New research from Jet2holidays has found that what kids really want on holiday is a space-themed hotel in Spain, complete with roller coasters, a water slide, and unlimited sweets and ice cream. Some of the results you would expect and others not, but all do point to the average 7 year old surveyed being quite sure of what they want from a holiday and a hotel.
- British holiday favourite Spain is most desired destination for country’s young travellers
- One-fifth of kids want space-themed hotels – but 14% want to be scared by zombies
- If kids were allowed to pack their own case, games consoles, bikes and pets would top the charts
- Nearly half of kids want parents to play games with them, or spend more time with them, when on a family break.
The top five places in Europe, outside of the UK, that kids wanted to visit were:
- Spain (25%)
- Italy (13%)
- France (11%)
- Greece (8%)
- Portugal (6%)
The survey revealed that, for 60% of children, the summer holiday was their favourite time of the year, making the annual trip three times more popular than Christmas and 12 times more popular than Easter.
One-fifth (20%) of the kids surveyed said that their ideal hotel would have a space theme, followed closely by an under the sea (19%) or a princess theme (17%). 14% of the children surveyed wanted their dream hotel to have a zombie or scary theme.
As well as theme park rides (49%) and edible treats (52%), kids said their dream hotel would have a beach (45%), zoo animals (27%), and a trampoline (21%). Other desirable features included arcade games, a recliner armchair, and skeletons.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of children said their favourite thing about going on holiday was having the chance to explore and go on adventures. Activities of choice included playing in the pool (34%) and jumping over the waves in the sea (22%).
When asked what they wished they could take with them on holiday, 42% of children said they would take their games console and 30% said they would take their dog. A bike was next on the list (21%), followed closely by their pet cat (14%).
Seven-year-olds said that their mum was the person they would most want to go on holiday with (30%), but this changed as they grew older, with 13-year-olds choosing their best friend (30%). Nearly half of the kids (45%) said they wished their parents spent more time with them and played more games with them on holiday.
Other requests from the children surveyed included:
- Having a disco-themed hotel
- Spending their time climbing trees
- Having skeletons or zombies in their hotel
- Taking St Johnstone FC with them on holiday
Zoe Towers, Head of Product at Jet2holidays, said of the results:
“It’s great to see that family holidays top the list as the favourite time of year for most children, and it’s so interesting to find out exactly what a kid’s ideal holiday looks like when it comes to location, activities, and the hotel.
“We love hearing how imaginative kids can be when it comes to what they want on holiday – a space-themed hotel would definitely be fun, but it would take some planning to bring the whole of St Johnstone FC on a plane to join them!”