Travel Trend: Multigenerational Family Travel on the Rise

According to the Family Travel Association’s most recent U.S. Family Travel Survey, more than half of parents say they’re planning to travel with both their children and their grandparents. Beaches Resorts teamed up with Censuswide; that survey said that 74% of travelers who have been on a multigenerational trip would be excited to take another.

I’ve seen recent articles in AARP and Southern Living Magazine that share the same sentiment.

But the truth is, multigenerational family touring is nothing new for the Collette team. It's more than just a trend; it's a huge part of who we are. Collette has been family-owned since 1918, and our team loves traveling with family. Every one of my colleagues truly values the magic of exploring the world with their loved ones.

But why is this style of travel starting to pick up steam now? Here is our insight as to why multigenerational travel is on the rise:

Multigenerational Travel Prioritizes Family Bonding

Day-to-day life gets hectic, and we don’t always get to prioritize family time as much as we’d like. And even on the occasions where you can get together, people’s other responsibilities can creep in and get in the way of that family time.

By fully removing us from our routines, travel eliminates the typical daily to-do lists that take the focus off family.

Kathy Sullivan, wife of Collette Chairman of the Board Dan Sullivan, treasures the time she can focus on her family by sharing the world with them. She reflected in a blog about traveling with her children and seeing her grandchildren experience Europe for the first time.

“I can say traveling with your family is a great way to see the world,” Kathy says. “Adults and kids of all ages can enjoy together the beauty and adventures of the world. If you have thought about a trip with your kids and grandkids, don’t hesitate. They grow so fast and the sweet innocence on their faces is something you should enjoy yourself. It is special and something you will love remembering forever.”

Learning Through Travel as a Family

Travel is one of the greatest teachers. Visiting a different place introduces us to different languages, cultures, and customs. And family members across generations provide different perspectives as we learn.

In a recent podcast episode, Collette Global Contracting Manager Patricia Grady and her son Patrick talked about their shared experience traveling together on tour to Japan. They valued spending time together and learning together in Japan, plus having time to explore their own personal interests individually.

Patrick, who studied modern Japanese history in university, savored moments like speaking with a Hiroshima bombing survivor and meeting Ama pearl divers – women who have been defying gender roles since 920 A.D. And he was able to chase his curiosity and learn more about ancient Japanese history with his mother at his side. He also used free time to explore and learn independently.

Patricia is a lifelong learner herself, and has attended culinary classes focused on Japanese food. And she was able to share a memorable Kaiseki dinner with her son.

The two also learned about each other.

“We have traveled together a lot, and I’ve learned that he’s very curious, and that he wants to fit everything in and more,” Patricia said. “Once he’s in a destination, he wants to see it all.”

Patrick noted learning the opposite about his mother, and was pleased about how the two were able to balance their travel styles.

“She likes her downtime,” Patrick said. “She’s very patient with me, at least. I saw her enthusiasm in what I wanted to go do, which is good, because she was there to support me.”

Exploring Your Culture Through Travel

Retracing your family’s heritage is powerful. Sharing memories together in the countries where your family began is something special to share together.

Traveling to the cities where monumental moments in your lineage occurred is transformative. You see the place where it all began in a broader sense when you visit the country, but there’s such magic when you walk the same streets as your forefathers.

I’m speaking with a lot of experience in this category. My father spent much of his childhood in Portugal, and my grandparents spent most of their lives there. I visited them frequently and it was such a fascinating perspective to watch. My father grew up mostly in the United States and while he has close ties to his culture, he was always just as much a visitor to Portugal as I was. My grandparents were fully ingrained in Portuguese life and acted as local guides to the younger generations of our family. And that experience goes both ways: It’s beautiful to teach your family about your beginnings, and it’s so special to watch your family learn about your personal history where it happened.

I recently learned firsthand, too, that you don’t have to travel to the country your family comes from to reconnect with your roots. I recently traveled to Costa Rica with my grandmother, and we shared our experiences on the Collette podcast. You can get the full inside scoop on our trip there, but one of the most special parts of that trip for me was seeing how my grandma was able to compare things she had seen in Portugal to things she was experiencing with me in Costa Rica.

Family Vacation Nostalgia

From summers at the beach to camping and epic road trips near and far, family vacations are the backdrop of some fond memories. And these memories are becoming a large part of why multigenerational travel is becoming so popular.

That same study by Censuswide had some other key takeaways.

As family travelers ourselves, we weren’t surprised by an increase in multigenerational trips. But what was really interesting was the nostalgia element of this family-first mentality.

Our top takeaways from this survey:

• 60 percent of all parents polled said that their core childhood vacation memories include time spent with grandparents.
• 67 percent expressed remorse about not spending more time with their grandparents.
• 69 percent of parents said they were eager for grandparents to join in more family vacations.
• 72 percent of respondents say their children have expressed interest in traveling with their grandparents.

Book Your Family’s Multigenerational Trip with Collette

There are so many reasons that multigenerational family travel and touring are trending right now.

No matter why you decide to travel together, or where you choose to go, spending quality time with family will be a highlight of the trip.

That’s why families book Collette tours – to let experts take care of all the details.

When you’re ready to book your tour, call us or see your travel professional and ask for Collette.