How to make family holidays a success
Families with children make a lot of noise, have special requests and, on top of that, their wallets are not quite so loose. This makes it all the more surprising how the tourism industry is wooing them these days. Brochures for family holidays flutter into our homes, posters hang in railway station concourses showing smiling mothers, fathers and children - biking, hiking or building sandcastles. «Travel providers have rediscovered families as a target audience,» says Damian Pfister, Vice Director at Reka. «For a long time, they were uninteresting due to their low purchasing power. Today, there are more and more families who are digging deeper into their wallets for their holidays.»
According to Pfister, Reka is noticing this in the increasing number of competitors: «We used to be able to open a holiday village and it worked almost everywhere. It's not so easy anymore. Everyone is vying for families.» Switzerland Tourism (ST) confirms this impression. «It's a rather new development that families are so sought after,» says spokesperson Alain Suter. Another piece of good news, he adds, is that there is more variety on offer for smaller budgets than ever before .
In fact, I don't know any families who couldn't afford a holiday. But there are many who rack their brains over what the ideal holiday should look like. Making the right choice in the jungle of possibilities seems to be the challenge for us lucky people. Fritz+Fränzi is here to help you decide - with answers to the most important questions about family holidays.
Where are you going on a family holiday?
What others do also influences our consumption decisions. Travelling is no different - and it seems that the short hop is a trend. Why go far away when the good things are so close? In 2013, 64 per cent of families on holiday in Switzerland were locals. This is according to the «Tourism Monitor Switzerland 2013», a survey conducted by Switzerland Tourism in which 14,000 holidaymakers took part.
According to spokesperson Suter, it is also apparent that families are increasingly «organising their holidayson their own", wanting to discover something without anyone guiding them. Demand from tour operator Hotelplan Suisse is similar. "Package holidays are being booked less often,» says spokeswoman Prisca Huguenin-dit-Lenoir, «the desire for individuality is high.» And: Hotelplan Suisse has over 40 per cent of customers who travel by car.
Which family holidays suit us?
«Families want to get back to nature», ST spokesperson Suter is certain, «the organic lifestyle is all the rage.» If someone speaks from the heart, you're in luck, because there are a whole host of holiday offers in the countryside. The most comprehensive overview is provided by Agrotourism Switzerland on myfarm.ch with all the accommodation options on Swiss farms, from sleeping on straw to comfortably furnished holiday flats.
Another way to experience animals and nature up close is on a holiday with a horse and covered wagon. The organiser www.eurotrek.ch offers this adventure in the Jura and abroad. The family travels a route of their choice with horse and cart and learns a few tricks of the trade. They sleep and eat with farming families.
If families experience the same things on holiday as they do at home, tensions are inevitable.
Those who are not comfortable with horses can opt for a bike. Specialists in family cycling holidays are www.baumeler.ch or www.twerenbold.ch. Luggage transport is included with the provider www.swisstrails.ch , and cooperation partners include Swiss holiday farms that offer sporty families a cosy place to spend the night.
Sun-seekers also have a huge selection to choose from, which can be booked at www.hotelplan.ch or www.tui.ch. Package holidays are the cheapest, with the price including either just the flight and overnight stay or every drink at the bar.
At the all-inclusive resort, the little rascals are constantly looked after and at some point are so dog-tired that the only job left for the parents is to get them to bed. This gives mums and dads more freedom - but not everyone can enjoy it, because some family resorts are as busy as a railway station concourse.
Who decides on family holidays?
Fun for the children is at the top of the list of priorities, relaxation for the parents at the bottom. This is suggested by a survey conducted last year by the German holiday home agency FeWodirekt, which asked 1,800 mothers about their summer holidays. 60 per cent of the women thought it was most important that the children were happy, only a third of them also thought about their own relaxation, and a meagre 13 per cent hoped for some togetherness with their partner.
Tobias Wann, Head of FeWo-direkt Germany, explains: «Families are in a constant balancing act between work, school, childcare and housework. They only have a few opportunities to celebrate life together to the full. A holiday allows them to do this.» The motives are understandable, but when parents are expected to do the same as at home - cooking, cleaning, keeping an eye on everything - tensions are inevitable.
