Not Taking the Kids on Holiday
Last summer we mentioned some research that showed up to 10% of people went on holiday leaving their children behind. Was this the beginning of a trend? What were parents doing with the children while they were on holiday? At that time we wondered whether the survey results were an oddity. It seems not.
In India, the trend has also been spotted and The Times of India highlighted the fact that children were left with grandparents whilst the parents went away they had almost if not more than a break than their parents did. Some people planned two holidays a year, one with the kids and one without saying that the holidays without the kids were needed so that they get sufficiently relaxed.
It did take some explaining to the children as to why they weren’t holidaying with their parents. After all a family unit was being split up when most people would have thought a holiday was a family pursuit.
But isn’t this also something to do with the recession and making money stretch as far as it can? Not it seems in India where the impact of the recession was of little impact compared to over here. At no point in The Times of India story was money mentioned as a reason. But in the research done over here last year, the economy was given as reason by some people for not taking the children with them. So is this going to be a short lived event or will there be a growth in parents holidaying without their children? Only time will tell but CD-Traveller will add questions about this in future surveys and we’ll let you know what we find.
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Dear Adrian
Yes we took a holiday without our son. He loved going on scout camp so we would book a holiday somewhere a few hours drive from the camp.
He had lots of other scouts to work and play with, he learnt new and valuable skills and we had a peaceful, restful weeks holiday. We were only a mobile phone call away! As you may be able to tell from the email address I am also a scout leader – beaver scouts, for 20 years so far.
Best wishes
Chris
Dear Adrian
I think it’s important for parents to have a break from their children, after all for most parents it’s very hard work trying to keep everyone happy on holiday. The children benefit from a break too by building up their confidence and independence, learning new skills. I don’t know many parents that can afford two holidays a year but I can understand why parent’s holiday alone. Most schools don’t allow the children to be taken out of school during term time and the cost of holidaying during the school holidays almost doubles. How do we compromise? Leave our children in the care of those we know and trust whilst we as parents take a well earned break during term time (whilst it’s cheaper). That way those that are caring for our children get a break whilst the kids are at school and spend quality time with them after school and at the weekend. A real treat for most kids. Then, during the school holidays we can spend the time with our kids doing the things they enjoy. I often used to take my children camping locally, and we all had a great time. Money is a big issue for everyone, and not all of us can afford to holiday at all let alone twice. However, it’s finding a balance that reflects family values and stops us as parents from going mad. I say holidaying without the kids makes for a refreshing break with only your self to think about for a few days of the year. Perfect!