A new report by travel agency Flight Centre UK suggests the cost-of-living crisis will push parents into taking their children on holiday during term-time.
According to a survey of 430 parents by Flight Centre UK this month, 62% would consider taking their child out of school in order to get a cheaper holiday. The results come as household bills are set to rise steeply this autumn.
The government says parents are only allowed to take children on holiday in term time if there are “exceptional circumstances” and must seek the head teacher’s permission. Without permission, parents can be fined.
More than a third of parents (36%) questioned by Flight Centre said even with a daily government fine for taking their children out of school the cost of the holidays still works out cheaper than going away in peak holiday periods.
A similar amount of parents (33%) said they have already taken their children out of school to go away three or more times.
Nearly half believed a holiday counted as exceptional circumstances with many citing the educational element of holidays.
Yvonne Hobden, head of marketing, Flight Centre UK, said: “Holidays are key moments in any family life. Making memories and spending quality time together is priceless.
“However, with the lack of support from the government to ease the cost-of-living crisis, our report has revealed how many parents are considering taking term time getaways over the next year.”
As well as to save money, other reasons parents gave for taking children out of school in term time were to visit friends and family (52%); due to a parent’s annual leave dates (38%); for an educational trip (36%) and as a result of a cancelled trip (29%).
Other reasons included that it is the only financially viable option; for a special event; because the destination is quieter at that time; weather; and for religious reasons.
Internal data from Flight Centre shows the most popular long-haul destinations for travel between now and Christmas are Singapore followed by New York, Sydney, Las Vegas, Brisbane and Dubai.
Flight Centre has introduced its biggest competition to date to mark its 40th anniversary this year with a global giveaway of holidays worth more than £200,000. The travel agency will be giving clients the chance to win one of 40 holidays designed by its own staff by entering a prize pool by August 31, 2022, in store or online or by pre-registering for the Travel Runway 2.0 virtual experience.