Family travel is growing at a faster rate than all other sectors of leisure travel. This is fueled by both parents and grandparents looking to travel as a way to "reunite" in a contemporary world dominated by work, etc. Travel + Leisure Family reported that their readers spent $2 billion on travel with their Amex cards. And if I had any doubts, they were dispelled on a recent visit to the Marbella Club in Spain this summer. After vacationing there for nearly 30 years, I've never seen so many children as this year --- British, Dutch, Middle Eastern, French, etc.
However, every trend has a counter trend: NetJets Europe, the largest operator of business jets and private jets in Europe, is addressing the growing number of traveling families, by advertising services and products that appeal to travelers who want to get away from the family ...or other people's kids. One of the most blatant examples is their ad in upscale European magazines: "We have eliminated the single most troublesome part of flying. All those other people." And in a box with quick facts about their services they list: aircraft in service 89; number of pilots 550; flights in 2005, 43,800; number of crying babies 0.
