Quarter of Parents Wish They Could Leave the Kids at Home

Posted by Sue Anderson, 30th Oct 2012

Our latest poll has revealed that a quarter of parents wish they could leave their kids at home whilst they holidayed abroad; with half also admitting to having taken advantage of kid's clubs and other means of keeping their children occupied on holiday, to give themselves some free time.

We carried out the research as part of an ongoing study into the holiday preferences and habits of people around the UK. 1,562 parents from the UK took part in the study, each with children aged 0-14, who had been away on a family holiday with their children in the past 2 years.

78% said they always took their children on holiday with them



When asked if they always took their children on holidays that they went on, 78% of those taking part said 'yes'. However, when these parents were asked if they would prefer to leave their kids at home when going on holiday abroad, 24% of those asked said 'yes'. These respondents were asked why that was the case, to which the answers were as follows:

35% said that holidays with kids weren't relaxing enough



Holiday with kids not relaxing enough - 35%
Don't get to do what I/we want with kids there - 27%
Cheaper to leave kids home - 21%
Kids don't travel well (flights etc.) - 13%
Other - 4%

Half of the parents polled said that they had taken advantage of kid's clubs available



All parents were asked, on their last family holiday abroad with their children, what means of entertainment they used to keep their kids occupied. 'Kid's clubs' was the most popular choice, something which 51% of parents had taken advantage of, whilst 31% said that they had made friends with other families with children on holiday, so their children could play with new friends.

The majority of the parents said the break was for their benefit, as opposed to their children's



When asked why they had made an effort to find their children something to do on holiday, more of the parents polled said it was for their own personal benefit of relaxation (67%) than for their children's benefit (33%).

Thankfully it's quite easy to keep the kids entertained whilst you're on holiday, there are usually plenty of kid's clubs available where it's easy for them to make friends. It's perfectly normal to want a bit of me time, but if you left the kids at home you'd probably find yourself twiddling your thumbs after the first day! Family holidays are meant to be exactly that - all about the family!
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