Forget having mom and dad plan the family’s much needed vacation – a new national study from global hotel loyalty program Wyndham Rewards says more than half of kids think they can do it better. And, while most kids believe they can do a better job pulling together the family getaway, they still recognize that mom and dad have earned a vacation – especially moms. A whopping 96% of kids think their parents are in need of a vacation, with moms taking the crown as the family member that deserves a break the most.
Released just in time for National Parents’ Day on July 26, the study, which compares the travel habits and current stress levels of more than 2,500 children and parents across the U.S., uncovered a few major themes – parent stress levels are as high as ever, vacations impact how much mobile devices are used, and families that vacation more, fight less.
Planning a vacation is stressful
While taking a vacation can help to de-stress, the process of planning can be a stress trigger itself, with parents saying that planning a vacation is more stressful than visiting their in-laws. Parents’ stress levels are also on the rise, with 76% feeling more stressed or as stressed today than they were last summer.
- Staying within budget is the most stressful part of planning a vacation, according to 52% of parents, with moms worrying more about the money than dads (59% vs 44%).
- Money isn’t everything though, as parents are so in need of some time off that, when given the choice, they would rather have a vacation than be debt free.
- While nearly all parents feel they need a vacation (95%), most parents (71%) believe an overseas vacation is out of their reach.
- 91% of kids believe that parents are more relaxed/less stressed while on vacation.
- More than half (51%) wouldn’t give up their summer vacation so their parents could take more vacations.
Travel more, fight less
Siblings may fight less on vacation, but it doesn’t mean they are the ideal travel companions. In fact, more kids would choose to take their pet with them on vacation over their brothers or sisters (24 percent vs. 15 percent).
- Families that take just one or two vacations a year fight less than those that don’t, with nearly half of parents (49 percent) saying they do not fight at all on vacation.
- Nearly half of all kids (48 percent) like their parents more on vacation than when at home.
- Nearly half of kids surveyed (45 percent) also say they fight less with siblings when on vacation.
- When given the choice, “Tweens,” those between the ages of 12 and 13, are most likely to want to vacation alone than with anyone else.
Mom has earned a break
More than half of moms (51%) believe that they have earned a vacation the most, and their families agree.
- Nearly half of dads surveyed (43%) and most kids (52%) agree that moms deserve a break more than anybody else in the family.
- More than half (59%) of kids also consider mom the best vacation planner (sorry dad).
Vacation and mobile phone addiction
A third of parents (34%) admit to talking to their children more via mobile devices than face-to-face but vacations are proving to be the ultimate cell-phone dead spot.
- 72% of parents surveyed use their mobile devices less when on vacation.
- 20% of kids say that the one thing their parents do that bothers them the most while on vacation is use their cell-phone.
“We conducted this study because we wanted to take a fun approach to better understand how families are traveling this summer and what kinds of challenges they’re facing when they do,” said Josh Lesnick, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wyndham Hotel Group. “What we found – aside from kids thinking they know better than their parents – is that parents are hardworking, dedicated individuals who deserve a vacation. It underscores many of the reasons why we created the new Wyndham Rewards, to simply and easily reward our guests with the vacation they’ve earned.”
Wyndham Rewards
Launched this past May, the new Wyndham Rewards program eliminates confusing reward categories and instead offers a flat, free night redemption rate – the first of its kind for a major loyalty program. Members earn a minimum of 1,000 points for every qualified stay and for just 15,000 points, can redeem a free night at any of more than 7,500 Wyndham Rewards hotels across the globe with no blackout dates.
