‘Planning family holidays leads to stressed out parents’

Trying to organise a family holiday and keeping everyone happy can be such a stressful experience that a third of all parents would rather stay at home. 

Sixty five per cent of families admitted they had difficulty trying to accommodate everyone’s tastes and expectations when planning a summer break, with 34% wishing they could opt out altogether and stay at home.

The poll of 600 families Virgin Holidays’ Taste of Adventure brand showed that 32% of parents got so stressed by planning a family holiday that they would rather go with people from work. One in four even rated holiday planning as more stressful than moving house.

Family psychologist Dr Sheila Keegan’s top tips to ‘peacefully brokering family holidays’ are, according to Virgin Holidays:

1.       Let every family member have their say and try to incorporate something for everyone    

2.         Don’t over-plan.  Accept that the unexpected is often the most fun – allow time for it.

3.         Build in some time when you each do different things. You will have more to share when you get together in the evening

4.         Try to incorporate different activities and a different pace – it will make the holiday seem longer

5.         Teenagers are desperate to be with other teenagers, so consider group holidays where you can all meet new friends and you can spend time with your partner.

6.         Choose holiday where you have lots of contact with local people.  It greatly adds to the experience and it can help children develop their social skills and independence.

She said: “Organising Family holidays can be a notoriously difficult and intense time in the family calendar.

“Expectations are high, with a year’s worth of stress to relieve and the pressure to have a good time. But different family members want different things and this can lead to blow-ups.

“Families don’t spend all their time in each other’s pockets during the year, so why do we assume that it will be easy just because we’re on holiday?  Teenagers miss their mates, and their Play Stations.

“Parents often fret about their work; they can even miss their work colleagues. Tensions between couples that are diluted when at home, can flare up in the hot-house holiday environment.

“Often the beginning of the holiday is fine, as everyone enjoys the excitement of being away and exploring new territory. By week two, however, it can turn into a Big Brother scenario, with bickering and full blown rows. 

“It is possible to create a holiday that everyone enjoys, but it needs careful planning – involving everyone in the decision. It also needs a willingness to accommodate different tastes, perhaps even trying things which are new for all the family. This focuses attention outwards, on the new activity, rather than on petty family squabbles. 

“A holiday that is effectively two holidays in one can be an excellent solution to the dilemma, especially if it combines chill out time with activities and adventure which bond the family together and provide great stories and photos when they return home.” 

Report by Phil Davies