Having spotted an increase in children-led bookings, Original Travel is delving deeper into the trend and conducting research into the rise of 'pester power' in travel 

Early results of research* being undertaken by Original Travel and their partners Sharky & George – the renowned children's party people – into the rise of 'pester power' show that 62% of parents consider their children's wants and needs more than their own when planning a family holiday, with 74% saying it is one of, or the most important considerations. 

These figures will only continue to rise; 81.6% of respondents say their children will have even more of a say in the family holiday as they grow older and over half revealed that their children have started lobbying for a particular holiday, with safari and Japan being the two most requested trips.   

A child's interest or hobby (swimming, riding, skiing, watersports and a love of animals being the five most popular) has the most sway when it comes to holiday planning, with 80% of parents taking them into consideration.   

The school curriculum, books, films and social media also have a significant impact on where children want to visit: 37.5% of parents say that learning something at school has translated into a desire to visit in real life, with Egypt, Rome and Greece being the most popular; 28.6% say that a film (Paddington, The Lion King, Frozen) or book (Harry Potter and books by Phillip Pullman and Michael Morpurgo particularly) has also inspired their child's dreams of a holiday. Lastly, 18.4% have seen an influence from Youtube/social media, citing Blippi, Harlow and Family and A for Adley as key influencers. (Us neither).  

Tom Barber, Co-founder of Original Travel says: 'No-one knows what makes a family holiday work better than the children themselves, so we are fully embracing this rise in pester power. Our next step is finding out more about what children really want from a holiday, so we can create the ultimate family holidays. 

'We are working together with our partners at Sharky & George and a group of what will affectionately be known as our 'guinea kids' to discover just that – and use that intel to create six new trips; one for each school holiday and half term, launching in September 2024. Watch this space and until then, you can still have your say in the pester power survey here.' 

*The survey has been distributed to Original Travel and Sharky & George's respective client databases.  
  

-Ends-  

Follow us on instagram @originaltravel for more travel inspiration and for more information contact: press@originaltravel.co.uk; 020 3582 4990   

     _________________________________________________________________________  

Notes to Editors:  

• Original Travel curates tailor-made itineraries, crafted by destination experts, to 77 countries worldwide from Anguilla to Zimbabwe. Celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, the company has created over 50,000 itineraries since its launch in 2003, each one unique and adhering to the company ethos that “Life is in the Detail”.  
• Original Travel also has its own specialist dive division. Original Diving is the world's only luxury dive travel outfit.  
• 11 of our consultants are recognised as Conde Nast Traveler's 2024 Travel Specialists – more than any other tour operator for the 2nd year running. Our specialists are: Co-founder, Tom Barber (family travel and sabbaticals), Jacqui Brooks (Indonesia) and Oliver Rodwell (Mexico), Ben Williams (Egypt) Kate Little (Romania), Isabel de Galleani (Morocco), Frances Mavor (India), Harriet Harford (European Wine Regions), Holly Barber (Cambodia), James Back (Tanzania), Lucy Bailey (Oman). 
• Original Travel clients enjoy a wealth of additional services they would not find with any other UK tour operator, including:  
• Access to a network of 70-plus Concierges who live locally, know their destinations inside and out and are extremely well-connected. They lend fantastic ground support, offering insider recommendations, facilitating any last-minute changes and troubleshooting.  
• A brace of additional services designed to make departure easier than ever. Every Original Travel client, regardless of whether they're off on a city break, or a multi-destination sabbatical, is checked in on all flights – outbound, domestic and inbound - with boarding passes uploaded to the Original Travel app; will have UK airport meet and greet, fast track UK check-in, fast track UK security*, lounge access and pre-booked flight seats. Thoughtful details include wifi routers or e-sims, destination specific book and music lists and children's activity packs. There are also upgrade options to include: a luggage transfer service from your home to the airport; fast track check-in and security and lounge access on your flight home; fast track through immigration on your return to the UK.  
• The knowledge that not only will Original Travel absorb the carbon footprint of their international flights, but also - in an industry-first - car-hire and transfers, and other flights (even if booked independently).  Clients can also be advised on which flight options have the lowest levels of emissions, thanks to an industry-leading and world-first carbon calculator which can compare the levels of emissions generated by each flight, using data compiled from flight plans, aircraft type, the cabin class, direct versus indirect flights and the target occupancy rate. 
• The knowledge that they are contributing to Our Foundation, which supports nearly 100 humanitarian projects in 30 developing countries. To date, nearly £1.5 million has been invested to support five key areas: child protection, vocational training, economic development assistance, preservation of cultural and natural heritage and safeguarding the lifestyles of indigenous peoples.