The nest-cation: why the last big family holiday deserves a place in the diary

There comes a point when family life starts filling up with firsts and lasts. The last school run. The first university drop-off. Then the summer when everyone suddenly has somewhere else to be.

But there’s another milestone in the mix that can easily slip by unnoticed: the last big family holiday before the children leave home. We’re calling it the nest-cation. It’s a trip taken while everyone still lives under one roof, before jobs, partners and packed calendars make a free week or two feel impossible to pin down.

Our new research suggests this trip deserves more fanfare. 43% of Brits believe the final family holiday before children fly the nest should be recognised as a milestone, much like a honeymoon or retirement trip. Among parents, that figure rises to 62%.

The catch? Plenty only realise how much that holiday mattered once the moment has passed.

More than another family holiday

A nest-cation is not simply another week away together, although there is nothing wrong with a week by the pool. It's a chance to choose a trip that feels worthy of the years you have spent holidaying together. The trip itself can take any shape, from snorkelling straight from a Caribbean beach and spotting elephants in Sri Lanka to eating your way around Asia.

It is about making time for each other and marking the moment without forcing the sentiment. Think less forced family bonding, more new stories that will still be doing the rounds at Sunday lunch years later.

Why this trip is worth taking now

It’s easy to assume there will always be another chance. After all, 44% of 18-to-24-year-olds say they would still holiday with their family after leaving home. But meaning to go and actually going are two different things. 29% of people surveyed were unsure whether that milestone family trip would ever actually happen.

For some parents, hindsight has already kicked in. A quarter of those with children aged 18 to 24 who have left home wish they had taken a final family holiday together while they had the chance.

This is not a cue for panic-booking or a ticking-clock soundtrack. It is simply a reminder to stop treating the trip as a distant maybe.

The nest-cation is already taking off

Families are not waiting for the term to catch on. In recent years, more than 27% of Kuoni’s family bookings have included someone aged between 16 and 25. Bookings for families travelling with this age group rose by 55% in 2022–23 compared with the previous year, as people made up for trips lost during the pandemic.

The rise was not a one-off. Families are still prioritising a big trip with older teenagers and young adults, even when buckets, spades and children’s clubs are no longer the headline act.

What makes a great holiday with older children?

A great nest-cation does not mean moving as a pack from breakfast to bedtime. Older teenagers and young adults may not want every hour decided for them. A little structure helps, but no one person should feel like the holiday’s full-time logistics manager.

The sweet spot is a few standout plans with time to split off too. That might mean a morning boat trip, separate afternoons, then dinner together. It could be a safari followed by a few days on the coast, a multi-stop route with new scenery every few nights or a resort with enough going on to keep every age and mood happy.

The hotel matters too. Interconnecting rooms, family suites and villas with separate bedrooms can make a big difference when everyone values their own space. All-inclusive can also be a winning choice, taking the arithmetic out of another iced coffee or a mid-afternoon burger. Most importantly, build the trip around a couple of key experiences that everyone is fully there for and still talking about afterwards.

Where are families going on a nest-cation?

Hot beaches and all-inclusive resorts still have plenty of pull, but our bookings show that families are increasingly choosing trips with more adventure, contrast and variety.

The Maldives, Thailand and Mauritius were our three most-booked nest-cation destinations for 2025–26. Greece, the USA, Kenya, Vietnam, Italy, Indonesia and Tanzania completed the top ten.

Here’s why the top three are leading the nest-cation charge.

Maldives: barefoot, but never bored

There’s more to the Maldives than horizontal time, with coral-garden snorkels, dolphin trips, paddleboarding and diving all on the cards. Add brag-worthy beach and water villas, big days on the water and a whole island to call home, and the Maldives makes a strong case for the ultimate nest-cation. The full Maldives flex? Double up on islands.

Read more about our Maldives family holidays.

Thailand: big bites and beach nights

Thailand is a full-house crowd-pleaser, and no two days need look the same. Start with temple-hopping in Bangkok, pound curry paste in Chiang Mai and come face to face with elephants deep in the rainforest. Then come the islands, where lunch lands hot from the wok and the biggest debate is swim or snorkel. Want the whole trip mapped out? See our Thailand family itinerary.

Read more about our Thailand family holidays.

Mauritius: more than a fly-and-flop

Mauritius is beach time with more bite. First up, you have an all-singing resort base, with watersports, golf, spa time and a strong choice of restaurants. But gather the troop for a big day out and you could be tasting your way through street-food stalls, chasing waterfalls or sailing the coast by catamaran with dolphins racing the bow. For a wilder second half, hop to nearby La Réunion for volcano hikes, canyoning and high-altitude road trips.

Read more about our Mauritius family holidays.

Is there a perfect age for a nest-cation?

There's no official expiry date on a family holiday, but our research found a small difference of opinion.

Parents with children still living at home believe 18 is the ideal age for a nest-cation. Adult children place it closer to 20.

In practice, the right time is the one that falls before calendars become too crowded. That may be after A-levels, before university, between graduation and a first full-time job or simply the year everyone agrees to make the trip happen. The destination matters less than getting the plan out of the group chat and into the diary.

How to get the trip right

Get everyone to name their big holiday want. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife moment, a beach with serious wow factor, a trip built around great food or a firm refusal to repack every other morning.

Then bring us the wish list. We’ll spark ideas, suggest destinations, shape the route and secure the family villas, interconnecting rooms and sought-after safari camps before they disappear.

Take the trip while the stars align

The nest-cation is not about declaring that family holidays are over. Far from it. There may be plenty more to come. It is about recognising that family life will not look quite like this forever.

So take the photographs nobody wants to pose for. Order too much at dinner. Let them choose the playlist. Book the boat trip, the safari, the villa or the island you have always talked about.

There will be new chapters, new partners and new ways of travelling together. But this one deserves marking too.

The information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication.