The 2025 Family Travel Survey Highlights the Rise of 'Kidfluence' and New Booking Behaviors Amid High Travel Intent, Technology, and Affordability Concerns

Press release

The 2025 Family Travel Survey Highlights the Rise of 'Kidfluence' and New Booking Behaviors Amid High Travel Intent, Technology, and Affordability Concerns

2025 US Family Travel Survey -image of 4 member family enjoying tropic island

PR OFFICE CONTACTS

October 20, 2025

Michael DeMeo
michael.demeo@nyu.edu
212-992-9103

The Family Travel Association, NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality, and Good Housekeeping Partner to Deliver the 10th Anniversary Edition of One of the Most Popular Surveys on Family Travel Trends New York – October 20, 2025 – Today, the Family Travel Association (FTA), the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, and Good Housekeeping released findings from their 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey on current family travel trends. This 10th Anniversary edition of the survey polled nearly 1,600 parents and grandparents from Good Housekeeping’s consumer database about their travel plans, behaviors, and attitudes, kids’ engagement and influence on family travel planning, and the use of social media and Gen AI. It also highlights a number of other travel trends in the family travel industry. The results show that the family-travel market will continue its robust growth, with 92% of parents saying they are likely to travel with their children in the next year, the highest level of intent for family travel since the pandemic. In terms of spending, 81% of families are planning to either increase or maintain their level of travel spending for domestic travel. In 2024, the average family spent approximately $8,052 on travel, representing about a 20% increase from the previous year. Despite these strong spending forecasts, affordability remains a challenge to family travel, as reported by 73% of parent respondents. Survey Highlights <ul class="p-list"> <li>High Intent to Travel: Travel plans remain very strong, with 92% of parents indicating they are likely or very likely to travel with their children within the next 12 months.</li> <li>Top Trip Types: The most popular planned family trips are beach vacations (62%), visiting family and friends (61%), and theme or water parks (45%).</li> <li>Strong Spending Outlook: A majority of parents plan to either increase (39%) or maintain (42%) their spending on domestic travel, with the average family having spent approximately $8,052 on travel in 2024.</li> <li>Travel Advisor Potential: While only 19% of parents have used a travel advisor recently, a significant 61% said they would consider using one within the next two years, primarily seeking exclusive benefits (47%) and peace of mind/security (45%).</li> <li>Affordability is the Top Challenge: 73% of parents cite affordability as their biggest obstacle, leading families to adopt money-saving strategies, such as booking lodging with a kitchen (50%) and limiting paid attractions (46%).</li> <li>Demand for Group Travel is High: Multi-generational trips (three or more generations) are a major trend, with 71% of grandparents having taken one recently and 57% of grandparents planning one in the future.</li> <li>Special Needs Travel Market: Families with special needs children travel more frequently and spend more than average. Over 13% of families reported having children with special needs, and they gave the industry a low grade of C- on inclusivity, citing major challenges in safety, staff training, and accessibility (50%).</li> <li>Technology Use in Planning: Parents primarily use digital tools to find good deals (55%) and manage their budget (47%), utilizing travel websites (52%) and social media (45%) for research, though concern over online security is noted (48%).</li> <li>"Kidfluence" is Significant: Children, particularly those aged 7-18, are "co-pilots" in planning, with 74% of parents saying their kids love to travel; parents believe this involvement makes children more adaptable (84%).</li> <li>Industry Pain Points: Despite grading the travel industry a B+, families want improvements on issues like the added cost and challenge of being seated together on flights, the scarcity of family/connected hotel rooms, and the need for more transparent pricing.</li> </ul> The survey highlights the significant influence children have on family travel decisions. Children are no longer just passengers; they are now considered "co-pilots," a concept the industry refers to as "kidfluence." This study specifically explored the role of children ages 7-18 in family travel choices. <ul class="p-list"> <li>Participation in Planning: 74% of parent respondents with children over age 7 reported that their children love to travel. The survey also included a series of questions about how children participate in the planning process and what their "dream trips" are.