Financial burden affects family outings, but holiday plans remain intact

A survey by Australia’s leading family travel & leisure magazine, Out & About With Kids, reveals that rising interest rates and petrol prices have dramatically changed the way families spend their holiday and leisure time.

Interestingly, higher costs are impacting family outings more than travel plans, with 16% re-thinking the number of outings they take, but only 8% cancelling holiday plans.

“Overall, 43 percent of families surveyed said they were spending more quality time at home with the kids or seeking cheaper alternatives for weekend outings. Many were becoming quite creative about their family time,” according to editor of Out & About With Kids, Tracey Spicer.

The general consensus was summed up by one respondent, Leisa Ross from Marsfield, NSW. “We spend a lot more time doing things at home like gardening, and board games etc. Just like the good old days.”
Families getting thrifty are now enjoying free entertainment such as going on picnics, visiting the local library or taking part in council activities, like guided nature walks in a reserve.

On the holiday front, there was positive news for Australian tourism with many families now ditching plans to travel overseas, in favour of local destinations.

"We were surprised to find that only eight percent of families had actually cancelled holiday plans due to the financial crunch, while a further 10% said they'd decided to travel locally instead of overseas. This is great news for the Australian tourism industry, which is suffering a downturn in the number of international visitors," Spicer said.

Budget airlines may also get an unexpected benefit from rising fuel costs with one participant, Jodie Cox, saying “We are now looking at flying instead of driving to our next family holiday. Coupled with the fuel prices and accommodation, the cost of driving would be greater than the cost of flying.”

Rather than cancel holidays all together, a further 5% said they were giving up resorts for campsites. Leonie Short from Preston, NSW explained, “We have curbed how far we will go away and disregard star ratings, as it is only a place to stay. It is still important to get away from the everyday, so we have cut back on silly spending and made it a family effort to save.”

Not only are families spending more leisure time together, but they are also seeing more of their extended families on day trips and holidays. Many expressed that, in an effort to keep holidays affordable, they are staying with relatives rather than spending money on accommodation. As one survey participant Helen Chant, from Conder, ACT said, “We are having to opt for camping trips and staying with relatives on our holidays as there just isn’t enough money to go around if we stay at higher cost accommodation.”

Claire Martel, from Alice Springs, NT commented, “For my sanity I still believe holidays are necessity and so we budget accordingly. We incorporate the “relly run” with a family trip, such as camping.”

The Winter issue of Out & About With Kids includes plenty of holiday activities for families, with more than 20 pages of events and activities as well as 34 pages of domestic holiday ideas, including the Blue Mountains, Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Barrington Tops as well as a round-up of “the best and worst” of the Aussie Ski Fields.

For those still planning an overseas trip, we give you 20 top tips for flying with kids, find out why Fiji is considered the safest destination for Australian families, ski in Aspen (on the cheap) and visit Bohol’s famed Chocolate Hills to see the world’s smallest primates.