stages of vacatIon PlannIng by the academIc youth In 2015

In 2015, most of university students chose to have a vacation in their home country (75.1%). Before students decided where to go on vacation they had identified their needs. In doing so they took into consideration opinions of other people (friends – 35.9%, family – 26%) or information provided by different sources (the Internet – 79.7%). The departure on vacation was preceded by long lasting preparations: month long (20.4%), three months long (18.2% ) and one year long (1.5%). This stage of arrangements was spent on taking actions to increase the quality and comfort of a vacation (46.5%), saving time (52.6%) and decreasing the costs (50.4%). Upon choosing to go on vacation most students were motivated by the desire to satisfy their needs for relax (51.0%). Another factor determining the choice of vacation destination was esthetics of the destination place (59.3%) and recommendations of friends (53.8%). Young people stated that they did not want to have a company of different groups of tourists, mainly school children(30.3%), families with children (20.6%) or elderly people (17.8%).

choices and, at the same time, more they are more cooperative.Tourists are characterized by mobility and they search more actively for attractive and exceptional experiences.Young people are an important group of tourists whose expectations are usually precisely defined.Their needs, desires, habits and economic situation should provide important information for leisure time managers, especially those who develop their product for these particular customers.Therefore, the assumption of this work is to study attitudes of young people in terms of their preferences in spending leisure time in the summer.
The research goal was to find information on the subject how the university students prepare for vacation relax, especially to what degree they take into consideration opinions of other people while planning their vacation trips.It was also important to find out what makes them choose a given tourist offer as well as determine whether logistic, complex preparations for a vacation have an influence on its overall organization.Due to the fact that students tend to be mobile and choose different types of leisure activities, doing research on the needs and preferences of this specific social group seems to be important from the marketing point of view.

research method
The tool used in this research was a survey questionnaire.Questionnaires were distributed among the students, in lecture halls, and were collected right after they had been completed.This kind of data collection technique is called a random survey because of the way it is distributed, completed and returned to the researcher.Its content was clear and transparent and it included information how to complete the form.Respondents were asked 23 detailed questions concerning their vacation in 2015 ten of which were used for the purposes of this study (the surveys were carried out at the turn of 2015-2016 from October to January).The first question was about personal details of the respondents (gender, age, place of residence), the second question was supposed to provide information on what motivated them to choose a given tourist offer (price, recommendation, their own needs and requirements, esthetics, safety or atmosphere of the destination place).There, they could mark 5 answers: 'definitely yes', 'yes', 'definitely no', 'no' or 'does not matter'.Moreover, students were asked whether while choosing their vacation destination they took into consideration opinions of other people (family, friends, the Internet, were driven by others or no suggestions, if yes give what suggestion) and how long before the departure they had started the arrangements (one earlier, half a year earlier, a few days earlier, no planning).Additionally, an answer was provided to a question whether students who had planned their vacations in advance -stuck exactly (day by day) to the their plans (yes, no).In light of those question it was relevant to ask whether complex preparations for a trip have an influence on: quality of the relax, prevention from conflicts with fellow tourists, time saving, cost reduction, journey comfort, better time management and closer relations with the family.Here again, like in the second question it was possible to choose one option: 'definitely yes', 'yes', 'definitely no', 'no' or dos not matter'.It was explored (using Pearson correlation coefficients r) whether there was a relationship between responses given in this area, that is, to what degree the variables affecting the overall holiday planning were correlated.In the next question 7 respondents were asked whether going on vacation students wondered if in the destination places they had chosen there would be present some groups of tourists (seniors, families with children, school youth, social groups, foreigners, the disabled), in company of whom their relax would not be good enough.Students could also identify other groups of tourists or say that no other tourists would disturb them.The questionnaire also included a question about a transport means they had chosen to reach their vacation destination and the information source they had used to find information about the place of destination they were going to (the Internet; teletext; travel agency; leaflets; tourist magazines; did no enquiry, did no enquiry because they always spent vacation in the same place; others -details to be provided).The last question 10 was supposed to diagnose where they had spent their vacation in the previous year (in the home country, in European countries, outside Europe).
