Have you ever considered travel with grandparents? Or, if you’re Grams or Gramps, have you tried traveling with grandchildren? Let me tell you: Multigenerational travel is absolutely fun and builds incredible family bonds.
Travel with grandparents has been even more top of mind than usual. When the CDC updated its guidance—saying that it is reasonably safe for fully vaccinated adults to see their grandchildren—the Baby Boomer generation threw a party. (At least my mom did.)
The CDC also says that fully vaccinated adults, including grandparents, can travel domestically.
Pre-pandemic, we often traveled with my parents as well as Hubs’ parents. We have been to some of the best places to travel with grandparents in the US and even went abroad together.
If you want to give multigenerational travel a try—or are curious about so-called skip gen travel (when grandparents and grandchildren go on vacation without the parents!)—this post is for you.
I’ll cover the best tips for travel with grandparents, why you should consider a three-generation vacation, as well as multigenerational travel statistics (so you know you’re in good company). By the time you finish reading these tips, you’ll be ready to call up Grandma and Grandpa to start planning your trip!
Why you should travel with grandparents
1. Grandparents bond with grandkids
My #1 reason for loving multigenerational travel: There are so many opportunities to bond and make memories together!
When grandparents visit you at home, you’re still in your usual routine. Your kids might have scheduled plans or school. But when you’re on vacation together, all those other commitments fall away. That means grandparents and grandkids have a ton of time to bond.
2. Parents get 1:1 time
Not every multigenerational vacation builds in time for parents to get away—but I sure do recommend it.
The pandemic has made date nights even more rare for many couples. So when you take a vacation with grandparents, you have someone to watch the kids. (Of course, never assume your parents or in-laws are ready to be babysitters; always ask.)
This is also an opportunity for parents to explore the vacation destination without kids. Parents might want to go to a rooftop bar to watch the sunset, take in a show, hit up the casino or go dancing. Those aren’t exactly family-friendly activities—but are perfect for a date night on vacation!
3. Everyone gets some downtime
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You go on a family vacation and come back exhausted because you spent every waking minute taking care of the kids.
When you travel with grandparents, you can ask them to watch the kids for a short time. Once when we vacationed with my in-laws, they watched Baby Maxine and toddler Edie while I drove to Starbucks by myself. I sat on the beach and drank tea and I swear it felt like a week-long getaway.
The same goes for the grandparents. They probably want downtime, too. With multigenerational vacations, everyone gets a little R&R!
4. See a new side of your parents
I took family vacations when I was a kid, but it’s a totally different experience to travel with them now that I’m a parent.
One of the reasons I love travel with grandparents is I see a different side of my parents or in-laws. There’s nothing like spending time with kids to bring out their playful side!
My kids’ grandparents have also told me that exploring a new place with Maxine and Edie helps them travel in a fresh way. It’s good for everyone!
5. Learn family history
Going on a family history vacation is a popular way to travel with grandparents. You might revisit ancestors’ homeland or another important spot in your genealogy.
But you don’t have to go somewhere specific to learn family history. While on vacation with their grandparents, my kids have heard stories about the time Gramps had to sleep in the desert by himself during Navy Seals training—and woke up with a snoozing snake on top of him.
Travel sparks all kinds of memories because it jolts us out of routine. You may be surprised by the family lore you learn too!
6. Create new family memories
There’s a reason you—and your kids—vividly remember a vacation but can’t recall what you ate for dinner two nights ago. Novelty—doing something different—makes your brain pay extra-close attention. That helps solidify memories you’ll draw from for years.
Vacations are particularly great for doing things all together. It’s not very often that three generations get together for an activity in day-to-day life. But on a multigenerational vacation, you have plenty of chances to make memories together.
7. Make up for lost time
The last year was really, really hard on a lot of families. I wasn’t able to see my parents from August until April, and my kids went nearly that long without seeing them. My kids constantly ask when they can see Grams, Gramps, Nana and Grandpa Shempy.
It’s been equally tough on grandparents, if not harder.
Travel with grandparents is a way to make up for lost time. Kids change so much, so fast that I want my parents and in-laws to get to know Maxine and Edie at this stage—before they change again.
Tips to travel with grandparents and extended family
Are you hoping to travel with your kids and parents? Do you want your kids and their grandparents to vacation together?
You’ve come to the right place.
Here, I’m sharing 13 tips to travel with grandparents. I cover booking lodging, planning activities, budgeting, and the dos and don’ts of traveling with grandchildren and grandparents.
1. Talk about what you envision
Before you’ve booked anything, make sure you’re all on the same page. Do you envision an activity-packed trip or a laid-back getaway?
