SWNYVACAY by Marie Haaland
New York office – 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
Seventy percent of parents have tried to recreate a vacation memory from their own childhood, according to new research.
This includes bringing their family to a destination they traveled to as a child (59 percent), doing the same activities during a trip (51 percent) and going to restaurants they remember from their childhood (46 percent).
And 58 percent have tried to recreate some of their quirky memories – from setting up treasure hunts, catching fish with their hands or creating identities and going on adventures.
Of the 2,000 parents surveyed, 45 percent have recreated photographs with their children and 41 percent have stayed at the same hotel or lodging they remember from their own childhood.z
Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Jekyll Island, the survey results examined the idea of vacation nostalgia by looking at parents’ vacation memories and the kinds of trips they’re now taking with their own family.
Parents reported being more likely to recreate vacation memories when taking a multigenerational trip (57 percent) – and results found multigenerational trips are on the rise.
Seventy-three percent of respondents hope to take more in the future. Benefits to traveling with three or more generations included allowing bonding time between grandparents and both their grandchildren (66 percent) and their children (57 percent), as well as giving grandparents the opportunity to help with childcare (49 percent).
Respondents said other benefits were reliving memories (43 percent) and sharing the cost of the vacation (35 percent).
Sixty-one percent believe it’s easier to feel nostalgic when traveling with their own parents, while 68 percent said they enjoy the vacation more when their parents come along.
“Over the past several years, we’ve seen a steady rise in multigenerational vacations spent on Jekyll Island, as family members from different generations look to strengthen the bonds between them,” said Alexa Orndoff, the director of marketing & communications for the Jekyll Island Authority.
“It’s always heartwarming to see grandparents coming back here with their children and grandchildren and reliving with everyone some favorite memories from their own childhood visits long ago – retracing their steps to the places they loved visiting back then and enjoying the chance to do everything all over again. You eventually notice some of these same families returning to the island season after season.”Multigenerational travel isn’t confined to people traveling with their own parents though – 61 percent of respondents take trips with their siblings or siblings-in-law and 37 percent travel with aunts or uncles.
And the majority of respondents (51 percent) have a traditional vacation destination, where they go every year with their family, while 39 percent have a traditional, yearly activity.
These include going to a local festival, taking a camping trip in the same place or going to a family reunion in a different city every year.
Parents reported being most likely to recreate road trips (84 percent), flights (57 percent) or day trips (54 percent).
And top destinations were revealed to be the beach (67 percent), amusement parks (57 percent) and national parks (55 percent).
Traveling to the mountains (53 percent) and state parks (49 percent) rounded out the top five destinations parents take their kids to recreate vacation memories.
“Whether recreating treasured vacation moments from ages ago or making new memories that will last another lifetime, it’s important during these trips together that family members use the occasion to reconnect with each other,” Orndoff said. “Finding a location with enough activities to satisfy everyone’s interest also is particularly important to a successful family vacation, especially when different generations are involved.
“We’ve seen firsthand how the variety of activities available here – water sports and other outdoor recreation, nature activities, cultural and historic sites, shopping in local boutiques and plenty of relaxation on the beach – can deliver fun for all ages while creating lifelong family memories.”