For some reasons 214 out of 250 questionnaires have been analyzed.Some questionnaires were completed only partially ( 14), whereas the remaining ones were not completed at all (12) or were not returned (10).The research predicted such situations as a survey is a technique which does not guarantee 100 % of questionnaire return although it does guarantee (unlike other survey techniques, e.g.interview questionnaire) anonymity, thus psychical comfort to provide honest answers even to sensitive questions (Sołoma, 2002, pp. 150-153).
The obtained results have been compared with the results obtained by the author at the turn of 2014-2015 (from October to January), on the subject of vacation planning by students.The comparison will provide the possibility of formulating conclusions on how previous expectations and assumptions were met during the vacation.
In 2015, academic youth rarely took advantage of tourist agents' offers (41.6%).However, having compared this data with the author's earlier research (Cichowska, 2015, p. 721) it can be observed that this kind of offer was bought by 12.6% respondents, that is, more than were expected.Then 29% of respondents declared a purchase of a tourist offer, whereas 26.6% did not take it into consideration.The surveyed people preferred to make their own holiday arrangements (58.4%), with the use of different transportation means in order to reach the chosen destination.A large group of respondents decided to go on vacation in their own cars (65.4%).There were also people who used air transport (15.9%) or used public transport means: PKP 1 (11.2%) and PKS. 2 Selforganized vacations are very popular among Poles as according to the statistics of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism they account for as many as 65%.The travels arranged entirely or partially by travel agents account for approximately 25%. 3 These tendencies are also confirmed by the report from national tourist market research, according to which 6 in 10 Polish tourists organized their vacations on their own, and in order to travel from their residence places to holiday destinations they used their own cars (81%) (Report..., 2014, pp. 2, 3).
The most important factor determining the choice of vacation destination was to satisfy the respondents' needs to relax.They decided to choose 'definitely yes' (51%) which made it the most important motif of choosing the type of vacation.Also the answer 'yes' was often chosen in this respect (43.9%) (Table 1).This aspect was also given priority in the survey carried out in 2014-2015 (Cichowska 2015)  Considering the next argument for choosing a holiday destination it can be observed that students (though their determination was not as strong as in the first case) stated that esthetics of the destination place was significant as well (59.3%).This is reflected by the fact that they paid attention to the holiday environment including the accommodation place and its surroundings.Friends' recommendation played an important role as well (53.8%).They were of the opinion that vacation destinations should be checked and recommended.On the one hand the opinion of friends and colleges let them avoid unnecessary disappointment and stress accompanying planning vacations even at its initial stage.It needs to be emphasized that recommendations and references play a very important role on the tourist market and is a powerful marketing tool.According to students, another important factor affecting the choice of holiday destination is safety (51.5%).This reflects big awareness of young people who attach more and more importance to the accommodation, food quality, hygiene or sports facilities.Certainly, in the era of terrorism, the respondents pay more 1 Polish Railway. 2 Polish Car Transport 3 http://podroze.onet.pl/plaze/gdzie-polacy-jezdzili-na-wakacje-w-2015-najlepsze-w-biurach-podrozy/17799j(19.02.2016).attention to safety aspects, especially considering a travel abroad.The atmosphere of the destination location was highly esteemed (50.8%) as well as the price (50.3%).It can be concluded that a quiet location with unique atmosphere can ensure successful vacation for young people.Thus, this had to be included in vacation planning.
According to C. Marcinkiewicz (Marcinkiewicz, 2003, p. 109), the motivation to buy a certain product or service is of economic and non-economic character, strong or weak.The author points out that motives to do shopping as well as needs are socially conditioned but they can also be induced by e.g.advertising activities.At the same time these motives are used by tourist agencies for development of appropriate offers that can meet tourists' needs and affect assessment of the tourist service (Betyn, 2013, p. 33).
