Family travel statistics at a glance
Family travel is still one of the strongest demand signals in leisure travel, and the 2025 survey data shows why.
92% of parents are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey), while 81% plan to increase or maintain domestic travel spending (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release). That combination tells a simple story: families are still willing to travel, but they are being selective about where the money goes.
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- What family travel statistics say about demand
- Where families are going
- How families are booking and staying
- Multi-generational travel statistics
- How parents are managing costs
- What travel advisors and trip timing statistics show
- Planning patterns by year
Fast facts
Big number: 92% of parents say they are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
Cost pressure: 73% of parents say affordability is the biggest obstacle to family travel (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
Most common trip type: 62% of planned family trips are beach vacations (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
Most popular lodging: 84% of families planned to stay in hotels in 2025 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
Advisor openness: 61% of parents would consider using a travel advisor within the next two years (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
These family travel statistics point to a market that is active, practical, and highly budget-aware. Families are not stepping away from travel; they are shaping trips around value, convenience, and shared experiences.
What family travel statistics say about demand
The first takeaway from the data is that family travel demand remains broad.
- 92% of parents are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 81% of parents plan to increase or maintain domestic travel spending (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 39% plan to increase domestic travel spending, while 42% plan to maintain it (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
Those three figures matter together. They show a market that is not just surviving inflationary pressure, but still making travel a priority. The split between increasing and maintaining spending also suggests that many families are protecting their travel budget even if they are not expanding it aggressively.
Why it matters
For destinations, lodging brands, and travel advisors, these statistics suggest that family travel is less about convincing parents to go and more about helping them feel confident about value.
Families are willing to spend, but the spend has to make sense.
Where families are going
The strongest family travel statistics point to a mix of classic vacation formats and easy-to-plan destinations.
| Planned family trip type | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beach vacations | 62% | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| Visits to family and friends | 61% | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| Theme or water park trips | 45% | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| City trips | 42% | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| National or state park visits | 37% | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
This table shows how family travel balances entertainment, simplicity, and familiarity.
The trip mix is practical
Beach vacations lead the list at 62% (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release), which fits a broad family preference for easy, flexible, and high-satisfaction trips. Visits to family and friends are close behind at 61% (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release), which reinforces how much family travel overlaps with social obligations and extended-family time.
Theme or water park trips come in at 45% (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release), showing that families still value highly structured entertainment when the trip is built around children.
City trips and park visits round out the picture. 42% of parents plan city trips and 37% plan national or state park visits (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release). That suggests there is still strong demand for both urban attractions and outdoor recreation, especially when families want trips with built-in activities.
What this means for destinations
A family-oriented destination does not need only one identity. The data supports several successful positioning angles:
- Beach and resort packages for low-friction vacations.
- Urban itineraries with flexible sightseeing and dining.
- Park access and outdoor experiences for families that want affordability and open space.
- Attraction-heavy packages for parents seeking a memorable trip without having to design every activity from scratch.
How families are booking and staying
The lodging data is one of the clearest parts of the family travel statistics set.
- 84% of families planned to stay in hotels in 2025 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 50% of families planned to stay in resorts in 2025 (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 47% of families planned to stay in vacation rentals in 2025 (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 80% of parents chose hotels as their preferred lodging in 2024 planning (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 57% of parents chose vacation rentals as a planned lodging option (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 46% of parents chose resorts as a planned lodging option (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
Lodging comparison
| Lodging option | Family planning signal | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels | 84% planned to stay in 2025 | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| Resorts | 50% planned to stay in 2025 | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| Vacation rentals | 47% planned to stay in 2025 | NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release |
| Hotels | 80% preferred lodging in 2024 planning | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| Vacation rentals | 57% planned lodging option | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| Resorts | 46% planned lodging option | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
Hotels remain the dominant base camp for family trips. That does not mean vacation rentals or resorts are weak options. It means families still default to the most familiar and operationally simple lodging choice when they are planning around children.
Cost-saving behavior is built into lodging decisions
The survey data also shows that families are using lodging strategy to control spend.
- 50% of families are booking lodging with a kitchen to save money (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 46% are limiting paid attractions to save money (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 35% of parents planned to stay with friends or family members (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 19% planned campsite or glamping stays (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 17% planned cabin rentals (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 9% planned motel stays (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 9% planned bed-and-breakfast or small-inn stays (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 8% planned to use timeshares (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 7% planned RV or trailer stays (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 7% planned to use their own vacation property (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
Families are not only looking for room rates. They are actively looking for ways to reduce the total trip bill.
Multi-generational travel statistics
One of the most interesting themes in the dataset is the strength of multi-generational travel.
- 71% of grandparents have taken a multi-generational trip recently (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 57% of grandparents are planning a multi-generational trip in the future (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 48% of families are planning travel with extended family members such as aunts, uncles, or cousins, up from 41% in 2023 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
That is a meaningful shift. Family travel is not just parent-and-child travel. It is increasingly wider, with grandparents and extended relatives becoming part of the planning equation.
