Sun, sea, sand… does that phrase fill you with absolute joy, or absolute fear now that you’re a parent? Well, as with everything, it can be a complex mix of the two… or three, or four things.
You want to make memories with the kids, but how long will your memory be haunted by dealing with a poonami in a plane toilet? You want some time off work, but will you get time off from your kids screaming ‘Another Duggee!’? You love the sand, your baby loves it too… so much so they want to munch on it. There’s the excitement, the lovely food (no cooking!) the warmth, the time together all ready to be enjoyed. But there’s the stress of packing, jetlagged naps and how the hell do you transport a car seat all ahead of you too.
It's a difficult thing – so we asked The Juggle followers to tell us what they worried the most about holidaying with kids with the aim of destressing, hack providing and generally attempting to make your holiday, a holiday over the coming weeks with our summer-long campaign, Explore With The Juggle X TUI.
We teamed up with experts in family holidaying, TUI and almost 200 of you filled us in. Three main things jumped out when we asked you what your main worries were. TUI has a whole dedicated family holiday section which is designed to help you feel comfortable when you’re with your family. Things like child-friendly dining, kids clubs, all-day entertainment, reps you can rely on, hotels with family space – and experience… and yes, they’re great value too.
Many of you told us you worried about health issues when travelling – 48% said they worried about someone falling ill or getting injured. ‘I worry about access to decent health care if needed,’ said one. Secondly, there were lots of fears about the journey itself – while some detailed concerns about delays (56%) and keeping the kids entertained (54%), many of you admitted you were worried about stressing other travellers out (46%). ‘My main fear is handling the children on the flights and worrying other passengers might be rude if they make noise,’ one parent told us. Thirdly a chunk of you said you were worried about something very specific – the car seats. ‘Car seat is my main worry,’ one person said. ‘Having to take our own extended rear-facing one, hoping it survives the flight in the hold.’ Another added: ‘I worry about the car seat in the hire car being safe’. Other concerns that made your top 10 included having suitable sleeping arrangements for the whole family (37%), and actually being able to enjoy yourself (38%).
Still though, the allure of a holiday didn’t put most of you off. 41% of you said you had a booked holiday coming up, 27% had already been away and 15% said they planned to travel in at least the next six months.
Though, as with everything in 2023, the worry of cost loomed large for the majority of those who said they didn’t plan to go overseas this year. ‘Until my childcare bill goes down in January, with the cost of living increase, it simply isn’t affordable for us at the moment,’ one respondent told us. ‘Really hoping we may be able to change that next year.’
As well as being dedicated family holiday providers, thousands of TUI’s holidays include free kids’ places meaning that a holiday abroad might not be as much as you think – it’s worth a look.
A mark of modern families, 30% of you told us that you travelled with grandparents too, which means double the fun, memories… and, let’s be honest, childcare. Travelling with extended family can help ease many of the anxieties you might be feeling in booking a holiday, and if that’s an option you’re looking to explore, it’s worth knowing TUI also provide a huge host of villa holidays too.
When it came to what is most important to you, it’s all things TUI can help with too. 86% of you said price was either extremely or very important and 88% said having a family room was extremely or very important. The company’s reputation was key for 85% of you too.
And when it came to destinations, Spain – both mainland and the island destinations – came out top repeatedly whether you’d been on holiday, booked, or were thinking about booking. Here’s hoping that with all the advice we’ve got coming for you this summer and TUI’s expertise, that a holiday could be on your horizon… with relaxed siestas for everyone involved.
To find out more about TUI’s family holidays, click here.