Analyzing respondents' answers (83%) to the question whose opinions they took into consideration, especially in choosing their holiday location, it can be found that this was the opinion of their friends which was valued most (35.9%) and of family (26%).These numbers were significantly lower than those declared earlier (respectively 54.7% and 46.7%) (Cichowska, 2015).Decisions concerning a purchase of a market product are usually a resultant of opinions of family members, the smallest though the most important set of individuals directly affecting each other and having common goals, have a significant influence on consumption decisions (Marcinkiewicz, 2003).It is similar with friends with whom one spends a lot of time.In the third place (like in the case of argumentation of motives) the opinion of colleges and acquaintances was taken into consideration (21%).In turn, 17.1 % of the respondents were driven by the Internet suggestions, whereas 17% did not take any advice on this subject.Apart from opinions of different persons, the respondent also used information from additional sources.A sizeable group (87%) followed news on the subject of the holiday destination chosen by them mainly online (79.7%).Others visited travel agencies (7.8%), read tourist magazines (5.3%) and leaflets (1.9%), or obtained information from books and cell phone applications (5.3%).Apart from people who took the trouble to find some information, there were also people who did no research on this subject (10.5%).There were also respondents who used to spend vacation in the same places and did not find it necessary to search for additional information (2.5%).
The above study on the subject of inspiration for choosing vacation destinations seems to be consistent with the analyses carried out by the Polish Tourist Organization (Report, 2014).
According to them, like in the author's own research, tourists tend to search for information in two sources: the Internet (76%) and opinions of the closest environment (63%).Travel agents (21%) and tourist press (13%) were rare choices.Perhaps reluctance to plan a vacation with the help of a travel agent is connected with a vision of its bankruptcy which is suggested by the research carried out by the Research Institute IPC (Consumer..., 2013, p. 11).As many as 51.7% of the surveyed 18-24-aged respondents expressed such a fear.
The carried out surveys revealed that 92.3% of students planned their vacations in advance.A great majority (35.4%) said that they had started arrangements for a summer vacation one month prior to the departure which for 24.5% of respondents was enough time to prepare well for a vacation.Three months were needed for 20.4% people, and a half a year for 18.2%.Only three respondents (1.5%) started preparation as early as one year before going on vacation.Those who planned their trips well in advance did not consider in detail every day of their vacation relax.Only 14.1% of the surveyed decided to do so.Analyses carried out one year before showed that at that time students declared that they had taken actions to prepare for a vacation one month (37%) and three months earlier (29.6%).However, fewer respondents (15%) expressed an opinion that they needed only a few days to make all necessary arrangements connected with a vacation trip.What is interesting, only 9.9% of respondents (Cichowska, 2015), that is, 4.2% less than those who really had done this, declared to have started arrangements for vacation one year earlier.This implies that students' awareness of importance of details has grown and will let them avoid loss of time and choose activities according to their preferences.
It turned out that young people are rather tolerant to other tourist groups and they do not mind spending vacation in their company (54.1%).Nevertheless, there happened to be some more sensitive respondents for whom this aspect was important (45.9%).They were clear that it was school children whose company they would rather try to avoid (30.3%), families with children (20.6%) and elderly people (17.8%).Additionally, 14.4% of the respondents indicated foreigners, 6.2% social groups, and 2.7% the disabled.There were respondents who were against smokers and alcohol abusers as well as followers of other religions (8%).
