Average Child's Holiday Suitcase Contains Over 400 Pounds Worth of Belongings
Posted by Sue Anderson, 24th Jul 2014
It's not just adult holidaymakers that risk going over their luggage allowance at the airport, according to our most recent poll of 1,288 parents from around the UK.
We only spoke to people who had been on holiday abroad in the last 12 months with their children (aged 12 or under) and we asked them all about what they took with them on holiday and what they packed in their suitcases.
What we found was quite surprising and kids certainly give their parents a run for their money when it comes to the amount they cram into their cases.
When we asked, 'How did you take your child's belongings on holiday?' and asked them to pick the answer that applied to them from a list, 41% said that they packed a full sized suitcase for their child. 32% said that their youngster had a child-sized suitcase for their last holiday, whilst 24% told us that they just packed their child's belongings in their own case or someone else's case who was travelling with them.
The parents who told us that their child had either their own small or large suitcase were questioned further on their packing choices. 71% said that all of the items in the suitcase that was assigned to their child belonged to their youngster. When asked to estimate the value of the contents within their child's suitcase, the average given by the parents in terms of what the items were worth, in total, was '£466.00'.
When we asked what could be found in their child's suitcase and told the parents to select all answers that applied from a possible list, the top 10 answers were as follows:
1. Holiday clothing - 100%
2. Shoes/flip flops/sandals - 100%
3. Sun protection cream/lotion - 87%
4. Beach/pool toys and inflatables - 76%
5. Cuddly toy(s) - 61%
6. Books - 52%
7. Sun hats/glasses - 44%
8. Swimming aids/accessories (goggles, arm bands) - 39%
9. Gadgets - 31%
10. Overflow of items belonging to other holidaymakers - 29%
When we asked if their child's suitcase had exceeded the weight limit on their last holiday abroad, 53% of the relevant respondents said 'yes'. 71% said that this had led to a charge, with the average amount revealed as £32.00. No one wants to fall into that trap!
Children are often able to have large suitcases and the same weight allowance as adults, so if this is included in your booking then you may as well take advantage of it. Even if your child doesn't have enough of their own belongings to fill the case, you can use it as an overflow and put some of your own items in it; or to leave room to bring souvenirs back from the holiday.
£466 is a lot of money for the value of items in a suitcase and it's not surprising if almost a third of kids take gadgets in their luggage! With this in mind, parents need to ensure they have the relevant travel insurance in place before they travel, to protect not only their own belongings but their children's too.
We only spoke to people who had been on holiday abroad in the last 12 months with their children (aged 12 or under) and we asked them all about what they took with them on holiday and what they packed in their suitcases.
What we found was quite surprising and kids certainly give their parents a run for their money when it comes to the amount they cram into their cases.
41% of children take full sized adult suitcases on holiday
When we asked, 'How did you take your child's belongings on holiday?' and asked them to pick the answer that applied to them from a list, 41% said that they packed a full sized suitcase for their child. 32% said that their youngster had a child-sized suitcase for their last holiday, whilst 24% told us that they just packed their child's belongings in their own case or someone else's case who was travelling with them.
The parents who told us that their child had either their own small or large suitcase were questioned further on their packing choices. 71% said that all of the items in the suitcase that was assigned to their child belonged to their youngster. When asked to estimate the value of the contents within their child's suitcase, the average given by the parents in terms of what the items were worth, in total, was '£466.00'.
31% of children have gadgets packed in their holiday suitcase
When we asked what could be found in their child's suitcase and told the parents to select all answers that applied from a possible list, the top 10 answers were as follows:
1. Holiday clothing - 100%
2. Shoes/flip flops/sandals - 100%
3. Sun protection cream/lotion - 87%
4. Beach/pool toys and inflatables - 76%
5. Cuddly toy(s) - 61%
6. Books - 52%
7. Sun hats/glasses - 44%
8. Swimming aids/accessories (goggles, arm bands) - 39%
9. Gadgets - 31%
10. Overflow of items belonging to other holidaymakers - 29%
When we asked if their child's suitcase had exceeded the weight limit on their last holiday abroad, 53% of the relevant respondents said 'yes'. 71% said that this had led to a charge, with the average amount revealed as £32.00. No one wants to fall into that trap!
Children are often able to have large suitcases and the same weight allowance as adults, so if this is included in your booking then you may as well take advantage of it. Even if your child doesn't have enough of their own belongings to fill the case, you can use it as an overflow and put some of your own items in it; or to leave room to bring souvenirs back from the holiday.
£466 is a lot of money for the value of items in a suitcase and it's not surprising if almost a third of kids take gadgets in their luggage! With this in mind, parents need to ensure they have the relevant travel insurance in place before they travel, to protect not only their own belongings but their children's too.
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