Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shortcomings of the earlier FLC models, explaining that they failed 'to
recognise the changing role of women in contemporary society and the
impact of such changes upon the types and compositions of families' (Gilly
& Enis, 1982: 271). Their redefined FLC model took into account childless
couples and single-parent households.
More recently, the choice of some couples not to have children has
received attention in the FLC literature. While an abundance of literature
surrounds the issue of couples unable to have children due to infertility,
couples who are child-free by choice had hitherto received very little
focus (Pelton & Hertlein, 2011). The 'family life cycle may not adequately
describe the stages' that voluntarily childless couples go through during
their relationship (Pelton & Hertlein, 2011: 39). These couples can often be
treated in an insensitive way and can be harshly judged by society (Pelton
& Hertlein, 2011):
We think they're selfish … we think they're rigid … they are self- absorbed,
hypochondriacal, competitive, anxious…. My child-free chums name
their dogs Baby', celebrate their cats' birthdays and bury them all in
pet cemeteries…. Are mortally obsessed with cysts, moles, sunburn, and
cellulite…. Some of them are on antidepressants (my diagnosis is Empty
Futuritis). (Stern, 1994: 62; cited in Pelton & Hertlein, 2011: 43)
Indeed, the replacement of children through pet ownership is not new.
Some commercial accommodation providers allow pets to stay in order
to cater for this growing market segment (Weaver & Lawton, 2010). Such
providers have developed niche strategies aimed at those in society who
want to holiday but who do not want to separate from their pets (who, for
some, are like their children). In fact, the role of pets throughout the FLC
has also been considered in the literature (e.g. Turner, 2005).
The applications of the FLC model are broad. It has been studied in
terms of its implications in medicine, sociology, marketing, economics and
tourism. The FLC has been found to be more correlated with the purchase
of leisure activities (including tourism) than social class or age (Hisrich &
Cheng, 1974). Some further research investigating the relationship between
the FLC and travel behaviour followed Hisrich and Cheng's (1974) study
(e.g. Hong
et al
., 2005; Lawson, 1991; Lin & Lehto, 2006; Zimmerman, 1982).
Zimmerman analysed travel frequency along the stages of five different
household types, or models. A 12-stage 'typical family life cycle' (Zimmerman,
1982: 57) was developed along with a separate six-stage single-parent cycle.
A seven-stage model was set up to accommodate married couples without
children. The other two models were for a single-person household and
a household with individuals not related to each other. Life cycle stages
could be seen to influence travel behaviour. However, the complexity of the
research, by accommodating the range of household types in modern society,