</li> <li>Benefits of Involvement: Parents believe that involving children in travel planning has positive impacts. They feel it makes their children more adaptable and open to new experiences (84%). Other perceived benefits include giving older children a more positive outlook on life (62%) and improving their social skills (61%).</li> <li>Finding Inspiration: The survey found that children often discover new travel ideas from social media, YouTube, and other digital platforms.</li> </ul> Anna Abelson, Adjunct Instructor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and co-author of the survey, notes: “Our survey confirms an important shift in family dynamics toward 'kidfluence,' with children now serving as true 'co-pilots' in trip planning. The positive results of involving them are clear: 84% of parents report it makes their kids more adaptable and open to new experiences. Sixty-one percent of parents reported that involving children in travel planning has a positive impact on their child's happiness and engagement during the trip. This generation of young travelers is highly digitally native, finding inspiration via social media and digital platforms. The planning experience is evolving rapidly, driven by the next generation's input and the digital tools available to their parents.” The survey confirms that an opportunity that remains strong is interest in travel advisors for trip planning. While only 19% of parents have used a travel advisor to book at least one family trip in the past three years, 61% of parents indicate that they are willing to use a travel advisor in the coming years. Parents who use travel advisors are often motivated by the benefits and security they provide. Specifically, 47% seek amenities and benefits they can't access on their own, while 45% value the peace of mind that comes with having a professional to help if something goes wrong during their trip. Large family groups are a significant contributor to market growth, with 57% of parents planning to travel with grandparents and children, up from 55% in 2023. The top choice for “multi-generational” travel (grandparents, parents, and children) remains beach vacations, whereas “skip-generational” travel (children and grandparents, without the parents present) tends towards museums and cultural attractions. Traveling with extended family (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) is becoming increasingly popular, with 48% planning to do so in the coming year, compared to 41% in 2023. And travel with non-relative families increased to 42% from 40% in 2023. According to Peter Bopp, Research Advisor for the FTA and co-author of the survey, “families associate positive outcomes from travel for family dynamics and children’s development. Eighty-five percent of parent respondents say that family travel brings their family closer together, 77% say that family vacations enrich their children’s education, and 68% say that travel makes their children better global citizens. Grandparents also speak to the positive impact of travel on family dynamics, reporting that family travel is a great way for them to bond with their grandchildren, with 75% for multi-generational trips and 82% for skip-generation trips. Grandparents also note that family travel helps their grandchildren become more adventurous (multi-gen 55%; skip-gen 63%), become more flexible and adaptable (multi-gen 53%; skip-gen 59%) and become more engaged learners (multi-gen 48%) and more confident (skip-gen 54%).” Each year, the U.S. Family Travel Survey asks respondents to rate the travel industry on how well it meets the needs of traveling families. This year, they gave the industry a B+ (same as in 2023) and noted several areas of friction they would like to see addressed: <ul class="p-list"> <li>Many respondents highlight the high cost of travel and would like to see more affordable options, as well as transparent pricing that avoids additional fees being added at the end (the most common answer by far!)</li> <li>Families should be guaranteed to sit together on planes</li> <li>Hotels need more larger or connected rooms to accommodate families</li> <li>Making helpful information on planning family vacations more accessible would be appreciated</li> <li>The family travel itineraries should consider families with not just young children, but also older children (teenagers)</li> </ul> Lexie Sachs, Executive Director of Strategy and Operations at the Good Housekeeping Institute, highlights how trip preferences differ across generations. “Although beach vacations are most popular among families, parents are more likely to plan city (36%) and national or state park visits (37%), while grandparents lean into museum and cultural trips when it’s just them and the grandkids (40% skip-gen),” Sachs noted. “Good Housekeeping is proud to be a trusted resource helping families plan memorable, stress-free trips. Insights from this partnership are helping us create even more meaningful content for our millions of readers.” “While the emotional desire to travel is strong, the economic reality creates a major obstacle: affordability is the top concern for 73% of families,” said NYU SPS Tisch Center’s Abelson. “Simultaneously, the industry is failing a key