Examining the potential relationship benefits of leisure travel taken with and without one's significant other and children

Goal and objectives of the dissertationGoalThe primary goal of the study was to investigate the effect vacation satisfaction has on relationship satisfaction and commitment levels.ObjectivesThe objectives of the research were to compare and contrast vacation and relationship satisfaction levels between three groups; (1) those who travelled with their significant other, (2) those who travelled without their significant other, and (3) those who travelled with children, to demonstrate the impact travel partners have on overall vacation satisfaction. The main objectives of this research were to develop an initial understanding of the potential benefits travel may contribute to relationship satisfaction, and to determine the impact vacation satisfaction may have on variables related to relationship commitment.The objectives to this study were guided by the following hypotheses:? H1a: Vacation Satisfaction will have a direct correlation with Relationship Satisfaction.? H1b: Relationship Satisfaction will have a direct correlation with Satisfaction with Life.? H1c: Vacation Satisfaction will have a positive correlation with Satisfaction with Life as mediated by Relationship Satisfaction.? H2a: Relationship Commitment will be significantly and positively influenced by Investment Size.? H2b: Relationship Commitment will be significantly and positively influenced by Relationship Satisfaction.? H2c: Relationship Commitment will be significantly and negatively influenced by Quality of Alternatives.? H3a: Perceived Relationship Satisfaction will be predicted by satisfaction with vacations taken; a) with a significant other, b) without a significant other, and c) with significant other and kids.? H3b: Perceived Commitment to Relationship will be predicted by satisfaction with vacations taken; a) with a significant other, b) without a significant other, and c) with significant other and kids.MethodologyThis study applied quantitative research methods to understand the proposed hypotheses and conceptual models. The study primarily incorporated latent variables of the Investment Model (satisfaction, investment, alternatives and commitment) to understand antecedents to relationship commitment and satisfaction. A selfadministered survey was selected as the primary data collection method which has been deemed an appropriate method by previous research in similar areas (Groves, Fowler, Couper, Lepkowski, Singer and Tourangeau, 2013).Specifically, this study employed the use of an online panel survey utilizing criterion sampling to collect data. The criterion used to select the sample included: only those in a relationship, those who had taken a leisure vacation in the past two years, had a household income greater than $25,000, and were 25 or older, resulting in a total response of 435 participants. The study was delimited to this criteria to respectively help increase the likelihood that respondents were in relationships, had taken recent vacations, had enough income to travel sufficiently, and were old enough to be on their own financially. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was chosen to test the majority of hypotheses. Hypothesis testing was completed through confirmatory factor analysis of the conceptual model to address H1a, H1b, H2a, H2b, and H2c.To test H3a and H3b, this study used linear regression to determine if vacation satisfaction and relationship commitment levels would significantly differ for those with differing travel parties, specifically those traveling (1) with a significant other, (2) without a significant other, and (3) traveling with children.ResultsIt was found that vacation satisfaction was a positive and significant predictor of relationship satisfaction, explaining 20 percent of the variance in relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that relationship satisfaction was a significant and positive predictor of satisfaction with life, explaining 40 percent of the variance. …