With the summer holiday season nearly here; many families will have already booked their break away. However, the latest research shows a holiday is an unaffordable luxury for many hard-working families, and that missing out is having a negative impact on mental well being.

Research published by Nottingham Civic Exchange (NCE) on behalf of the Family Holiday Association titled The Value of Breaks for Ordinary Working Families: An exploratory study shows that ordinary working families – those where household income is between GBP 12,000 (USD 15,245) – GBP 34,000 (USD 43,194) a-year after tax and benefits – are struggling to cover the costs of a family break.

Many have to juggle annual leave to meet responsibilities and are therefore being unable to spend time together. Parents feel there is a limited time in which to form childhood memories. This creates a ‘ticking clock’ for parents who are unable to provide holidays for their children with feelings of guilt and shame weighing heavy on parents’ minds.

The report calls for the government to launch an independent commission to investigate how to better enable ordinary working families to participate in tourism and make access to a holiday a social right. Martin Realey, CEO of the Family Holiday Association, said, “What is concerning is the negative impact this is having on our country’s mental well being.”

While the research concludes that holidays have a notable positive impact on mental well being and, conversely, not being able to take breaks had a negative impact, it finds nearly a quarter of those interviewed hardly ever took a break.

Furthermore, 70% felt they got away less than other people they knew and spoke of the guilt they felt about not being able to afford to take their children away.

The research identifies several benefits of breaks, including strengthening family relationships, creating shared family memories, providing new social and cultural experiences, providing respite from daily routine and enabling children to participate fully in shared social interactions away from televisions and games consoles.