GLOBAL REPORT—Melanie Notkin developed SavvyAuntie.com out of need. When she become an aunt in 2001, she quickly realized there was a dearth of information available to help her—and professional women like her—better engage and connect with the children in her life.

It wasn’t until 2008 when her efforts materialized in the form of the online information portal. Since then, it has garnered national media attention for not only serving an oft-forgotten population but also for raising awareness about it.

Hoteliers are only now getting the hint.

Read more at HotelNewsNow.com

Translated from Spanish:

PANKs is an acronym of the phrase Professional Aunts No Kids (translatable as "Professional Aunts No Kids"). This new trend is the habit of many aunts going on a trip with his nephews around the world and take care of all expenses. The success of Internet discussion forums for Savvy Auntie aunts and demonstrate the importance of an idea that has only begun. According to estimates of the company's executive director, Melanie Notkin, in the U.S. alone there are 23 million "PANKs" whose expenses amounted to [US $9 billion] annually.

Read more at La Nacion

Getaway go multi-generational

With parents, grandparents and kids travelling together, the multi-generation holiday will be big in 2014. Self-catering villa escapes are an obvious option for couples, children and over-50s all under one roof, but families will be mixing it up by going on a adventurous holidays together, such as a three-generation family safari in Africa. The Selous Safari Company offers a private camp in southern Tanzania, perfect for large family gatherings for up to 12 guests. As 2014 sees the rise of relatives travelling in any number of multiples, Mr & Mrs Smith tells us there are unique boutique hotels catering not just for couples, but for tots and teens too. And the World Travel Market identified the rise of travelling Professional Aunts with No Kids (PANKS) in the USA, so expect to see more hotels with interconnecting rooms, playful pull-out beds and flexible family sleeping space this year. Le Jardin des Douars in Essaouira, Morocco offers quirky built-in bunk beds, while Almyra in Paphos, Cyprus is well-known for its impressive open-plan suites with interconnecting rooms and separate lounges.

Read More at AOL UK

TRAVEL
PANKs: Have aunt? Will travel. A new trend called 'Professional Aunts, No Kids' or PANKs, is the travel craze du jour this year. Unmarried aunts are spending big bucks to take off with their nieces and nephews for a vacation. US-based website Savvy Auntie estimates almost 23 million PANKs in the US, who shell out a huge $9 billion annually on holidays with kids.

Read more at Times of India.

Read more at Times of India

PANKs made the IN List for 2014! Thank you, Washington Post!  Read the full list at WashingtonPost.com

THE imperative is to be not boring.

As an aunt you may be many things, many and wide and varied, but boring must never be one. I say this after reading yet another article about the Pank. The Pank is the latest snappy acronymn to describe a group that has existed for all of time but which has yet to mobilise or be monetised.

Read more at Herald Scotland

(WJLA) - The holiday shopping season is heating up, and with just 19 days left until Christmas, stores nationwide are targeting almost every demographic.

This year, many stores, including Best Buy, are going after aunts who are spending on their nieces and nephews. In fact, there's a new word for it - PANK.

Watch the TV segment and read more at WJLA