Memorial Day weekend serves as the official kick-off to the long-awaited summer travel season for families across the nation. The holiday weekend is also used as a barometer for what to expect in the weeks and months of leisure travel to come.
This Memorial Day sent a clear message. Travelers are feeling the economic pinch. AAA's annual survey of holiday weekend travelers predicted a slowdown of 1% -- while that doesn't seem like much when we're talking about millions of travelers it is an indication. The Travel Industry of America also recently announced the findings of a survey which concluded that over the past 12 months Americans avoided taking over 41 million trips.
If your family is thinking about adjusting their travel plans this summer to be more economical, you're not alone. But if I've learned anything about travelers it's that they don't give up their vacation plans easily. For most Americans travel is a right, not a privilege.
Because flying has become so affordable over the past three decades it has opened up a world of options for families. When the so-called 'Silent Generation' (born between 1925-1945) grew up, their family vacations included a flight only 4percent of the time, whereas today's families travel by air 63percent of the time. Additionally, families have more disposable income than generations past as well as more choices. As a result, modern families tend to vary their vacations, traveling to different places each summer rather than going back to the same destination year after year. Another notable difference in family vacations today is less time spent participating in outdoor activities. Rather than hiking, biking and camping, families today focus on activities like shopping twice as much as earlier generations. Similarly, visits to major cities and amusement parks have more than doubled since the Silent Generation was young. (Click for complete study details.)
I'd urge families who are thinking about how to save this summer to consider the fact that the value of a family vacation is spending time with family.
Repeatedly when kids are polled about their vacations they say the best part of it is getting quality time with their time-pressed parents. Also take into account the fact, according to the American Medical Association, that 32% of our nation's schoolchildren are overweight or obese. A Kaiser Family Study found that kids today spend more than 45 hours a week indoors with things like TV and video games.
So what does all of this really have to do with your summer vacation? Well it can serve as food for thought and help generate some affordable ideas that don't require a flight or even an overnight if that's not desired. All you have to do is plan to spend more time with the kids outdoors this summer. Visit your local park or get to know the critters in your very own backyard. Richard Louv's newest edition of his book The Last Child In The Woods is complete with tips that, for the most part, cost very little and can yield big rewards for the whole family. He offers tips for boys, girls, teens and tweens. This weekend you can start connecting with nature by putting these to use without even taking a trip.
Research has shown that getting kids outside can help lower their anxiety and increase their creativity. I have to admit, since reading his book I'm seeing the world around me with welcome fresh eyes. So besides lowering the cost of your summer plans, nature may help maximize the effects of your vacation time too.