Do you know your family?

Despite the stereotypical jokes and jibes, a new survey in the lead up to Mother’s Day from holiday rental site HomeAway.co.uk has revealed that over 50% of people would happily go on holiday with their mother-in-law. Nearly 45% of respondents travel with their extended family at least once a year and surprisingly three quarters said they enjoy holidaying this way as it gives them the chance to spend quality time together. On the other hand, 20% admitted it saves them money and an honest 13% said it helped with childcare as it means a free babysitter. With 40% of people booking rental villas and apartments, the survey once again reflects the growing belief that you don’t have to stay in a 5 star hotel to enjoy a 5 star holiday. As sparks can fly in some situations, 16% said they would stay at home if their mother-in-law was tagging along and 18% admitted such an arrangement would cause tension in the relationship. Erica Chang, Regional Director for HomeAway.co.uk, said, “Whilst many of us don’t automatically think of going away with our mother-in-law, it is becoming an increasingly popular holiday choice for many families. We believe these results highlight that many families are learning to be more flexible and strategic about when and where they travel, how much they can spend on accommodation and who they go away with to get the most out of their well-earned break”. She added,“With many people preferring to rent holiday homes, HomeAway.co.uk is the perfect solution as we offer a wide range of accommodation that works brilliantly for extended families. You can choose where you stay, how many bedrooms there are, whether you need an annex or multiple apartments, which facilities are a must and find a property that ticks all the boxes within the budget.” HomeAway.co.uk’s recent TV sponsorship campaign featuring real families who filmed themselves on holiday backs up this research. The We Found a Place To… campaign currently showing on Really TV, depicts extended families, including the mother-in-law, having a fantastic time on holiday together – some perfect examples of video testimonials you can trust. Porth Farm House, Porth Farm Annex and Lane Cottage are part of an old farm that has been converted to self catering holiday accommodation that is perfect for extended families to enjoy together. Situated in Mawgan Porth on the north coast of Cornwall about half way between Newquay and Padstow, this is the ideal place for children to have fun and for parents, and grandparents, to have a well earned rest. There is a large play area with swings, a zip wire and an old wooden boat as well as a table tA new study commissioned by ‘from you to me’ shows the vast majority of us spend little or no time talking to older relatives, or even our parents about their lives, so could years of family stories be lost forever to future generations? Many of our family stories, traditions and secrets could be lost forever, according to the results of a new study which shows that the majority of us have never spoken to our parents and older relatives about their pasts. The study saw three quarters of respondents admit they spend little or no time talking to older relatives about their lives and the family stories of their parents. More than half of us do not talk to our parents or grandparents about our family heritage, while close to 30% have never even talked to their mother, and nearly 40% to their father about their own lives. Close to 40% don’t know how their parents met, 48% don’t know when they met and 86% of respondents whose dad proposed to their mum don’t know where or how it happened, while over 60% don’t know what their parents’ hobbies were as children. Over 40% don’t know where their maternal grandmother or paternal grandfather were born, a quarter don’t know what their grandfather did for a job, and almost a third don’t know their grandmother’s full name. However, it seems the intentions are there, 90% of us agree it’s important to know about the stories from our relatives’ lives to capture this information before it is lost forever, but we just don’t seem to be following this through. The results also show that the older you get, the stronger these feelings get too. Sadly, more than 70% of those surveyed by gift journal publisher ‘from you to me’, have had a relative or close friend pass away who they wished they had asked more questions to about their life. Rhoda Breakell, head of Genes Reunited, commented on the ‘from you to me’ research results: "The amount of people who don't spend time listening to their parents and grandparents about their family heritage is surprising. We feel it's so important that people listen to the older generations within their families before their stories are lost forever." So how well do you know your family and its past? And what can you do to learn more before it’s too late? ‘from you to me’ gift journals are inspiring families to correct these research results, making it easy to ask the questions we never ask and to preserve priceless memories and stories for us and for future generations.nnis room and art classes that are run in the summer holidays