Most of the surveyed (190) agreed that complex and logistic arrangements for a vacation trip improved the quality and comfort of their holidays (46.5%) persons marked 'definitely yes', and 42.7% 'yes').A significant group of students said that their earlier preparations had a positive influence on time saving (52.6% 'yes', 28.2% 'definitely yes') and reduction of vacation costs (50.4% 'yes', 31.4% 'definitely yes') (Table 2).An earlier prepared schedule made it possible for the young people to avoid travel problems (163 persons) and make the best use of vacation activities (172 people).In the first and second case, mainly the answer 'yes' was given (50.3% vs 46.5%).Additionally, minimization of any conflicts and arguments with people in whose company the respondents were having their vacations had significance as well.They did not agree though on the subject whether their actions preceding the vacation trip were good for their family relations.Although the majority said 'yes' (37.5%), there were also students who stated that such plans were of no significance for them (27.7%).Comparing the obtained results with the results of the author's earlier research it can be observed that, according to students, good logistics contributes to more effective and more efficient management of holidays, hence better adjustment of the tourist offer to the needs of customers.A year before students stated that the earlier they made complex arrangements for a vacation trip the better they used their time for different recreational activities (52%) and avoided transport problems (51.8%)(Cichowska  , 2015).After real trips in 2015 it turned out that the entire vacation arrangements positively contributed to its quality and comfort.Nevertheless, according to the carried out Pearson correlation r the overall planning of a holiday trip is closely associated with time saving and avoidance of travel problems (strong dependence r = 0.998).Similarly, a strong dependence was found for time saving and holiday costs reduction (r = 0.994).Given so high significance of coefficients it can be concluded that, for young people, efficient arrangements for a holiday trip, thus avoiding stressful situations, is of primary importance.A fairly strong dependence was also found for better management of time to be spent on different activities with tightening family bonds (r = 0.841), which can mean that by planning a vacation in advance students used time more effectively which was also reflected by tightening family bonds.These, in turn, revealed moderate relations with the comfort and quality of the relax (r = 0.683).Thus, good quality of holiday recreation does not necessarily have a positive effect on tightening family bonds though certainly higher quality of travel services provides more comfort and less complications during a holiday.Eventually, 75.1% of the respondents spent vacation in Poland which was less by 10.9% as compared to the analyses carried out in Poland by the Center of Social Opinion Research (CBOS) (Badora, 2013, p. 7) and the result was higher by 7.1% than the one obtained by KPMG (Holiday..., 2015, p. 2).The remaining respondents went to European countries (22.8%) and outside Europe (2.1%).In case of trips abroad the obtained results were higher than the ones presented by CBOS and lower than by KPMG.According to statistic report, respectively 15% and 32% of Poles had their vacation abroad.Here, it needs to be stressed that according to the assumptions of the "Marketing Strategy of Poland in the tourist sector for the years 2008-2015" (Marketing..., 2008, p. 75, p. 75) special campaigns encourage Poles, especially young people, to spend vacations in Poland.Such actions are supposed to improve statistics concerning the share of Poles in the national tourism as well as raise poor awareness of the role of tourism in the national economy and boosting entrepreneurship.Although tourist trips abroad are an important sign of social globalization, in Poland despite conditions provided by the Polish market, it is observed that the number of such trips grows slowly (Włodarczyk, 2014, p. 291).
Summing up, it should be said that monitoring tourist activities of students allows to provide answers to many questions connected with tourist trips, their frequency, motives, types of arrangement, tourist destinations and others.It also lets define the influence of many factors on the level of the tourist activity (Delekta, 2014, pp. 25-35).

conclusions
Young people treat planning their vacation very seriously.They can identify their own needs and the motivation behind them.They realize that vacation destinations recommended by their acquaintances and friends will not only be safe but will meet their expectations.The survey has shown that young people are prone to suggestions of the family and friends.They are also inspired by the Internet which is currently the primary source of information.Planning of vacation trips by young people was reliable and responsible, which is reflected by the amount of time spent on arrangements of those trips.As many as 70% of students needed from one month to one year to prepare for their holidays.Logistic and complex arrangements preceding the trips allowed to achieve all the set goals.They aimed at improving comfort, time saving, cost reduction and avoidance travel problems.The preferences of young people in relation to other holidaymakers (mainly school children, families with children and the elderly), provided the basis to formulate conclusions that the market of tourist products should be modified in order to avoid conflicts and, though the problem was discerned by a group of 45.9% of the surveyed people, its solution at this research stage would be a risky task to do as it requires further and more detailed analysis.It is not known yet whether the choice of groups of tourists indicated by students was connected with a lack of tolerance, or other factors.The choice of a destination country, for most students, was probably connected with limited finances.Foreign trips were chosen by 57 people, 10 of whom went outside Europe.
The carried out survey has proved that the arrangement process, preceded by a proper plan can have a positive impact on the vacation trip and avoidance of stressful situations.

table 2 .
List of factors affecting complex, logistic vacation arrangements