'Gramping' rise sees children camp with their grandparents

• 21st Aug 2012

Grandparents are increasingly taking their grandchildren on camping holidays to give their parents a break, onenewspage.co.uk reports.

The trend - which has already gained the name 'gramping' - sees families save money and get time away by sending the children packing for a camping holiday with their grandparents.

This, the gramping-aficionados suggest, means parents can get a holiday of their own without worrying about childcare costs - or send the youngsters away even if they cannot take holiday from work. It also allows children to spend time holidaying with their grandparents.

New research by Mintel found that over a third of families in the UK rely on grandparents to take care of the children during school holidays, with around a quarter going on holiday together. The seaside is the most popular destination for holidays, with campsites near the coast experiencing a surge in bookings from the over-65s, a study by Halfords found.

Spending on campsites has also increased, with many of the grandparents thought to be looking for campsites with everything they could need in a bid to draw the youngsters away from the distractions of TV or computer games.

Speaking to dailymail.co.uk about the results, commercial director at Halfords, Paul McClenaghan, explained: "We know that many people have nostalgic memories of camping trips when they were growing up so its natural that grandparents want to pass on the enjoyment of a holiday under canvas to their grandchildren.

"Camping is also great value and an ideal way to occupy children and give them an active break."