If you are a parent, there is no doubt that you want to take your kids on vacations that will help you create special memories together as a family. You may be drawn to the idea of staying at an all-inclusive resort or going on an exotic adventure with your kids, but have you stopped to consider what they are hoping to get out of their time during your family vacation?
Not surprisingly, kids definitely have strong opinions about what they really want when they head out for a getaway with their families. The travel experts at Lonely Planet published an article that discusses the highlights of research collected by Booking.com about kids and their travel priorities. Curious to find out what kids thought about their travel experiences, Booking.com gathered more than 22,500 reviews from kids after they had gone on vacation. Let’s take a closer look at what kids really want on vacation, according to Booking.com’s findings:
Travel Goals for Young Children (Ages 5-11)
A whopping 73% of younger kids wish to spend some time swimming during their vacation in a pool or someplace with water-slides. Going to the beach is another top choice, with 58% of kids wanting to enjoy the sand and waves along the shore. Wisely, 54% of children are eager to participate in activities that they are not able to do when they are home. 42% of kids hope to socialize and play with other children while on vacation. It should come as no surprise that 34% of kids dream of eating all of the ice cream they can handle, while 32% want to be able to indulge in all sorts of foods they are not allowed to eat when they are at home. 22% of traveling children really want bouncy beds and one in five fantasizes about staying in a room that is larger than the room they have back home.
What Older Kids Look For (Ages 12-15)
Older kids have other priorities when it comes to traveling with the family on vacation, namely being able to stay in touch with their friends and use social media. A staggering 89% of kids rate a strong Wi-Fi connection at the top of their vacation wish list. 44% are also thinking about their image on social media and hope to take plenty of photos to post to their various accounts. Staying someplace that has a pool or is close to the beach is greatly appreciated, too. Unlike their younger counterparts, however, just 25% of older kids think making friends with other kids during their vacation is important.
Talk with your kids about their own travel wishes as you plan your next family vacation and see if you can make some of their dreams come true with a vacation at Villa del Palmar Cancun, where the youngest members of your family receive the VIP treatment.