demographic. Over 13% of families reported having children with special needs, and those families gave the industry a poor 'C-' grade on inclusivity. This means the travel industry must shift its focus from simply selling a trip to providing smarter, more accessible value for all families, particularly those with children with special needs. This value can take many forms, such as budget-friendly options, multi-generational packages, or finally addressing the critical need for greater inclusivity and support through better staff training, more sensory-friendly options, and accessible facilities.” The 2025 US Family Travel Survey represents responses from 1,596 parents and grandparents in the U.S. and was conducted in the Summer of 2025 by the Family Travel Association (FTA) and the NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality. The study was conducted in partnership with Good Housekeeping, which distributed the survey electronically to its consumer databases. Additional support was provided by KHM Travel Group, our prize partner. This year’s edition of this ongoing survey included a larger percentage of respondents in higher income brackets with more advanced educational backgrounds than in some prior editions. <a href="https://indd.adobe.com/view/1db5d9e0-22e3-4f05-a49a-15eb0dd08498" target="_blank">Access a copy of the 2025 Family Travel Study survey</a> About the Family Travel Association The Family Travel Association (FTA) was founded in 2014 to create a single and collective voice on behalf of the travel industry and those companies that serve traveling families. It is the leading non-profit trade association that provides tools, resources, education and certification to travel advisors, travel media and travel suppliers in an effort to increase the quality and experience of family travel. As the guiding authority within the industry, the FTA ultimately aspires to empower more families to travel and discover what’s possible. The FTA—the only association of family travel professionals—was created to provide its members with benefits that include research reports, industry intelligence, specialization training and resources, best practices and networking opportunities. Members are equipped to better serve traveling families and grow their businesses. For additional information on the Family Travel Association, visit <a href="https://www.familytravel.org/" target="_blank">familytravel.org</a>. About the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, celebrating 30 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub), which will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. For more information, visit sps.nyu.edu/tisch. About Good Housekeeping Celebrating 140 years, Good Housekeeping (<a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/" target="_blank">GoodHousekeeping.com</a>) is a leading lifestyle media brand inspiring a monthly audience of 53+ million readers to discover genius innovations, delicious ideas, style-savvy trends, compelling news and best-in-class products for their homes, families and themselves. The Good Housekeeping Institute’s state-of-the-art labs combined with Good Housekeeping’s seasoned editorial talent is unparalleled. Staffed by top engineers, scientists and technology experts, the GH Institute tests and evaluates thousands of products each year for the magazine, website and for the Good Housekeeping Seal and the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, which are among the most recognized and trusted consumer icons in the world today. Good Housekeeping and Good Housekeeping UK are published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst, a leading global, diversified media, information and services company. Hearst Magazines, the world’s largest lifestyle publisher, has a portfolio of more than 30 powerful brands in the U.S. that inspire and entertain audiences across all media platforms. Hearst Magazines’ print and digital assets reach 141 million readers and site visitors each month — 55% of all adults in the U.S., 53% of all Millennials and 50% of all Gen Z adults over the age of 18 (Source: 2024 Comscore Multi-Platform© MRI-Simmons - 09/24/S24). The company publishes more than 200 magazine editions and 175 websites around the world. Follow Good Housekeeping on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/GOODHOUSEKEEPING" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/goodhousekeeping" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://x.com/goodhousemag?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">X</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/goodhousemag/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@goodhousekeepingofficial?lang=en" target="_blank">TikTok</a>. MEDIA CONTACTS: Laura Davidson for FTA: <a href="mailto:laura@ldpr.com" target="_blank">laura@ldpr.com</a> Michael DeMeo for NYU SPS: <a href="mailto:michael.demeo@nyu.edu" target="_blank">michael.demeo@nyu.edu </a>Carrie Carlson for Good Housekeeping: <a href="mailto:carriecarlson@hearst.com" target="_blank">carriecarlson@hearst.com</a>