Pam Wear of Chico, Calif., always has loved to travel. As a former Army brat, she has great memories of her journeys all over the world. “But when we got grandchildren, we really hit the road,” she said.
Wear is one of a growing number of seniors who are choosing to vacation with their extended family to places near and far. Moo Bishop of Thomson Family Adventures says multigenerational, or intergenerational, travel has been on the upswing for many years and shows no sign of slowing down. The company offers different types of vacations suitable for every family, like traveling with older children or the multi-sports adventure for athletic families. Destinations are assigned a difficulty rating to help the family gauge what’s suitable — the Kilimanjaro climb rates a high five!
There are many reasons for this emerging travel trend. The baby boomer generation is not shying away from travel in retirement and often has the funds to pick up the tab for the entire trip. Some desire to share a piece of family history, perhaps even dining at the same Parisian restaurant where Grandpa asked Grandma for her hand in marriage. Others seek new adventures and prefer destinations the family’s never been.
“If the family likes to be together, why not go someplace new?” says Bishop. “Everyone’s on equal terms, learning something new together and creating totally new conversations and memories. “
No matter the destination, it’s ultimately about sharing experiences with the family. It’s hard to find a place on the top of everyone’s list, so Bishop suggests if the grandparents are paying, they get to choose. Or if the trip is honoring Uncle Ted’s 40th birthday, then he gets to choose. PANKS (professional aunts with no kids) often treat their nieces or nephews to trips and let them decide “the where.” It’s important to ensure that whatever destination is selected has activities everyone can enjoy.
Here are some tips for the oldest generation to help make the most of your intergenerational trip.
Don’t go it alone. Wear took care of all the logistics for her first trip to London with the grandkids. Although she called the trip a “super success,” she now turns to Thomson Family Adventures to coordinate all her travel plans, which allows her to focus on the joys of the trip and not worry about reservations and itineraries.
Ditch the parents. One-on-one time with the grandkids is rare, so why not leave the sandwich generation at home? This new travel niche of grandparents traveling solely with their grandchildren is growing by leaps and bounds. Grandparents often treat a grandchild to a trip as a rite of passage of sorts, such as when each grandchild turns a certain age or graduates high school.
Who’s the boss? A challenge with many families is that there often are numerous sets of parents who think they know what’s best, not to mention older children who want to have their say as well. Guided tours or all-inclusive trips can take the hassle out of making endless decisions day in and day out about where to go and what to do. “Grammy’s not in charge — the guide is — so we can all relax and enjoy,” says Wear.
Take a chance — or not. Some activities might be a tad bit too adventurous for the oldest and youngest members. Wear’s family trip to Thailand included zip-lining on the longest, highest line in the world. Although Wear decided to take the plunge by herself (ensuring wonderful stories for years to come), the activity was structured so that all age groups could ride the tram up to the top of the zip line and share the experience of being in the treetops together. Those who took a pass on the zip line took the tram back down while the others zipped their way to the bottom.
Build up the anticipation. Encouraging the whole family to research the trip beforehand gets everyone exciting about going and manages expectations. Wear suggests sending a list of age-appropriate books (like Jane Goodall’s children’s books) to the grandkids. She also sends out an email with all the details of the trip about a month before the departure date, so there are no surprises.