Family Travel
Guest Post
by Michelle Catin, Vice President Marketing
Club Med
Travel Across Generations is Trending
Traveling with a small family unit including kids might seem simple, but it often isn't. Mom and dad typically handle all the vacation planning and payments, with mom usually shouldering the burden of vacation reservations, trip organization, packing, and caring for the children. On these so-called vacations, parents more often than not end up spending little time unwinding when they need it most. That’s why more families, especially millennials and Gen Z parents with young kids are considering multigenerational travel. By incorporating grandparents to help with childcare as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins into the mix, everyone has something to do that they enjoy and can also have a little time to themselves.
Reasons to Consider Big Family Trips
Vacations with extended family do require work, but they also yield huge benefits
- Tag-team childcare, taking turns taking care of each other's kids
- Increased quality time and bonding with family who may not live nearby
- Time as a cohesive family unit, helping pass traditions on to younger generations
- Lasting family memories that everyone will cherish for a lifetime
As long as you keep your expectations realistic, you can get these rewards and more.
Great Options for Multigen Travel
Since travel is a time-honored tradition for millions of families, it’s easy to find vacation variations that work even for both small and large family trips.
Your best bet is to choose family trips that have something for everyone like
- All-Inclusive Resorts
- Cruises
- Theme Parks
- National Parks
- Cities with family-friendly activities
Be expansive in your lodging options, and you’ll find something that works for the group.
How to Incorporate Everyone Into Your Travel Plans
Designate a coordinator
The first thing you should do as part of your travel plan is to designate a family member coordinator. This person should be primarily responsible for getting the discussion going and keeping it progressing toward actual decisions and commitments. Ideally, the coordinator has some experience in navigating reservation systems and general travel planning. Skills in working well with others and finding the best options to present to the group are also highly desirable. Note that this person should not be doing 100% of the work. It’s just wise to have a single point who can organize suggestions and do some of the legwork of executing the plan.
Plan early
Family travel planning is essential. Multigenerational travel is not usually a thing you can plan on the fly, so it really helps to get a head start. The designated coordinator should aim to allow three months or more to coordinate and gather everyone's preferences and dates for reservations. Everyone should commit to an affordable budget and be considerate of family size when you breaking down what each group will pay. If you need to stick to a specific budget and not go over, consider options like all-inclusive vacation packages that have all the costs included from the outset.
Encourage collaboration
The goal is to have a trip that everyone enjoys, which means that all parties need to have a say in the location and activities. Kids' opinions should be considered, too! Create a group chat to discuss options and get consensus before the trip coordinator starts planning the itinerary. If you notice that someone slows their participation in the chat, considering them aside to find out if there’s a reason they aren’t investing. They might feel bowled over with the discussion and need some help contributing.
Create some flexibility
While family trips ought to have plenty of activities to keep everyone occupied, they also need to provide some flexibility. Babies and young children may need breaks throughout the day to nap or decompress. Older adults may want to dip in and out based on their energy levels. Big families often have varying opinions about what counts as fun, so they’ll want to choose how to participate. When planning activity options, be sure to include some time for everyone to relax or do things as an individual family unit.
Work and play
There’s no doubt that family trips take a lot of work in preparation and during the event. To avoid the most Type
A person getting left with all the responsibility and none of the fun, break down the work into tasks.
A few ideas to create balance
- Ask each family (or generation) to take over planning everything for one day
- Have all the adults take a shift to attend to the kids
- Use a sign-up sheet template to coordinate meals, reservations, and other activities
Remember you don't need to have people sign up for every minute of the trip, but you should aim to cover all the basics before you go.
The sky's the limit for the family vacation you dream up ...
Multigenerational family travel is increasingly popular because it offers so much more than a nuclear family trip. The trick is to make vacation plans that work for everyone, by getting input and making choices that value each person’s physical and emotional needs, likes and dislikes. With these tips, you'll have some great ideas to help make your next family trip a memorable experience for everyone.
About the Author
Michelle Catin is Vice President Marketing at Club Med, a provider of premium all-inclusive vacation packages. She has over 20 years of experience in marketing PR, and specializes in the hospitality industry.
