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The secret to family vacation bliss? Getting everyone in the family involved in the planning process – kids included.
New research shows that kids are asking for a bigger voice when it comes to planning family vacations — with 86% admitting they want more of a say in the process. And with parents admitting planning a trip can take an average of three months, they might appreciate the help.
That’s according to a study of 2,000 families conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Trainline, which polled both parents and children on what they really want when traveling together.
Many families are placing greater importance on traveling between destinations by appreciating the journey as much as the destination itself, 45% of parents said the ability to slow down and watch the scenery is their favorite part of being on the move together, while kids say window views (40%) are the most fun part of train travel. That might be why eight in 10 parents (79%) recommend train travel while adventuring in Europe to minimize stress and factor in more quality family time. And a fifth said they enjoy travel time as a way to talk, play or relax together as a family.
The theme of relaxing, reducing stress and having a flexible itinerary was shared by both parents and children alike. When asked what they wished their parents would do more of for family vacations, the top response for children aged 14-17 was ‘relax instead of rushing’ (19%).
When asked for their number one hack for international family travel, parents named “having a flexible itinerary” as their golden rule (20%) while getting around easily between cities (12%) was another important factor parents consider when planning family trips.
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“It’s clear that when traveling together, families are looking to make the most of every moment and choosing methods of travel that only enhance that experience,” said Sarah Helppi, GM at Trainline. “It’s no surprise so many parents recommend taking the train across Europe, as a way to turn traveling into uninterrupted quality family time and a way of seeing even more. And with the right tools, travel becomes easier, more fun and more meaningful when the whole family helps plan.”
To help, Trainline has launched a series of resources to get the entire family in on the planning process: a family-friendly quiz to discover each member’s travel style and a vacation planning checklist, featuring everything families need to know about rail travel and booking the perfect trip in Europe.
Along with avoiding rushing and making planning a fun part of the trip, appreciating nature and getting out into the natural world was a huge factor for parents and children; when asked to describe their ideal travel personas, parents see both themselves and their kids as nature-loving nomads. When it comes to the type of trips they’d love most, 34% of kids put beach vacations at the top of their list.
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Juggling all family members’ preferences and ensuring an itinerary that caters to everyone was naturally front of mind for parents and results suggested kids would like involvement in the process as well to feel connected on the trip.
Navigating different food preferences within the family (35%) and ensuring the itinerary isn’t too exhaustive (27%) were also key to family travel bliss, according to results.
“Results showed that family travel success is strongly related to creating the perfect itinerary, which caters to the varying needs of all family members,” added Sarah Helppi, GM at Trainline. “The ability to reach multiple locations easily in a way that adds to the experience ensures a memorable experience for the whole family. That’s why traveling by train can help families to see and do more without adding stress or journeys that take away from the vacation overall.”
Getting kids involved in the planning is key to successful international family trips, but parents can also be the culprits of vacation faux pas. Whether it’s socks and sandals, public displays of affection, or snapping too many group photos, parents embarrass their kids an average of 2.6 times per trip. For one in six parents, the biggest cringe factor is making “bad jokes” or “awful puns.”
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Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 U.S.-based parents of school-aged children (ages 6–17) who plan to travel internationally with their children in the next five years; the survey was commissioned by Trainline and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Aug. 20 – Aug. 27, 2025.
We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
- Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
- Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in
Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.
Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.
Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.
Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
- Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
- Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
- Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
- Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.