Books, films, friends and school all have a huge influence on a child’s desire to travel – far more so than parents realise, according to Original Travel

Research undertaken by luxury tour operator Original Travel has found that friends have the most influence, while films, books and school also have a significant sway – far more so than parents might appreciate.

The survey found that 80.6% of junior respondents want to visit somewhere their friends have told them about, with 67.6% and 63.9% saying that a book (including by authors Michael Morpurgo and Phillip Pullman) and a film (Paddington, Encanto and The Lion King) respectively have inspired their holiday dreams. Conversely, when the same question was put to the parents, only 29.2% thought those external influences had an impact, which goes to show that Mum and Dad don’t always know what’s what!

Equally, only 33.8% of the adults felt that their child’s school curriculum had had any bearing on travel plans, whereas 55.3% of children said that learning something at school had made them want to visit somewhere. According to the children, history and geography were the two main drivers, with Egypt and Rome being the standout destinations to bring learning to life.

Families are aligned when it came to influencers however, with both groups in agreement that they actually yield very little influence at all; only 20.3% of parents said they had any bearing (citing Harlow White as the key influencer) and only 37.8% of children agreed, putting Mr Beast in the top spot.

“The research is a fascinating insight into what can prompt a child’s wanderlust and (at the risk of sounding somewhat manipulative!) presents a fantastic opportunity for parents to prompt and shape shared holiday plans,” says Tom Barber, co-founder of Original Travel. “By exposing them to books and films and taking the curriculum beyond the classroom, you can really inspire a love of travel and make a holiday so much more meaningful.

“Original Travel has always been a firm believer in the transformative powers of travel and we think that the younger you develop an appreciation of the world, the greater the benefits – not only in terms of broadening young horizons and gaining a greater appreciation of the wider world, but perhaps even sparking a passion for something that shapes future career paths. We call this “World Work Experience’.

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