).

It also appears that rather than curbing people’s holiday plans, the credit crunch actually appears to be bringing families closer together, with more over 18s choosing to join Mum and Dad on holiday.

Lucy Black, Marketing Manager at Jet2holidays.com, said: “These results are interesting as people show more of a preference for re-living the delights of younger days - nearly a third (28 per cent) now use holidays to re-visit their youth and recreate the experiences they couldn’t do with kids in tow.

“However, there has been an increase in the number of over 18s holidaying abroad with their parents, which could be to save cash or experience destinations they might not usually choose. Either way, it seems the credit crunch is helping promote good old traditional family holidays.”

In addition, two in five (39 per cent) claimed their age group got the most enjoyment out of holidays – with their view being the 31-44 age group gets the least enjoyment (11 per cent).

Top of people’s holiday enjoyment:

Youth:

Exploring the destination (59 per cent)
Chilling out (28 per cent)
Drinking lots of alcohol (5 per cent)
Adventure sports (4 per cent)
Going ‘on the pull’ (4 per cent)

Over 45s:

Exploring the destination (61 per cent)
Chilling out (36 per cent)
Drinking lots of alcohol (2 per cent)
Adventure sports (1 per cent)
Going ‘on the pull’ (0 per cent)

Most popular holiday destinations:

Youth:

Spain (43 per cent)
Greece (20 per cent)
The Canaries (16 per cent)
The Balearics (11 per cent)
The Algarve (6 per cent)
Turkey (4 per cent)

Over 45s:

Spain (26 per cent)
Greece (24 per cent)
The Canaries (19 per cent)
Turkey (12 per cent)
The Algarve (11 per cent)
The Balearics (8 per cent)

Lead in family deals:

The Algarve (£259 per person) - based on seven nights, four people sharing on a self catering basis in three-star accommodation at Club Alvor Golf Apartments SC, Alvor. Flights depart Monday 27th July, 2009 from Manchester Airport. Prices include transfers.

Turkey (£299 per person) - based on seven nights, four people sharing on a self catering basis in three-star accommodation at Club Meridyen Apartments SC, Marmaris. Flights depart Monday 27th July, 2009 from Manchester Airport. Prices include transfers.
Majorca (£319 per person) - based on seven nights, four people sharing on a self catering basis in three-star accommodation at Sun Beach Apartments SC, Santa Ponsa. Flights depart Wednesday 29th July, 2009 from Leeds Bradford International Airport. Prices include transfers.

Costa del Sol (£319 per person) - based on seven nights, four people sharing on a self catering basis in two-star accommodation at Veramar Apartments SC, Fuengirola. Flights depart Friday 31st July, 2009 from Manchester Airport. Prices include transfers.

For bookings visit jet2holidays.com

*Holiday prices above correct at time of print.