Have you ever asked the KIDS what their holiday criteria are?

I’m not sure I ever factored bouncy beds or children’s bedroom size into my holiday booking priorities. Maybe I should have done – it’s clearly one of the keys to a happy trip!

Big Opinions From Today’s Little Adventurers

This summer Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, set out to canvas the world’s children on exactly what they want from their family getaway. Over 22,500 post-holiday reviews were collected from children across the globe, and the findings not only reveal the most important factors to keeping little adventurers happy, from bouncy beds to special treat suppers, but also uncover the best rated destinations for each desire.

Today’s teens (12-15 year olds) need the wifi; keeping in touch with friends at home while away.

• The majority (89%) of 12-15 year olds prioritised a strong Wi-Fi connection as essential
• Having the chance to take cool photos for social media was important for nearly half (44%)
• Staying near a pool or a beach and enjoying lots of activities were also ranked in the top five important factors
• ·Conversely only a quarter (25%) of 12-15 year olds think it’s important to make friends with other children on holiday

teen girl by pool image courtesy of Shutterstock

By contrast, 5-11 year olds just long for holidays by a cool pool or beach:

• Staying near a pool/cool water slides (73%) or beach (58%) are deemed the two top priorities for children aged 5-11, followed by activities they can’t do at home (54%)
• Playing with other children is important to nearly half (42%), while over a third would like to have all the ice cream they can eat on holiday (34%) and food that isn’t usually allowed at home (32%)
• One in five look to stay somewhere with a room bigger than they have at home (24%) and with bouncy beds (22%), while one in ten (10%) expect holiday staff to be good at telling jokes

Boy eating ice cream image courtesy of Shutterstock

The findings highlighted Greece, Brazil and the US as among the top rated destinations for children this year, with all three countries recommended by the young guest reviewers who visited. It’s here that families will find the most important elements of a child’s holiday, such as evening activities, accommodation near beaches and epic social media upload opportunities. Japan, Mexico and Canada were also commended by children visiting from around the world, showing how diverse destinations are more accessible and family-friendly than ever.

“Spending time away together is an important part of family life, but we understand that planning to keep all the children happy can be hard. At Booking.com we’re on a mission to match families with their perfect choice of holiday and we offer an informative bank of guest reviews, handy filter functions and easy booking of over one million diverse properties to help them do just that.  Whether it’s finding a great place to stay near to the coolest outdoor pursuits, most family friendly restaurants or even the bounciest beds you can find it in just a few simple clicks on Booking.com.”
Adrienne Enggist, Director of Product Development at Booking.com