Family travel is back.
In the recently released survey by the Family Travel Association, 88% of Macaroni KID readers who responded said they plan to travel with their children in the next 12 months.
“The results of this survey show families are ready to create experiences and make memories together outside of the home again,” said Jamie Ratner, Macaroni KID's CEO. “It also shows how much we have all missed trips over the past two years. It's exciting for all of us to get back to traveling.”
The Family Travel Association and researchers from the NYU School of Professional Studies relied on Macaroni KID — the largest parent-focused digital media and advertising company in the country — to distribute the survey on their behalf. Macaroni KID's online publications reach more than 3 million families across the United States each month.
“With this report, the FTA is continuing its series of annual surveys to help our industry better understand the needs, expectations, and projected behaviors of traveling families,” said Rainer Jenss, FTA Founder.
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The U.S. Family Travel Survey 2021, which represented responses from 2,365 parents, focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on family travel behaviors, preferences, and attitudes.
Among the survey findings:
- Travel demand is strong after a steep decline in 2020, with 88% of parents likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months.
- In contrast, only 44% of respondents took a family trip in 2020 and 80% made changes to their travel plans due to the pandemic.
- Domestic travel has rebounded and, not surprisingly, international travel is weaker. 83% of respondents plan to take a multi-day vacation in the U.S., whereas only 19% plan to take an international trip.
- In terms of the types of trips: Visiting family and friends (62%) and beach vacations (61%) are the top two choices; then theme/water parks and state/national parks.
- Families plan to stay, in order, at hotels, vacation rentals, and resorts.
- Families report they pay more attention to cancellation policies and to health and safety considerations when choosing travel destinations because of the pandemic. 80% of respondents will only book travel with companies that have flexible cancellation policies in place.
- Good news for travel agents: 65% of those surveyed say they would consider using a travel advisor for their family travel needs in the next two years.
- Regarding air travel, respondents were asked if they were willing to fly at the time of taking the survey. 72% of respondents are willing to fly on a domestic trip and 40% on an international trip. Only 15% of respondents are unwilling to fly on an international trip, as 45% of respondents say they are not planning international travel at this time.
The only question left to answer: Where will YOU be traveling with your family this year?
