NEW YORK – The average parent gets just 17 minutes of relaxation a day while on family vacation with their kids, according to a new study. In fact, one in five parents have 15 minutes or less and one in 10 parents have less than five minutes to relax.

A recent survey of 2,000 parents of children under the age of 14 found that while 57% of parents consider themselves strict, they are also more than willing to throw away the rulebook on a family vacation.

Family holiday spirit

More than half of parents make “rule concessions” on a beach vacation that they don’t do during their regular routines. Eight in ten say they are more forgiving when driving to their destination. This is good news for children, as more than nine in ten parents planned to travel by car for their vacation last summer.

More than three quarters of parents also agree that summer is the best time for a family road trip. Kids who want to stay up late on vacation are lucky – nearly seven in ten parents are much more open to it on a trip, while 57% allow young people to eat junk food and 49% let their children play more with it. electronics.

More than seven in ten parents also say that as long as their child is learning something of value, they are okay with spending more time playing on electronic devices.

Driven by OnePoll in partnership with Duracell, the study also looked at the essentials of a memorable family vacation. Respondents are ready to ‘say cheese’ and get their cameras out: 71% say their favorite family vacation activity is taking photos, more than going out to eat (66%) and even doing tourism (51%).

Feeding and entertaining their children is also a top priority. The average parent packs more snacks (eight) and stacks (six) than pairs of socks (five) when they hit the road in the summer. Parents typically pack reusable water bottles (79%), portable electronics (79%), snacks (85%), and books (58%) for their children to use while on vacation.

Don’t forget the toaster …

When preparing for a road trip, nearly eight in ten parents often feel like their family is packing the whole house with them. The survey also interviewed children between the ages of six and 14 and found that they were just as demanding when it came to packaging. More than two in three (69%) insist their parents include snacks and candy. Almost as many (68%) ask their parents to pack handheld game consoles or tablets.

In fact, two-thirds of children say watching television or movies is their favorite nighttime activity, with video games (57%) following closely behind.

Almost three-quarters of parents let their children wake up two hours or more after normal bedtime for nighttime activities during family vacations. Two in five parents note that before becoming parents, they thought they would never let their children play with portable devices, but now it happens all the time.

Gone are the days when kids asked their parents to read their favorite book – only one in three kids named it as their favorite nighttime vacation activity. Children were also just as likely to say their favorite moments on a family vacation included bonding with parents / siblings (53%) as playing games (53%) and taking photos (51%).

While many families forgo long-distance travel, parents agree that it can have a positive impact on children.