A Family Holiday? Don’t Mind If I Do
Independent, paying your own bills, and still going on holiday with your parents? You’re far from the only one.
There comes a point in adulthood when going on holiday with your parents starts to sound less like something you have to do and more like an extremely good idea.
Especially when they’re paying.
Because being financially independent doesn’t necessarily mean having enough disposable income for a week in the sun.
You can pay your own rent or mortgage, cover your bills, buy your own food, and generally fund your own life. Whilst looking at the price of flights, accommodation, and spending money, thinking: absolutely not.
So if a family holiday is your chance to actually get away this year, you’re definitely not alone.
New research from Confused.com suggests family holidays aren’t something we necessarily grow out of. Almost nine in 10 (89%) parents surveyed whose adult children have said they’ve travelled abroad with them since they turned 18.
And the Bank of Mum and Dad is very much still open for holiday business.
Family Holidays Are Having a Grown-Up Glow-Up
Across all the parents surveyed, two-thirds (66%) said they travel abroad with their children at least once a year, while 84% said it’s important to them that their children join them on holiday.
And that desire to spend time together doesn’t suddenly disappear when the children become adults.
In fact, 89% of parents surveyed with grown-up children said they’d been abroad with them since they turned 18.
Perhaps more interestingly for anyone trying to make their salary stretch right now, 87% of those parents cover at least one holiday expense for their adult children.
Parents surveyed said they typically pay for:
- Accommodation — 78%
- Transport at the destination — 74%
- Flights — 69%
- Food and drinks — 68%
- Activities — 59%
That’s potentially a substantial chunk of the cost of going away.
And when the alternative is putting a holiday on a credit card or simply not going at all, saying yes to a week away with your family suddenly makes a lot of financial sense.
Who Says You Have to Grow Out of Family Holidays?
There’s sometimes a strange idea attached to adulthood that once you’re earning your own money, you should be able to afford everything yourself.
Real life doesn’t necessarily work like that.
Living independently is expensive. Rent, mortgages, energy bills, food, commuting, insurance, and everything else get the first claim on our wages or salaries. A holiday comes out of whatever is left. Or our credit cards (and let’s not get into debt doing this again).
Sometimes there isn’t much left for the fun things in life. We all need a holiday.
Accepting an invitation from your parents to join a family holiday doesn’t make you any less independent. If they’re in the fortunate position to help and genuinely want to spend that money on having you there, that’s a decision for your family.
The research suggests plenty of parents see it that way too.
More than half (52%) said they’d stop paying towards family holidays once their adult children were financially stable.
But 21% said they’d never stop contributing.
Nearly half (47%) of parents surveyed have even contributed towards holidays their children have taken without them.
The Bank of Mum and Dad, apparently, has a travel department.
Plus one? You’re on the list.
Family holidays aren’t necessarily restricted to immediate family either.
Almost half of the parents surveyed said they’d be happy for their children to bring a partner (48%) or friend (47%) along. And some are prepared to extend the parental generosity to them, too.
Among parents who would allow an additional traveller, 67% said they’d contribute towards the cost of that person joining the holiday. That includes food and drinks (47%), accommodation (45%), activities (42%), and even flights (32%).
Obviously, every family — and every family budget — is different.
But it does challenge the idea that family holidays are something we leave behind when we reach adulthood.
Don’t let a ‘free’ holiday cost you a fortune
If your parents offer to take you away, it’s worth having the slightly boring money conversation before you start to book the holiday.
Find out exactly what they’re offering to pay for. What are you responsible for?
Flights and accommodation might be covered, but what about airport transfers, meals, drinks, excursions, spending money, baggage, and travel insurance?
A heavily subsidised holiday can still become expensive if you’re expected to fund everything once you arrive.
Don’t forget insurance.
Tom Vaughan, travel insurance expert at Confused.com, says families should check the type of policy they need for the trip they’re planning and make sure everyone travelling has the appropriate cover.
If friends or partners are joining the family, he also recommends checking their insurance arrangements rather than assuming they’re automatically included in somebody else’s policy.
Top Tip:
Don’t feel guilty about saying yes to a family holiday just because you’re an adult.
If you support yourself day-to-day but couldn’t comfortably afford a holiday without help, accepting your parents’ invitation doesn’t suddenly cancel out your independence.
Just know what’s being paid for before you book.
Work out what you’ll need to cover yourself — spending money, meals, transfers, insurance, activities, and those suspiciously expensive airport drinks all count — and set yourself a realistic budget.
Most importantly, don’t get into debt trying to prove you can afford the parts you can’t.
If Mum and Dad genuinely want to take you somewhere lovely, and you actually enjoy travelling with them?
Pack your bags.
Sometimes the smartest holiday deal is the family holiday.
Like this story? Why not pin it?
Want to come back to this one? Save this Money Monday to Pinterest for later — or share it with someone who might find it useful too.
