Tips for Planning a Multi-Generation Vacation
It's Time to Plan Travel with the People You Love.
Multigenerational vacations were already very popular before the pandemic. But as many families have spent months without seeing each other this type of trip is surging in popularity as the pandemic may have an end in sight.
Families — grandparents, parents, children and even grandchildren — want to spend quality time with each other more than ever.
There are several options available: from booking a dozen cabins on a cruise ship to reserving rooms at an all-inclusive resort or booking a sprawling vacation villa, extended families that want to travel together need to have a well coordinated plan to pull it off. Certainly planning ahead by a year or more can help you avoid running into scheduling headaches. By planning in this way you can avoid headaches when coordinating a weeklong vacation where multiple adults need to clear their schedules and kids need to be free from school and other activities.
Getting everyone on the same page is a good place to start
When you want to pull off a multi-generational vacation, start with a poll to gauge availability. Make sure everyone takes these sorts of things into account: busy seasons at work, school vacations and holidays, and other family obligations such as weddings. When there’s a consensus, agree on the travel dates. If you’re planning a year or more advance, not everyone will be able to give you a definitive “yes” — but as long as the majority of the group agrees, stick to those dates and start planning.
Several generations traveling together requires some preparation
Once you know your dates, think about the demographics of your group. Are the older family members generally in good health and mobile, or will you need a destination and lodging that accommodates people using mobility aids like canes, walkers, electric scooters or wheelchairs? What are the ages of the kids who will travel with you? Will you need baby accessories like cribs and highchairs? What about the working adults who will vacation with you? Will they need an office space with a computer and printer so they can work during the vacation? All of these elements will inform the type of destination and accommodations you need to book.
A Villa gives you space for a group to gather
Finally, focus on the accommodations themselves. Shared rental houses or villas can be perfect home bases for a multigenerational vacation since you’ll usually have access to multiple bedrooms plus communal space for group hangouts in the kitchen, a living room, outdoor spaces and sometimes even a movie or game room. You may be surprised to find that is is more affordable to rent a villa that accommodates the whole family than for a everyone to get a hotel room. Or you might also consider taking a cruise together in which everyone has their own cabin but the group has space to gather together - often in a grandparent's suite. There are so many places around the globe that are ideal for family reunions that you’re sure to find something that works for you. Popular choices are a Villa in the Caribbean, or any of the Hawaiian islands. Also consider an all Inclusive resort in Mexico. No matter what you are thinking of doing for your next family gathering please reach out to me if you have questions about planning this type of trip. I would love to help you get something on the books. After a rough 2020 we all need to plan a vacation and have something to look forward to!