Planning a multigenerational vacation

As a child, I distinctly remember road trips to Disney World, Dollywood (I grew up in Eastern Tennessee), the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Washington, D.C. My grandparents, my mom and aunt, my brother, and my cousins were all in tow on these trips.

Nowadays, we call this a multigenerational vacation—time together that comes with so many benefits. Multigenerational vacations allow extended family the chance to bond and allow us to be more intentional with how we spend our time.

Photo courtesy Janet Kim

Variety is key

The best trips come with a varied itinerary—they are not confined to just one activity. My kids are 5 and 8, so flexibility is important, and we find it’s also important for grandparents. Before kids, my husband and I would take trips alone or with friends and spend all day away from our hotel, be spontaneous, and stop at different shops to eat. While we still try to leave room for spontaneity, it’s a little more difficult with the kids or our parents. With them, we need to build in breaks and be more thoughtful about what we see or do. We choose accommodations close to vacation attractions in case someone needs to go back to rest.

Two successful multi-gen trips

Most recently, my mom joined us on a midwinter break trip to Las Vegas. We tried some delicious restaurants and visited Valley of Fire State Park. While my husband and I took the kids to the attractions along the Las Vegas strip, my mom decided to stay at our hotel to enjoy the pool, have a little quiet time, pool time and avoid all the walking and crowds. We found Las Vegas worked well for a multigenerational trip—it’s as lowkey or adventurous as you choose to make it.

A few summers ago, we took the grandparents with us to Southern California. My husband and I took our older son to Disneyland and Legoland. My younger son wasn’t tall enough to enjoy the rides, and my parents weren’t interested in amusement parks anymore, so they stayed at our Airbnb and enjoyed a more laid-back experience. We were able to fully experience the amusement parks with our older son.

Photo courtesy Janet Kim

One-room suite or house?

People often ask about our accommodations on these trips. A variety of options that have worked for our family. When I was a kid, we’d often get a hotel or motel room with an adjoining room whenever it was an option so we could still feel like we were all in one space.

Today, our favorite setup is a hotel suite with at least one room and a living area. Like the adjoining room of my youth, this configuration feels like we’re all in one space together.

With bigger groups (for example, my parents, my brother and his family), we prefer to rent a house through Airbnb or VRBO.

During Spring Break this year, my mom joined us at Suncadia Resort. We stayed in a one-bedroom suite at the Lodge at Suncadia with a separate bedroom, a kitchen, and a living space with a fold-out bed. One of our kids always wants to sleep next to grandma!

We’ve had separate rooms before, but the feeling of togetherness and the opportunity for grandparents and kids to bond are what attract us to multigenerational travel.

Photo courtesy Janet Kim

A third and forth pair of hands

Built-in childcare is another huge perk of multigenerational vacations.

My husband loves to golf when we go on vacation. Because golf can be a game that takes hours, I’m grateful to a grandparent there to help me with the kids. On a trip to Lake Chelan, for example, my mom and I took the kids to the pool and to play miniature golf by the water while my husband played his own game at Gamble Sands.

Worth the extra up-front time

Multigenerational trips require an extra level of coordination and a different set of considerations—we need to rent a larger car, find accommodations that will fit us all, and look for destinations that offer a good mix of activity and rest.

But the benefits outweigh the additional planning. We have traveled plenty of times as a family of four, but we love it when our extended family is with us.

My in-laws will be visiting from the East Coast for a good portion of this summer, and we are already planning our next multigenerational trip!

In a nutshell

Here’s a round-up of tips and tricks for making your multigenerational vacations fun for everyone:

Choose destinations with a variety of activities, including some low-energy options
Start planning early. Larger groups are often more challenging to book. Book group tours well in advance.
Involve everyone in the planning and decision-making where possible
But choose one person as the group organizer—preferably the person for whom organizing is a strong skillset.
Include meals in the planning. Trying to find a place to accommodate a group when everyone is hungry is bad idea.
Consider accessibility and choose locations that are easily navigated by those with mobility or health constraints.
Consider the financial needs of all family members on the trip and plan activities that all can afford.
For city vacations, consider sightseeing passes to save money on individual entry costs to major attractions.
Expect challenges and try to address them with compassion and connection, which is what the multigenerational vacation is all about.
Choose one person to be the vacation photographer. It’s a great role for a teen.