Going on holiday can make family relationships stronger, a new study claims.
In a recent survey of over 2,000 parents, 82 per cent said that their family were closer after taking a trip together. Two thirds also claimed their family communicated more openly and effectively while on holiday.
A majority of respondents – 73 per cent – claimed that they were able to spend more time with their children than they otherwise would get the chance to and were able to enjoy quality time with their partner.
The study was commissioned by comparison website Holiday Hypermaket. Ian Crawford – a representative for the website – claimed “it’s not just the kids who benefit from holidays” and asserted that they are “an opportunity for everyone to feel closer”.
Despite the results of this study, previous research on holidays is not so positive. In 2014, Stowe Family Law research found that 63 per cent of parents experience increased financial pressure during school holidays.
In fact, that same research also found that 16 per cent of parents thought the summer holidays were “very stressful” and 18 per cent even considered separation or divorce. This could explain why September is one of the two ‘seasonal jumps’ in the number of divorce enquiries that family lawyers experience each year. The other rise occurs in the first working week of January, also a time where families spend more time together than they otherwise would.