The New Family Vacation - demographics, United States - Statistical Data Included

American Demographics, August 1, 2001

The demand for grandtravel isn't coming solely from grandparents. The majority (56 percent) of kids ages 6 to 17 say they "would really like to" vacation with their grandparents.

Doting aunts and uncles are also adding to the single-adult travel trend. Almost 1 in 7 singles (15 percent) have been on a vacation with their nieces, nephews or other young relatives in the past year.

The housekeeping staff at Travelodge has had to make a lot more beds lately. Last fall, the national hotel chain introduced "family suites" - extra large rooms that include more bedding options than the traditional two double bed layout. The additions - from day beds to pullout sofas - were a response to a flood of calls to the company's central reservation office over the past couple of years. About 25 percent of Travelodge's customers today ask for a setup other than the typical two beds to accommodate their various family getaways - from grandpa joining the party for a reunion, to a single aunt traveling with her three nieces. Says Teri Danahey, vice president of marketing for Travelodge: "We've even had more requests to accommodate Fido. If it wasn't for all those calls to the reservation center, we'd never have known of the demand."

Shifts in demographics and lifestyles have broadened the definition of "family" in this country and, as a result, have changed how we travel with our loved ones. The percentage of traditional nuclear families is, indeed, quite small: only 24 percent of all U.S. households today are "married with children," according to Census 2000 data. Yet open any travel section of any newspaper and the vast majority of family vacation ads depict a traditional, handholding, heterosexual, two-parent/two-child family. Even Travelodge's summer ad campaign this year features a little girl clutching a teddy bear, with mommy and daddy on either side. Danahey says the company considered adding a grandmother, or even a single adult with a child, to illustrate different needs of different families, but once again, tradition won out.

After all, sticking with conventional family travel images does make sense: 73 percent of married-with-children adults have gone on a vacation with their spouse and kids at least once in the past year, according to an exclusive, nationally representative study of 1,247 adults in the U.S. conducted by Zogby International for American Demographics. However, these families by no means make up the bulk of American family travelers. Of all adults who took at least one vacation with a family member in the past year, just 30 percent fit the married-with-children mold.

There are many overlooked and underserved niches within the family travel market, the biggest being grandparent/grandchild travel, multigenerational travel, and single-parent travel. Gay/lesbian family travel extended family member travel (such as aunts and uncles taking trips with their nieces and nephews) and even pet travel, are also emerging trends. These nontraditional family groups may not be reason to overhaul entire marketing strategies, but designing specialized offers and facilities for them may help fill extra beds in off-peak months and during slow economic times. And, tailoring offers to these niche markets may even boost year-round sales with increased loyalty and repeat business.

Multiple Generations Traveling Together

Grandparents are hitting the road with their grandkids in record numbers. Twenty percent of grandparents have been on a trip with their grandchildren in the past year, and an additional 12 percent have been on a trip with other children in their family without another adult present, according to our Zogby survey. "Grandtravel," as it is referred to in the industry, represented one-fifth (21 percent) of all trips taken with children in 2000, up significantly from just 13 percent in 1999, reveals another study of family travelers conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) for Meredith Corp. Demographic trends seem to predict more grandtravel in the years to come, as the 77 million active, healthy Baby Boomers head for grandparenthood and retirement. Boomers already constitute almost half (46 percent) of the total family travel market and spend more on their family vacations than any other group ($1,200 per person per trip), according to Meredith.

Some in the travel industry have had incredible foresight in targeting this market. Helena Koenig, a grandmother and certified travel agent, started a company called Grandtravel, based in Chevy Chase, Md., 16 years ago. "I noticed the grandparent population growing, and that we are living more nutritionally sound and aerobically fit than ever. Suddenly, I had a business," says Koenig, whose programs have increased in number from four to 20. Grandtravel, which offers national and international excursions - the most popular being a safari to Kenya - has seen an increase in business in recent years.

Elderhostel, well known for its educational senior travel programs, also offers intergenerational plans. Interest in the company's offerings has grown, especially to faraway places, so it began offering trips to international destinations in 1999. Ellen Hoover, 74, from Lakeville, Conn., is a long-time Elderhosteller who's taken three intergenerational excursions with her grandchildren. Last summer's trip to London with then 11-year-old Samantha, was especially memorable, giving Hoover an opportunity to teach her granddaughter some important life lessons. "She lives in a very rural area and I wanted her to see the world and know there are different kinds of people out there," says Hoover. "She loved it. And we got to spend some one-on-one time that we don't often get at home."