Agreeing on this point and any others (luxury vs budget, outdoors vs indoors, etc.) will help avoid disappointment and conflict.
If you have differing hopes for the vacation, can you compromise? Maybe spend the first two days sightseeing, then the last three days with nothing planned? When you start with clear communication, everyone feels heard.
2. Plan the vacation together
Once you’ve agreed on the overall vision for your vacation, plan together. This doesn’t have to mean sitting down with your parents or in-laws to hash out every single detail. But you’ll want to pick a place to travel with grandparents together. That way, everyone is set up to have a great time!
Involve your kids, too. If they’re old enough to research, encourage them to look into activities in your destination. Remind them of needs and limitations of their grandparents. When they pick a few activities, kids are invested up-front!
Enabling everyone to give input tees you up for a fun multigenerational trip.
3. Consider everyone’s needs when booking lodging
My family travels often enough that I have the AirBnB and hotel filters down-pat. (Dog-friendly, 2+ bedrooms, nonsmoking, etc.) I’m not as used to considering grandparents’ needs, though. That’s why it’s so crucial to have an open, honest conversation with them about what they need.
My mom, for example, needs a specific kind of bed because of long-term injuries she deals with. So when we travel together, I call ahead to ask about the beds. It may be a small detail to me—I can sleep on any bed—but it makes a world of difference to my mom.
Do your parents need separate bedrooms (snoring—it’s a real problem)? A bedroom on the first floor? An en suite bathroom? An accessible ramp?
Grandparents might also prefer to have their own lodging. No matter what setup you choose, keep everyone’s needs in mind.
4. Agree that it’s ok to do things separately
The biggest obstacle to having an awesome multigenerational vacation: disagreement over how much time to spend together. Are you stressing because you want to be together 100% of the time? Or stressing because you need some serious breaks from your parents/in-laws?
An up-front agreement that you don’t have to spend the entire vacation together solves this problem.
Again, talk this through up-front to manage expectations. Chances are, everyone will be happier without the pressure to do everything together.
For example, when we took a multigenerational trip to Tulum, my dad’s knee was acting up. Because we didn’t have the expectation that we’d stick together no matter what, he was able to lounge by the pool while the rest of us explored the Tulum ruins—guilt-free.
5. Do activities that interest everyone
That said, you’ll want to do some activities together! Choose at least a few that appeal to everyone, no matter their age. You might plan to go to the beach, scope out a short hike, or taste test all the ice cream shops in town.
6. Be clear with plans
I’m a huge fan of clearly communicating your plans—then giving others the chance to join or not.
I learned this the hard way. On one multigenerational vacation, I had wanted to take Maxine and Edie out for an adventure. I waited for others to get ready to join… and waited… and waited… By the time others were ready, two hours had passed, my kids were crying because they couldn’t understand why they weren’t going in the swimming pool, and it had reached the hottest part of the day.
Lesson learned.
Now I say something like this:
“I’m taking the kids to the market at 10. Does anyone want to join or meet us later?”
This approach is also a total miracle when vacationing with folks who aren’t on your routine/laid-back vibe. If you’re a go-getter and planner, but grandparents are more into leisurely sipping coffee and seeing where the wind blows them, this strategy will save you.
7. Respect everyone’s pace
Adding more people to a vacation generally means adding a wider variety of styles, abilities and preferences. Everyone will be happier if you make accomodations.
If your toddler wants to inspect every fallen leaf on a hike, that means slowing for them. If your in-laws have mobility limitations, don’t try to hurry them.
It’s no fun feeling like you’re holding up everyone else. So do your best to embrace their pace.
If, on the other hand, you need to split up and meet up later, that’s a good solution too.
8. Build in R&R
I love to go and do. I like to see all the things and explore all the places. I’m also a big advocate of chilling out.
Building in time to relax is even more important when planning travel with grandparents. Everyone will have more fun if they’re rested. That goes equally for kids and grandparents alike!
9. Communicate about costs
Who is paying for the vacation with extended family? Who will cover what? Are you splitting up the house rental by the number of bedrooms each group is using, or splitting the expense down the middle?
There’s no right or wrong way to pay for a vacation with grandparents. Just make sure everyone is clear ahead of time.
You’ll also want to figure out a way to keep track of costs, if you’re sharing the expense. Will one of you pay for everything and split it later? Will you pay your share as you go through an app like Venmo? Deciding ahead of time will avoid awkward money conversations in the moment.
10. Consider a parent date night (or day)
You don’t want to treat the grandparents like glorified babysitters and ditch them all vacation long. That said, it’s awesome to have a chance to spend some 1:1 time with your partner.