Why grandparents matter in family travel
The survey data shows that grandparents see strong emotional value in these trips:
- 75% say multi-generational travel is a great way to bond as a family (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 73% say they want to see their grandchildren’s joy experiencing new destinations and activities (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 73% say they enjoy spending extended time with their grandchildren (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 63% say multi-generational travel creates family travel experiences and traditions across generations (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 55% say their grandchildren enjoy extended time with them (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 53% say multi-generational travel is a special treat for children and grandchildren (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 49% say it is a special way to bring the extended family together (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 40% say they want to show their grandchildren the world (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
These are not just sentiment numbers. They explain why multi-generational travel can be a durable demand segment: it combines emotional motivation with a built-in reason to spend time and money on a shared trip.
Skip-generation travel is a separate niche
The data also shows how grandparents travel with grandchildren without the parents on every trip.
- 64% of grandparents take skip-generation day trips (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 62% take skip-generation weekend getaways (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 52% take skip-generation multi-day trips in the U.S. (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 7% take skip-generation multi-day international vacations (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 40% of grandparents on skip-generation trips prefer museums and cultural attractions (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
That profile is useful because it shows that skip-generation trips are often shorter and more activity-oriented than the broader family market.
How families are managing costs
Affordability appears throughout the survey results, and it is the most important constraint in the data.
73% of parents say affordability is their biggest obstacle to family travel (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
That one figure explains several others in the dataset. It helps make sense of the popularity of kitchen-equipped lodging, the strong hotel preference, and the willingness to limit paid attractions.
Cost-management tactics used by families
The statistics suggest that families are using a layered approach to make travel work:
- They keep travel plans realistic by focusing on domestic trips.
- They choose lodging that supports self-catering, especially kitchens (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- They limit paid attractions when needed (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- They rely on familiar lodging types such as hotels and resorts (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey; NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- They lean into lower-friction trips such as beach vacations and visits to family and friends (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
Those behaviors show that family travel is value-sensitive rather than travel-averse.
What travel advisors and trip timing statistics show
Travel advisor usage is not mainstream in this segment, but the data suggests the channel still has room to grow.
- 19% of parents have used a travel advisor recently (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 61% would consider using a travel advisor within the next two years (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- Among parents who would use a travel advisor, 47% want exclusive benefits and 45% want peace of mind or security (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
That tells a clear story. Most families are not currently booking through advisors, but many are open to it if the value proposition is concrete.
What parents want from an advisor
The features that matter most are practical:
- Exclusive benefits.
- Security and peace of mind.
- Help reducing planning friction.
These preferences fit the broader family travel picture. The more complex the trip becomes, the more likely families are to value support.
Booking window patterns
Timing also matters.
- 33% of parents book family trips two or three months before departure (FTA 2023 Annual US Family Travel Survey).
That timing suggests families often plan with a moderate lead time rather than far in advance. It is long enough to compare options, but short enough that marketing windows can still be responsive and relevant.
Planning patterns by year
Looking across the year-specific figures helps show how family travel planning has evolved.
| Year or period | Statistic | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 51% said affordability was a challenge to family travel | FTA 2023 Annual US Family Travel Survey |
| 2023 | 81% were likely to travel with their children in the next year | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 38% had used a travel advisor to book at least one family trip in the past three years | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 71% were willing to use a travel advisor in the coming years | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 88% said family travel helps children recover from lingering pandemic impacts | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 84% said family travel makes children more adaptable and open to new experiences | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 62% said family travel gives children a more positive outlook on life | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 61% said family travel helps children with social skills | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 50%+ planned to travel with grandparents and children together | NYU SPS 2023 Family Travel Survey press release |
| 2023 | 41% planned travel with extended family members | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| 2025 | 48% planned travel with extended family members | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| 2025 | 84% planned to stay in hotels | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| 2025 | 92% were likely or very likely to travel with children in the next 12 months | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
| 2025 | 73% said affordability was the biggest obstacle | FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey |
The most notable directional change in this set is the rise in extended-family travel from 41% in 2023 to 48% in 2025 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey). That signals a stronger multi-household and multi-generation planning pattern.
At the same time, the 2023 and 2025 figures both point to the same underlying truth: family travel remains emotionally important, but affordability is still the main limiting factor.
Family travel statistics that stand out most
If you only keep a few numbers from this article, keep these:
- 92% of parents are likely or very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 73% say affordability is their biggest obstacle to family travel (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 84% of families planned to stay in hotels in 2025 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
- 62% of planned family trips are beach vacations (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 71% of grandparents have taken a multi-generational trip recently (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 61% of parents would consider using a travel advisor within the next two years (NYU SPS 2025 Family Travel Survey press release).
- 48% of families are planning travel with extended family members, up from 41% in 2023 (FTA 2025 US Family Travel Survey).
These family travel statistics show a market defined by demand, emotion, and careful budgeting. The trips are still happening, but the winners are likely to be the options that feel simple, flexible, and worth the spend.