According to a new international survey, as many as 84% of families are expecting to be together this Christmas, but two-thirds of them predict that there will be an argument between relatives. Additionally, two-thirds of parents who have children who believe in Santa Claus say that their children worry that Santa won’t know where to find them. Luckily, HomeAway’s RerouteSanta.com solution can ease their mind.
The study, conducted by HomeAway, Inc., polled more than 4,000 people throughout the United States and eight European countries. The study found that 61% of people anticipate an argument with their friends or family over the holidays and that 34% of people polled feel that their relatives tend to overstay their welcome after just one day (or less) over Christmas.
However, regardless of the anticipated friction during the holidays, the poll also showed that 84% of people will spend Christmas with their family. Additionally, 51% of people are looking forward to that quality time they’ll be spending with relatives. According to Brian Sharples, the CEO of HomeAway, the research shows that people want and even need to be with their families at Christmastime. Furthermore, Staples feels that the research shows that there are often issues that can make this quality time uncomfortable and stressful.
On average, survey respondents say that they’ll be spending time with seven family members during the holidays. This can pose a challenge when trying to fit that many people into one house. Eighteen percent of families say that lack of space is a problem when it comes to accommodating their guests. Forty percent of people polled say that they’ve had to sleep on the floor or the couch in order to accommodate their holiday guests. This may be why 32% of people would prefer that their extended family find separate accommodations when visiting for the holidays.
Due to lack of space, millions of families will be staying in vacation rental homes during the holidays. This relieves the discomfort and stress that families would otherwise experience when hosting their guests. Plus, visitors can get more comfort and pay less money at a vacation rental than they would at a hotel. Twenty-nine percent of people polled who said they would not be staying with family or at home also said they would be staying in a vacation rental during the holidays. During Christmas week, HomeAway websites experience an increase of 26% in inquiries about vacation rentals.
Adults aren’t the only people who experience stress during the holidays. Two-thirds of children who believe in Santa are worried that Santa won’t know where to find them if they travel over the holidays. RerouteSanta.com is an interactive website that reassures children that Santa will be able to find them even if they’re vacationing. Santa and his team will send the child a personalized letter once the family has confirmed their whereabouts via the website.
HomeAway vacation rentals can ease the stress or holiday travel, for both adults and children. 1 in 3 people who completed the survey expressed an interest in getting away and making a change from the normal over the holiday season.
HomeAway also runs BedandBreakfast.com, which is a fantastic global resource for arranging bed-and-breakfast properties, giving you the traveler a resource to find unique properties to stay in away from the run of the mill chain hotels. To get more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.co.uk
Feel free to contact Kate Hird at freuds on kate.hird@freuds.com or Yvonne Bonanati at HomeAway on ybonanati@homeaway.co.uk for more information on these unique opportunities.