For example, when we traveled to Las Vegas with Hubs’ parents a while back, my in-laws suggested we do a belated anniversary data night. Hubs and I made dinner reservations and left the kiddos in the hotel with Grams and Gramps.
Maxine and Edie had an amazing time. They swam in the pool, ate mac n cheese and watched a movie. Hubs and I got a rare chance to go out, just the two of us. I absolutely recommend planning a parent date night.
The key to making this work: clear communication. If you’re hoping to get away for a few hours, bring it up with the grandparents before you leave on vacation. Discuss what time of day would be best for them to watch your kids. (They may not feel comfortable doing nap time or bed time, for example.)
When you get on the same page about a date night, everyone will feel good about the plans.
11. Give grandparents and grandkids space to bond
Bonding with their grandkids is the top reason why grandparents want to do multigenerational travel. Give them the space to do just that.
Of course you’ll want to do things all together. But take a hands-off approach sometimes, too.
When my dad joined us on a trip to Tulum, Mexico, for example, I sometimes faded into the background when he hung out with my kids. They developed a special “routine” of tossing bites of food to an iguana that eventually scuttled right up to them.
Yes, I know that we shouldn’t feed wildlife. But more than two years later Maxine and Edie still debate what was the iguana’s favorite food. (Strawberry or macaroni??)
So when grandparents and grandkids are bonding, take a step back. Let them develop a relationship on their own. And try not to sweat it if Grams and Gramps don’t parent exactly as you would. (For example, when Maxine and Edie spend time with my in-laws, they get pancakes with whipped cream every morning for breakfast. 🤷🏼♀️ )
12. Be prepared to be the sandwich generation
Have you ever heard of the term “sandwich generation”? It refers to the time when you are caring for both your children and your parents.
I’m not suggesting that you cut your parents’ grapes in half to prevent choking. But don’t be surprised if you end up caring for your parents at least a little bit.
As our parents age, they might not be as comfortable in unfamiliar situations or new places. Ask your parents what they might need help with. (This is generally the thing that is causing them the most anxiety.) Should you make them a packing list? Would very explicit driving directions help? (We once made the mistake of assuming my dad could find a home rental via a maps app. That did not go well.)
You may find yourself considering them when you pack up. For example, do they have snacks and water for the day’s excursion? Are they wearing sunscreen and a hat? Of course you’ll want to be sensitive in how you look out for them—no one wants to be babied—but they’ll probably appreciate your looking out for them.
13. Take all the photos!
As the saying goes, your kids are this age only once. The same can be said for your parents.
I take plenty of photos whenever we do multigenerational vacations. It’s so, so, so special to look back on those pictures! The images always spark memories of what we did together.
When you go on a multigenerational trip, you’ll never be able to recreate those moments together. So don’t be shy about taking lots of pictures.
On one trip with the grandparents, we had professional photos taken. I booked a photographer in Las Vegas through Flytographer, who captured some of my favorite-ever family photos.
Want $25 off a Flytographer shoot? Use my referral code. I loved our experience with Flytographer! (not sponsored)
Multigenerational travel statistics
Multigenerational travel has never been more popular. Many grandparents went months—or even a year—without seeing their grandkids during the pandemic. Now that more and more people are fully vaccinated (YAY!), families are making up for lost time.
So when you travel with grandparents, you’re far from alone. But don’t take my word from it. Here are recent multigenerational travel statistics.
- More than half of families have taken a vacation with grandparents. (source)
- 65% of families plan to take a vacation with grandparents in the future. (source)
- 6 in 10 kids say they feel closer to their grandparents after taking a trip together. (source)
- 65% of kids say they like to reminisce about taking vacations with grandparents. (source)
- More than half of parents say they plan multigenerational trips to create family traditions. (source)
What is skip-generational travel?
Skip-generational vacations are becoming more and more popular. This type of travel is when kids and grandparents travel together—and leave parents at home!
One in five parents say their kids have taken a skip-gen trip—that is, traveled with grandparents without the parents. More than a third of grandparents said they’re planning a skip-gen vacation in the next three years.
The best part about skip-generational travel: Spending uninterrupted time together. Parents, kids and grandparents all say that bonding time is the main highlight of parents-free travel.
I never traveled with just my grandparents when I was a kid. Maxine and Edie go on trips with both sets of grandparents several times a year. They haven’t done big, long, epic trips yet; for the most part, these skip-gen vacations are for a weekend in a nearby destination.
Hubs and I value the few days without kids even more since the pandemic began. But honestly, I care much more about the opportunity for grandparents and grandchildren to bond.
