Moms Won't Deprive Families of Vacation This Year

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In a national survey of moms planning 2010 vacations, 80 percent will make sacrifices to guarantee their family vacation this year.

Most moms have determined their vacation schedules.  Some 57 percent plan summer break vacations, and 24 percent have targeted spring break, making spring break the second most active travel period.

Conducted by Nashville-based WhyMomsRule.com, the poll of 602 women – all with at least one child at home – showed moms don't want a repeat of vacation cutbacks many endured in 2009 and are willing to make trade-offs to afford vacations.

WhyMomsRule.com is a blog that tracks trends affecting moms and their buying habits.  David Bohan, chairman and CEO of BOHAN Advertising|Marketing, and Jamie Dunham, BOHAN's chief planning officer, created it.

To afford vacations, moms said they expect to eat out less during the year (42 percent), spend less on entertainment (33 percent) and forego major purchases (23 percent).  To save while on vacation, many will seek less expensive destinations, stay shorter times and drive instead of fly.

"Moms are concerned about cost and to a certain extent about actual security," Dunham said.  "Cost was the top concern about family travel (77 percent), and airline ticket costs and airline fees – those aggravating baggage charges – were cited by more than half."

Regarding safety and security, more moms are concerned about domestic travel than international travel, and they are more worried than ever about the safety of a child under 21 traveling alone.

They seek travel deals in many places: 51 percent to online travel agencies (e.g. Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity), 41 percent to friends and family, 39 percent to airline, hotel and destination Web sites and 25 percent to online comparison sites (e.g. Kayak, Mobissimo).  E-mail, magazines/newspapers, other news media, direct mail and advertising (online and non-online) are other sources.

While moms spend considerable time with social media, 75 percent do not rely on social media for vacation planning.

"It's a splintered world for marketers.  They must employ a range of media touch points to engage the consumer," Dunham said.

When asked what they want different this year, one of the highest responses (29 percent) was "a place that keeps the whole family entertained." Twenty-five percent wanted economical destinations that still have lots of activities, 25 percent wanted "a place we've never been" and 23 percent wanted a slower-paced place.

The survey was conducted Jan. 22-25 among U.S. moms who have at least one child living in the household and who are planning to travel in 2010.  The survey has a four percent margin of error. Percentages for single questions can total more than 100 percent because of the option for multiple answers.

BOHAN, established in 1990 and based in Nashville, Tenn., is a full-service advertising and marketing agency. It has major clients in tourism, health care and consumer goods. Agency information is at www.BohanIdeas.com.

SOURCE WhyMomsRule.com