Family Travel
Traveling with Grandma: Multigenerational Travel T Start early
Stephanie Diehl, owner of Travel Designed by Stephanie, an Illinois travel agency, who has taken her husband, their two kids and four grandkids on two trips, recommends starting early because it’s tough to find a week that works when you have to coordinate among several working adults, kids’ school vacation schedules, summer sports and the other demands of busy, modern family life. Kim Moldofsky, who travels frequently with her parents, her two sons and husband--and sometimes with her brother’s family and a cousin’s family as well--said that traveling over the winter holiday break
Pack your bag, not expectations, on a multigenerational trip.
from school makes the scheduling easier. The destinations are more crowded, but there are fewer other activities, such as summer sports, to schedule around.
Choose a destination
Once you have a date, it’s time to think about where you’ll go. If you’ll be traveling with family members of varying ages, interests and physical abilities, travel experts suggest cruises, all-inclusive resorts or house rentals. “All-inclusive resorts are designed to keep guests on the property,” said Diane McDavitt, president of Luxury Link Travel Group, “thus they offer multitudes of activities, services and amenities.” Cruises also offer a variety of entertainment and activity options, with an added perk: the ships travel so you get to see more of the world without the hassle of packing your bags and moving. Some families opt to rent a big house at the beach or some exotic location. It has the advantage of keeping everyone together, but Kaamna Bhojwani-Dhawan, founder of Momaboard.com, warns that it’s important to get a big enough place to ensure everyone can have their own space. “We’re an Indian family, so there is lots of togetherness. If my husband had his way he would have us all in a loft in sleeping bags sharing a bathroom because that’s how much he loves proximity,” she wrote in an email. “My firm rule is that everyone should have the option to shut a room door and get some privacy.”
Don’t overschedule
It’s fine to include some mandatory family togetherness--requiring everyone to have dinner together each night, for example-but it’s also important to be flexible enough to ensure every vacationer gets a chance to do things they want to do according to their own interests and physical needs. That Special Section
can involve many parts of the trip--from allowing time for little ones (and maybe Grandpa) to get in an afternoon nap to considering everyone’s ability to walk long distances before planning a five-mile hike.
Who pays?
Finally, the planning process should include a thorough discussion of who will pay for what. When Francesca Folinazzo travels with her husband, mom and daughter, everyone buys their own plane ticket, Folinazzo pays for the lodging and her mom pays for most meals. “It kind of evens out,” the Chicago native said. After the decisions have been made and the money paid, multigenerational travelers need to do one more thing before heading off on the adventure, said Nancy Schretter, managing editor for Family Travel Network: “Leave the expectations at home.” “Multigenerational family vacations are one of most anticipated events of the year, so it’s easy for grandparents and parents to get all misty-eyed envisioning the great memories and intimate bonding moments that will be created on their trip,” she said. “If we’re being honest, however, we know that family vacations never go exactly as planned. There may be bumpy moments, relationship issues may surface, travel snafus happen, the weather might not cooperate, and the kids might have a meltdown or two. It’s OK. Just take the experience as it comes, don’t dwell on it and go with the flow. “Sometimes those vacations where things don’t go as planned make the best vacation memories of all.” Click on the compass! What you need to know before you take the whole family to Disney World.
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raveling with an extended family requires more advance planning, more communication and more flexibility than a typical family vacation. “Listening is a lost art when it comes to travel planning, but it’s crucial to a harmonious trip,” said Kelly Merritt, author of The Everything Family Guide to Budget Travel.