Many Irish people will remember with fondness the free holidays they enjoyed in their childhood courtesy of their parents.
However, most young Irish adults – and in fact many adults of all ages – still have holidays paid for by their parents, according to new research.
It found that nearly three quarters (71%) of young Irish adults (aged 18 – 24) had been on holiday with their parents in the past year, with parents helping to cover costs 85% of the time. Typically, parents pay for flights (65%), accommodation (58%) and even food (49%) for their adult offspring.
While young adults are most likely to enjoy a free holiday on their parents, they are not the only age group doing so. In fact, 39% of all adults have been on holiday with their parents or in-laws in the last year, and more than two thirds (66%) said their parents or in-laws contributed to some or all of the cost of the trip.
However, while just over one in five adults (21%) admit getting financial help is an ‘upside’ of going away with parents, one in ten said it was the main reason for doing so. In fact, spending quality time together was a more important factor.
DOWNSIDE
Despite the financial benefits, it appears that there are downsides to travelling with parents. Eight out of ten (80%) adults that have been on holiday with their parents or in-laws said there was at least one disadvantage – the main one being the lack of privacy (36%).
Other challenges with multi-generational holidays were revealed to be catering to all tastes (29%), managing relationships in the group (25%), and choosing what to watch or listen to (12%).
The research was undertaken by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland.
