Going home for the holidays? You may need a vacation after your trip, new research suggests. A survey of 2-thousand U.S. holiday travelers finds 34% don’t consider traveling home to visit family for the holidays a real “vacation.”
The poll also reveals:
- Nearly three-quarters (71%) say they’ll likely need another vacation afterwards to actually relax and unwind.
- While 60% say they love to visit friends and family during the holidays, they admit they feel “exhausted” by the end of the trip.
- More than half (57%) are planning to stay with relatives or friends for the holidays this year, but 34% want to stay somewhere else, like a hotel (55%), a bed and breakfast (40%), or a short-term rental (25%).
- Visiting family makes 43% feel like they’re being parented like they were a kid again.
- That leaves 28% feeling annoyed, frustrated or sad.
- So it makes sense that 86% of travelers prefer staying somewhere quiet and clean where they can relax after the chaos of visiting family during the holidays.
- And 69% want the place they stay during the holiday season to be festively decorated.
The Top 10 reasons people want to stay in a hotel during the holidays
- More space for themselves - 34%
- They can relax and be taken care of - 34%
- They can get some quiet time - 32%
- They can be their authentic self - 29%
- They don’t have to clean up after meals - 27%
- They can sleep better in a hotel room - 27%
- They don’t need to worry about making their bed or doing chores - 25%
- They can have room service and eat it in bed - 24%
- There are more amenities than they would otherwise have - 24%
- They have more space for their own family/travel companions - 23%
Source: SWNS Digital
Scott's Thoughts:
- Of course we’d rather stay in a hotel than at Aunt Margaret’s house, but I’m not sure she’d be okay with that!
- Going home for Christmas is good. Always great to catch up with family and friends. But then, good to go home too!
- I always end up being off after Christmas because I have to use all my vacation time by 12/31 or lose it. Thanks bosses.