We Need to Chill! 89% of American Families Stressed Over Vacation Planning
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There shouldn’t be anything stressful about a vacation. There shouldn’t, but there usually is.
Americans are stressing themselves out over vacation planning this summer, according to a new survey commissioned by Mastercard. The findings reveal that 89% of American families are stressed about planning a family vacation.
Women (74 percent) are more likely than men (67 percent) to find family vacation planning stressful.
The biggest pain points, the survey reveals, are as follows:
· Getting to, from and through a departing and arriving airport (57%)
· Deciding on a location (50%)
· Developing an itinerary of fun and unique experiences (49%)
· Finding family friendly accommodations (44%)
The stress is notably greater among people who haven’t booked their vacation yet. Fear seems to grip those who don’t yet have a trip scheduled (72% versus 66% of those who already have plans).
Vacation planning should be fun. We all need to breathe a little. If your stress is paralyzing your planning, take a step back and follow these five tips:
1. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Your family had a great time at the beach last summer, right? Why not do it again. You aren’t in a competition with yourself.
2. Ask for help. Did your friends take an amazing vacation to Paradise Island last year? Ask them to help you plan.
3. Many hotels have programs for children and teens –it’s worth browsing the hotel and resort collection curated by MasterCard to find what’s right for you.
4. Decide your price first. If you set a hard ceiling for how much you want to spend, you’ll be surprised at how much of the worry goes out the window. So much of our stress comes from worrying about how we will pay for things.
5. Delegate. Ask your spouse and your kids to help out. It’s their vacation too. When the burden falls on one person, vacation planning loses its luster and becomes just another chore.