A smart middle way on a tight budget could be a holiday in a Reka village, for example. A lot has been done in terms of living comfort, and in many places there are even more relief offers for parents. In addition to free childcare, these now also include catering services for those who don't want to cook for themselves. Many Swiss youth hostels have also been given a makeover and are likely to appeal to teenagers in particular. Refurbished or newly designed buildings such as those in Gstaad, Basel or Saas-Fee are the work of celebrated architects. Great design for little money - this can also be an added value for parents.
How much can a family holiday cost?
Price remains one of the main criteria for the Swiss when it comes to holidays. The second most important, in fact, according to the «Tourism Monitor Switzerland 2013». According to this, families spend around ten per cent less than the average tourist, most of them between CHF 50 and 99 per day. The tour operator Hotelplan Suisse also analysed the willingness of Swiss families to spend in 2012 and came up with CHF 3,000 per year, which a family of four with a monthly income of CHF 4,500 can spend on holidays. The average Swiss person cares about a good deal. If you feel the same way, you will unfortunately have no choice but to scour the internet. Our tips (see Box 1 below) will make this endeavour easier.
For those looking to save money, it's also worth visiting our neighbours: according to Austria Tourism, for example, holidays have become around 20 percent cheaper for the Swiss since the fixed Swiss franc exchange rate to the euro was abolished. Families can find great offers at www.familien-kinderhotels.at or www.austria.info/familienferien. Under the motto «Streambed instead of iPad», for example, young and old can experience nature with all their senses, make a fire and bathe in torrents, and if they wish, they can go into the forest with a wilderness educator, where children can observe animals and learn to read their tracks.
A visit to our neighbours in Austria is worthwhile for those looking to save money.
What does child-friendly mean?
Children used to be an annoying appendage, but today tourism experts describe them as the guests of tomorrow. That's great - but if you want to avoid nasty surprises, it's still a good idea to scrutinise your host in advance. The «Swiss Family Hotels» seal of quality, for example, can only be awarded to hotels that welcome you and your little rascals - and that are also equipped for them. In addition, the Swiss Tourism Federation has so far designated 21 holiday resorts as family-friendly; they bear the «Families Welcome» label and guarantee a family-friendly infrastructure in the village, including childcare, a wide range of adventure options and affordable package deals. Hotels and holiday resorts can be viewed at www.myswitzerland.com/familien
What is there for single parents?
«Mum/Papa has priority» is the name of the offer that Reka provides single mothers and fathers with children aged three and over with affordable holidays. Single-parent families are also welcome at the Sonneblick Walzenhausen seminar hotel(www.sonneblick-walzenhausen.ch), picturesquely situated above Lake Constance. There's also plenty of adventure for little money at the Singleparentshouse Amden(www.singleparentshouse.ch), where parents and children stay in the middle of the hiking and skiing area. If you want to travel further afield, the tour operator Hotelplan Suisse has recently started offering packages for single parents.
How do holidays at home work?
Holidays on the balcony are also fun if the parents have good ideas for excursions. The portals www.familienleben.ch, www.freizeit.ch or the free «Family Trips» app from Switzerland Tourism with over 1200 excursion destinations, available to download at www.myswitzerland.com/mobile, provide great suggestions. In the canton of Zurich, the local transport companies also have an informative website: www.ausflugstipps.zvv.ch. There is also plenty to experience at Lake Hallwil, where social pedagogue Christine Güttinger runs the website www.momo-erlebnisse.ch and offers families extraordinary experiences in nature. For day trips by bike, it's worth taking a look at www.velokids.ch. The routes are all family-friendly.
Travelling cheap - Price comparison
- Reiseanbieter, Flüge, Hotels: www.swodoo.ch, www.holidaycheck.ch, www.tripadvisor.de,
www.myswitzerland.com/preiswert
- Ferienwohnungen: www.reka.ch, www.interhome.ch, www.novasol.ch,
www.vacando.ch, www.edomizil.ch, www.interchalet.de,
www.tripadvisor.de,
www.ferienschnaeppchen.com
- Jugendherbergen und Hostels: www.hostelworld.com, www.gomio.com, www.tripadvisor.de
Read more:
- Auf und davon – «Tipps vom Urlaubsretter»
- Tipps für die Ferien ums Haus umme - UHU. Weil diese auch besonders schön sein können.