Are Aussies escaping Christmas for travel?

Unhappy upset young woman in red santa claus hat arms crossed folded looking at you isolated on gray background. Negative emotions

Christmas is meant to be a time of family get-togethers, hordes of people squished into tiny dining rooms fighting over the last mince pies.

But not everyone enjoys this (somewhat taxing) tradition.

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Instead, more and more families are opting for a Christmas escape.

Swapping our roast ham for hammocks, and pork crackling for paddleboarding.

According to Intrepid Travel, companies are experiencing a rise in Australian families wanting to travel at Christmas time, leaving behind the stresses and dramas that often come with the one-day celebration.

In particular, there is a rise of bookings with one adult and one child suggesting single parents are choosing adventures over arguments.

Intrepid Family Product Manager Dyan Mckie said bookings with one adult and one child usually made up less than one per cent of family bookings but at Christmas, the number of bookings consisting of one parent travelling with one child rose to 16 per cent.

“There are so many reasons for single parents to escape the Christmas madness and join an Intrepid trip instead,” Mckie said.

“The kids in each tour group can amuse one another while experiencing truly amazing things like walking with elephants, learning to cook with exotic ingredients, chatting to the locals, sleeping on a train in bunk beds, and practising how to say hello and thank you in other languages.”

“These experiences are far more enriching than giving toys and clothes at Christmas.

“Meanwhile the adults get to have adult conversations, enjoy delicious dinners and even some well-deserved ‘me time’,” Mckie added.

In response to the trend, the Australian-owned travel company quadrupled its family trips over Christmas this year.

According to Intrepid, 16 dedicated family trips are on offer from December 23 to 26, 2017, to nine destinations including Iceland, Indochina, Galapagos, India, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Morocco.

By comparison, in 2016 there were seven departures to four destinations over the Christmas period.

In addition, Intrepid has reduced last-minute Christmas tours by up to 30 per cent including:

Angkor Trails departing on December 23, 2017, from $1163* per person twin share
Phuket Sailing Adventure $1431* departing 17 December $1431*
A nine-day Myanmar experience departing December 17, 2017, from $2286* per person twin share
Classic Vietnam $2641 15 days departing 16 December

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