Fines mean fibbing over term-time holidays
More than one in six parents have resorted to lying to their children’s school over term time holidays to avoid being fined.
That’s according to new research out today from Teletext Holidays which shows 46% of parents say they are still prepared to take their children away during term time to get cheaper prices.
And with the threat of fines hanging over them parents are resorting to fibbing to their child’s school to ensure a cheaper holiday. Over one in six (17%) said their child was ill, that they were the only dates available or that their plane was delayed coming back to the UK.
And it’s perhaps not surprising that parents are driven to such lengths as despite all the talk of tax rises and the precarious economic situation, almost nine out of ten (88%) still say it’s important for them to be able to enjoy time away on holiday as a family.
The overriding message from UK families is that they need more help from the travel industry to allow them to afford holidays during the peak school holiday times.
Almost two-thirds of parents (65%) said there’s not enough money-saving advice available, 38% don’t know where to look to find a value-for-money family holiday, while 39% said that if there was more choice available they’d be able to avoid disrupting their child’s lessons.
Victoria Sanders, Teletext Holidays’ managing director, has some advice for hard-pressed parents: “We spoke to over 1,000 parents and the vast majority of them are desperate for advice about how they can save money on a family break.”
“There’s no escaping the fact that prices will always be higher when demand is at its peak, but there are still ways to save money on a family break such as looking out for free child places, opting for all-inclusive deals, cashing in supermarket rewards points and finding kids eat free offers.”
“Family finances are still tight and there’s talk about tax rises to come, so people are understandably looking at how they can get the best value. Whilst parents throughout the UK would rather not take their children out of school, they feel they have little choice.”
Teletext Holidays has created a new price tracker to highlight the best deal of the day on 20 of the most popular family holiday destinations in the UK and overseas. The top 30 money saving tips are now online at teletextholidays.co.uk/moneysavingtips as part of a dedicated section about how to save on family holidays.