No such thing as "daddy's girl"
Women's online travel community, Thelma & Louise has revealed that mums make the best travel companions yet hectic, modern lifestyles are preventing women from spending the quality time they'd like to with their mothers.
The research, which was carried out ahead of Mother's Day (3 April 2011) by Thelma & Louise, in conjunction with its new luxury travel club partner, Travesse, dispelled the "Daddy's Girl" myth by divulging that 36.1 per cent of women felt that, aside from their husband or partner, their mum made the best travel companion. This rose to 48.9 per cent when examining the 25 - 34 age-group. In comparison, a measly 1.5 per cent of the women polled said that their dad made the best travel companion and 21.3 per cent opted for their sibling.
Whilst the poll revealed that almost a third of women (28.2 per cent) holiday with their mum at least once a year, it seems that this isn't enough for most. 71.3 per cent said that they would like to travel more with their mums than they do currently and 61.3 per cent blamed lack of time due to a hectic lifestyle for stopping them.
When questioned about what it is that makes mums such brilliant travel buddies, 51 per cent stated "her company and sense of humour." However, what women enjoy most about travelling with their mother is the opportunity to spend quality time with her, something that was cited as a major plus by a heart-warming 77.3 per cent of respondents.
Of the types of holidays that women like to book with their mums, "a spa break" topped the list (46.5 per cent), closely followed by "a weekend getaway in the UK" (42.5 per cent) and "a city shopping break" (36.2 per cent) and when it comes to Mother's Day gifts, daughters are perfectly in tune with what their mums want. When asked what they felt their mum would like most for Mother's Day 45.9 per cent answered "quality time with you, her daughter", which matched the response from the mums themselves (38.4 per cent).
"The mother-daughter bond is very special and there's nothing more precious than the gift of time with your loved ones," said Thelma & Louise co-founder Christine Davies.
"As a mother of grown-up twins - a boy and a girl - I am always thrilled when I get the chance to travel with one or both of them. My daughter and I went on a cruise last month; just the two of us, and having that quality time away together was certainly the best Mother's Day present I could have hoped for."
"We also asked our Thelma & Louise members for some top tips for a successful holiday-with-Mum. 'Be patient' was a popular tip as well as 'Compromise' and 'Communicate' and finally, 'Have a sense of humour'."
With spa and UK breaks topping the list of holidays women enjoy most with their mums, Thelma & Louise and partner, Travesse have teamed up to offer a selection of deals, especially for Mother's Day:
40 per cent off
• Country-house hotel & spa near Bath, UK from £369 for two people (original price £619), inclusive of full English breakfast, 3 course meal for two and welcome champagne & chocolates
• Offer is bookable between 24 - 31 March 2011 and available over the Mother's Day weekend and beyond
56 per cent off
• Hip, London hotel & apartments from £145 for two people (original price £335) staying in a one-bedroom apartment, inclusive of welcome cocktail, chocolate truffles and shuttle service to nearby public transport stations.
• Offer is bookable between 22 - 29 March 2011 and is available over the Mother's Day weekend and beyond
47 per cent off
• Five-star resort & spa on Greece's Rhodes Island with an endless vista over the turquoise Aegean Sea
• £105 for two people (original price £201) on a half-board basis in a Deluxe Double Room
• Offer is bookable between 29 March - 5 April 2011 and is available over the Mother's Day weekend and beyond
The offers are available to book online at travesse.com and members who join Travesse via Thelma & Louise (thelmandlouise.com) will receive £20 off their first booking.
For more information on Thelma & Louise and to become a member go to: thelmandlouise.com