Longing For A ‘Nestcation’? The Travel Trend 1 In 4 Parents Regret Not Trying

Almost two-thirds (62%) of parents say the ‘nestcation’ – or the family holiday taken together before children fly the nest – deserves to be recognised as a milestone in the same way as honeymoons or retirement trips.

In fact, one quarter of parents (25%) who have children aged 18-24 said they wished they’d taken a nestcation with their adult kids before they left home, according to a survey of 2,000 people by travel firm Kuoni.

In the past five years, more than a quarter (27%) of family holiday bookings through the company have qualified as nestcations – so it’s clearly something parents are thinking a lot about.

Data from the firm shows bookings for families travelling with 16- to 25-year-olds peaked in 2022-23, up 55% on the prior year, as families made the most of post-pandemic travel.

But rather than trailing off, family bookings including this age group have remained consistently above 27% ever since, suggesting that nestcations are something families are continuing to prioritise.

It makes sense. Among parents whose children have already flown the nest, over a third (35%) suggested a nestcation is one of the most significant experiences a family can share.

Parents with children still at home believe the sweet spot for a final family trip is when the kids are 18, whilst adult children think the best age is around the time they turn 20.

Writer Rita Templeton recently shared how she took her four teen boys – ranging from 13 to 20 years old – on a nestcation to an all-inclusive beach resort southeast of the Bahamas. (Interestingly Kuoni’s survey revealed 31% of UK families would opt for a hot beach destination for a nestcation and 18% would go for an all-inclusive resort).

Templeton explained that while all her boys still live at home, her eldest is set to turn 21 and her second eldest will be graduating soon, so “we’re all too aware that we’re hurtling toward an empty nest at breakneck speed”.

“To them, it was a trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos. To their dad and me, it was a precious chance to soak up these last few opportunities for complete togetherness,” she wrote of their trip, adding that it was “the perfect way to create those last few memories while we’re still all together”.

Kuoni said the top five destinations for nestcation bookings in 2025-26 were to the Maldives, Thailand, Mauritius, Greece and the USA.

But it doesn’t have to be a grand affair – even hiring a nice Airbnb in the UK can be a great way for families to connect and make special memories.