Two thirds (67%) of parents said that the cost of activities stops them from going on family days out. Almost half of families (45%) put their lack of family time down to not having enough spare time.
LONDON, UK – The rising cost of fun activities is limiting families from spending more quality time out together, research commissioned by Hertz UK has revealed. Based on this, the leading car hire company has created Hertz Together, a digital calendar of events that showcases a wide selection of free family-friendly activities.
Families that took part in the survey revealed they are spending an average of £440 per year on days out, with two-thirds of British parents saying the cost of activities has put a stop to them venturing out with the kids. The report shows that a third (31%) of families take a trip out together once a month, while 1 in 7 (16%) families spend quality time out with their children only once every three months.
Olivier Lecocq, Vice President Marketing (a.i), Hertz International, said: “After compiling this customer research, we learned that people in the UK are struggling for inspiration and the funds to enjoy memorable family days. We developed Hertz Together to allow families to discover a number of free activities in various cities across the country, putting parents’ minds at rest about the expense of days out.”
Lecocq continued: “Parents on the hunt for stimulating fun activities for the family will certainly find fresh ideas in our comprehensive list, which contains some of the country’s most-visited museums, galleries, and parks and gardens – and all are free of charge.”
With the school summer holidays just around the corner, parents are left in a predicament about how exactly they’re going to keep the kids entertained. A quarter (26%) of those surveyed stated that it’s too expensive to take their children out regularly. Parents aged 25-34 were the hardest hit, with over half (56%) stating they simply don’t have the funds to go out regularly as a family.
Not Enough Time
The research also found that spare time proves to be an issue when it comes to getting out with the family, with 45% saying they don’t have enough time to spend with loved ones, and a quarter blaming work commitments for their lack of quality time together.
The rise of technology is also an impacting factor in families’ limited time together, with 1 in 8 (12%) parents saying that their children would shun a day out in favour of playing on computer devices.
Interestingly, London is the place where a quarter of parents spend six hours or more outdoors with their children each week, which is double the time spent outdoors by Scottish families. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, more than 1 in 5 (23%) families only manage to get out together once every three months. Unexpectedly, 1 in 4 (24%) families in London, blame their lack of family time on there being nothing to do where they live.
* Survey of 1000 conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Hertz, May 2015.
Photo caption: UK – Aberdeen, Gordon Highlanders Museum.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
