Travelling during term

Read our latest press release here:

Many parents are willing to pull their children out of school to avoid paying peak “school holiday” prices according to a timely piece of research published today by AA Travel Insurance.  

 As schools shut their doors for a two week Easter hiatus tomorrow AA Travel Insurance shares that as many as 32% of parents have taken their children out of school for a holiday.  Furthermore they reveal that an additional 21% of the mums and dads they polled said they’ve been very tempted to do so.  The AA’s results are based on a sample of 10,700 parents living in Ireland.

 While some parents stated that work commitments and child care led them to travel during term time the majority stated it was down to cost.  77% of those polled said they’d like to see a cap introduced on the amount that airlines and holiday operators can raise their prices during the school holidays. 

Illustrative of how much more parents are paying for foreign travel during the school holidays, a one week family trip to Euro Disney departing this Friday would cost 30% more than the equivalent week in May.  Most notably, the flights in isolation were 86% dearer.

Similarly reflective of demand, return passage by Ferry for a family of four and their car from Rosslare to Cherbourg works out at 19% more expensive than a similar journey in May. 

One teacher the AA spoke to on the subject said it can be very disruptive and difficult for children to catch up on lessons missed particularly when introducing something new.  We always do our best but often we don’t have the capacity to give a child the one on one attention they need to make up the lost ground. 

Of the third of parents who have taken their children on holiday during the school term the AA shares that a good number said they did so at the end of the Summer term.  Many of these rationalised their decision on the price difference between June and July. 

In the UK parents can be fined a minimum of £60 for taking children out of school without permission. 

While the National Education Welfare Board, N.E.W.B., strongly advises against taking children in Ireland out of school during school time to go on holidays no such penalty exists in this country. Irish schools must keep attendance records and inform N.E.W.B. if a child is absent for more than 20 years in a school year. 

“While we can’t comment on the practice of taking children out of school to go on holiday one thing we can advise families on is travel insurance.”  Says Conor Faughnan, Director of Consumer Affairs, AA Ireland.  “Buy it straightaway when you book your trip, not the night or week before you go.  Family holidays for the most part take a lot of planning and saving.  If something does affect your plans such as the loss of an immediate family member, illness or redundancy at least you’ll be able to recoup your money and hopefully make alternative plans.”

ENDS

Notes to the editor;        

1.Comparison of flights and hotel prices based on a trip from Dublin to Euro Disney, Paris for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 yrs:

 2.       Comparison of ferry prices for a trip from Rosslare to Cherbourg, France for a car, 2 adults and 2 children under 12 yrs: