Framily vacations, taken with friends who are as close as family, are on the rise.
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(Relaxnews) – Like glamping, staycations and voluntourism, the travel industry is seizing on another word mash-up to carve up a new market: “framily.” And to coincide with the UN-designed International Day of Friendship July 30, travel agency Thomas Cook has released the results of a new survey to promote the concept of girlfriend getaways and buddy vacations as a way of strengthening marriage.
The relationship between the two could be construed as a bit of a stretch. In a poll of 2,000 Brits, one-third of respondents claimed that taking a vacation with a close friend helped or even “saved” their marriage.
And only 40 percent said they missed their other half while they were away.
“We believe that the rise in holidays with friends is being driven by another trend, the increasing importance of friendship,” said consultant and futurologist William Higham in a statement.
“Today, more and more people have a close group of friends that they consider to be a surrogate family: a ‘Framily.’”
The growing popularity of girlfriend getaways and boys’ only vacations are described as a push against the increasing dominance of technology in our lives, and the renewed appreciation for human interaction and bonding.
Framily vacations with friends who are like family can also fulfil needs where partners can’t, he added.
The survey results showed that the most popular type of friend vacation is a city sightseeing break (17 percent) followed by a beach holiday (15 percent).
Nearly a quarter (23 percent) said they “get up to no good” while vacationing sans partner, 40 percent of whom admitted to having cheated on their partner.
The most mischievous age group is the 18-24-year-old.
Meanwhile, if the term sounds familiar, that’s because the travel industry is borrowing it from a Sprint marketing campaign, which uses the term to mean family and friends.
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