Multigenerational Travel

We really have to come up with a better name for this but in essence multigenerational travel is when parents bring their kids and their parents on vacation together. Here is what Dorothy Brown from the Philidelphia Inquirer described it as:

Some call it “multigenerational travel.” Others call it “grand tripping.” But the idea of grandparents swooping up children and grandchildren is one of the fastest-growing segments of the travel industry, according to the Travel Industry Association.

While the Web and guidebooks are full of tips on what makes for a successful three-generation trip, my husband, Larry, and I didn’t read any of that before going.

We didn’t even give a moment’s thought to rerouting to a kid-friendly spot such as Disney World. We were in love with the villa-in-Tuscany idea, no matter how arduous the logistics. And the Bryn Mawr agency that helped us book our villa, Doorways Ltd., assured us we were not pioneers.

About half of its bookings (about 3,100 people last year) are for grandparents taking their entire families, a share that’s been growing since 1994 when Kit Burns launched her villa rental business.

“When we first started, the renters were mostly couples and some families. Now it’s caught on with three-generation families,” she says.

The grandparents “can stay home one day or baby-sit while others go out. Also, it’s a different way for teenagers to experience their grandparents.”

Have you tried a holiday like this? I am sure that it is much more common than we really tend to notice. If you want to make multigenerational travel work well for you then it is best to make sure that everyone gets their space, kids, parents, and grandparents because having so many people together in a foreign place could be very stressful.

This though is the perfect opportunity to have a great vacation that no one could forget.