Some of our fondest childhood memories are of family holidays, whether it was the year we jetted off to France with all of our cousins or the summer we spent travelling around Ireland, squashed in the back of the car with everything but the kitchen sink packed into the boot.
We spent hours on the beach, hosting sandcastle competitions and searching for the prettiest shell to add to our collections. We stuffed our faces with chips and cotton candy at funfairs and boogied to cheesy pop music at family discos.
As we grew older we started jetting off with friends and partners, but there’s something so sentimental about family trips.
A recent study has found that going on family trips makes your children happier- and parents too!
Researchers at the University of Toronto found that families who go on trips together share a stronger bond.
Lead researcher Cindy Chan shared that giving someone an experience is better than a material gift. “An experiential gift elicits a strong emotional response when a recipient consumes it—like the fear and awe of a safari adventure, the excitement of a rock concert or the calmness of a spa—and is more intensely emotional than a material possession.”
The researchers believe that travelling together as a family can make both parents and their kids feel more content. It also keeps their relationships strong years into the future.
Going on holiday with your family may be expensive, but it is a worthwhile experience for all involved. You don’t need to jet off to Disneyland, sometimes a weekend away at the seaside can do just the trick.
