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

American Demographics, August 1, 2001

On the other hand, parents traveling without partners are also yearning for adult interaction. Single father Richard Schwab, a doctor from Wycoff, N.J., travels with his kids, Allie, 7, and Grant, 6, about five times a year, and says that while his kids' enjoyment is his first priority, he wishes more vacation destinations offered activities for single parents to get to know other vacationers. In December, he took his children to Club Med Sandpiper, near West Palm Beach, Fla., and while the kids had a blast, there was no way for him to connect with other single parents. "At a minimum, all family resorts should arrange for single parents traveling with children to meet each other at a designated place and time," suggests Schwab. "Ideally, such resorts could have special weekends for single-parent families."

Sharyn Saffon does one better. Her Commack, New York-based Quality Time Travel is devoted solely to organizing group trips for single-parent families. She negotiates special rates at all-inclusive resorts, and throws in get-to-know-you parent cocktail parties and parent-child tournaments. Marketers should also take note that not all lone adults traveling with children are single parents. Because many married couples today are two-income households, it is not always easy for the entire family to get away at the same time. According to our Zogby study, 17 percent of married-with-children adults have taken a trip with children, sans spouse, partner or another adult in the past year. Doting aunts and uncles are also adding to the single-adult travel trend. More than 1 in 7 singles (15 percent) in our survey say they have been on a vacation in the past year with their nieces, nephews or other kids in their family without another adult. Deborah Donovan, from New London, Conn., is a marketing executive and single aunt to 16 nieces and nephews ranging in age from 5 to 26. She takes them (not all at once) on as many trips as she can manage and finds it frustrating that she is unable to get a family rate when she takes them to museums at which she has membership, for example. "Some places have 'grandparent' admissions, but other types of families end up getting the short end, as it were, and paying full freight," she says.

While there is still some uncertainty about the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) families in the U.S., this is yet another nontraditional family group for the travel industry to take note of. Bob Witeck, president of Witeck-Combs Communications, a marketing firm in Washington, D.C., that specializes in reaching this segment, estimates that 20 percent of the gay population, or between 2 million and 3 million LGBT Americans, are currently raising children. Jerry McHugh, director of customer service for Gayjet, an online gay travel mall and agency (www.gayjet.com), estimates a more conservative 3 percent, but still is bracing for future demand. "I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of requests we've had for this kind of vacation in the past few months," says McHugh. "We've recognized that the nontraditional gay and lesbian family with children is a growing market segment and that these families are seeking safe, fun, affordable vacations." In response, Gayjet is organizing a cruise to Encinada, Mexico, from Los Angeles in December tailored to LGBT families, complete with welcome party and onboard guide. Next year, the company plans to offer at least two other vacation packages geared to this group.