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It takes three months and 14 days for grieving parents to get over their children 'flying the nest'- to start planning trips and turn their children's' bedrooms into home gyms, new research reveals.
It's a heartbreaking moment for any parent coming to terms with life after the kids leave home -and according to data suffering moms and dads who've seen the kids off to college will need until Christmas to fully adapt.
The poll of 2,000 empty nesters by Peregrine Adventures found it takes precisely 3.5 months of 'grieving' before a new lease of life kicks in for Mom and Dad.
One in four parents, however, were able to move on in a month or less - with thoughts turning quickly to home gyms, travel opportunities and bringing back a bit of passion between the sheets the main goals.
And rather than loitering in their child's empty bedrooms it seems parents are focusing on getting out and experiencing the world - traveling was by far the biggest goal for empty nesters with 44 per cent planning to see the world.
While, rather than dwell too heavy on sentimental things, a fifth of parents aimed to turn their child's recently vacated room into a nice home gym, office or new space.
Interestingly moms were more likely to want to turn a child's bedroom into something new, although Dads get over the kids moving out about half a month quicker than moms overall, results showed.
Dads were also more keen to rekindle their sex life and were more likely to cite 'reduced household expenses' as a plus for becoming an empty nester.
"Once the kids leave the house for adventures of their own, it's clear that the parents want to feed their wanderlust and have fun as well," said Leigh Barnes, Regional Director, Peregrine Adventures North America.
"Our survey found that nearly half of parents are eager to see new lands and go to places they've never been. As much as we hear about the travel habits of millennials, it's clear that the empty nesters may be the real explorers."
Tropical destinations are top of the list for jet-setting empty nesters, followed by a long-held bucket list experience they've talked about doing but never got the chance.
A vacation that's all about rekindling the romance was the third biggest travel aim for parents entering a new chapter in their relationship and over a third simply said they couldn't wait for proper alone time together now once the kids had moved out.
In fact, taking longer breaks and bringing back a bit of spontaneity to their lives was also prominent in the results- 46 percent said they wanted more impromptu getaways to really take advantage of their new-found freedom.
For more information, visit: www.peregrineadventures.com/en-us/empty-nesters
NEW SURVEY REVEALS TRAVEL IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR EMPTY NESTERS
Peregrine Adventures reveals new research of 2,000 U.S. Empty Nesters
(September 13, 2016) - The kids have gone back to school, and for many empty nesters, those whose last child has finally flown the coop, now is the time to explore on their own, as in, without the kids. Peregrine Adventures an award-winning adventure tour operator for seasoned travelers, recently polled 2,000 empty nesters in the United States and found that travel is their top priority. In fact, 44% cited that travel to a new place was number one on the list of what they want to do once their children leave home.
Beyond travel, empty nesters are keen to visit family not seen in some time (34%), turn their child's bedroom into a gym or home office (20%) and pursue a new hobby (20%). Meantime, 15% say they are eager to rekindle their sex lives once their children leave home for college and new jobs.
Empty Nesters Want Tropical Beaches, Bucket List Locales
Once the kids leave home, empty nester parents are eager to escape to the beach, citing a tropical destination as the number one trip they want to take once the kids leave the house. Among the top-five trips empty nesters most want to take:
- A warm-weather vacation to a tropical paradise (21%)
- An exploration of a bucket list destination (19%)
- A romantic getaway just for two (19%)
- A cruise (17%)
- An outdoor getaway to a nature-filled destination (17%)
Regardless of the where, it's clear that empty nesters are eager to spend this newfound time together. In fact, 36% of empty nesters most look forward to spending alone time with their partner; 28% most want to pack their bags and travel with a spouse or partner once the kids vacate the nest.
We Want to Take Longer Vacations, Say Empty Nesters
"When you've got kids, you're often limited to taking shorter vacations during school breaks," said Barnes. "So it was pleasing to learn that many empty nester couples find it most appealing to be able to spend more time away on vacation once the kids leave home."
Among the top-five things empty nesters found most appealing about travel once the kids left the nest include:
- Being able to spend more time on vacation (54%)
- Not having to spend as much money on vacation (40%)
- Going to restaurants more appealing to them (36%)
- Being able to explore previously visited destinations in new ways (29%)
- Learning about the history and culture of a destination (28%)
One in Four Want to Travel Outside the Country
In thinking about what kind of vacations they want to take, the road trip was tops with more than half of respondents (53%) indicating that a road trip was their preferred style of trip. In thinking about trip formats, empty nesters were also interested in:
- Impromptu getaways (46%)
- Cruises (32%)
- Vacations outside the country (23%)
- Small group guided tours (16%)
- Large big bus-style tours (7%)
Visit: www.peregrineadventures.com/en-us/empty-nesters
Survey Methodology: This online survey was conducted August 15-19, 2016 of 2,000 respondents in the United States age 50+ who had and raised children who no longer live at home by OnePoll, a member of ESOMAR.
About Peregrine Adventures
In January 1978, the first Peregrine small group trek set off around Nepal's Annapurna Sanctuary. Today, the company's commitment to taking travelers to the heart of a destination is unchanged. Peregrine offers small group travel experiences ideal for people aged 45 and over, who want a deeper connection with the places they visit, comfortable 4 star accommodation, English-speaking local leaders and private transport.www.peregrineadventures.com
About the Intrepid Group
The Intrepid Group is the world's largest provider of small group adventure travel experiences and includes the travel brands Adventure Tours Australia, Geckos Adventures, Intrepid Travel, Intrepid Urban Adventures, Peregrine Adventures and Peregrine Reserve. It is part of the PEAK Adventure Travel Group, which was formed in 2011 by Intrepid Travel and TUI Travel to bring together the world's leading adventure travel brands.
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