11 Tips For How To Plan An Enjoyable Multigenerational Vacation

Are you looking for multigenerational vacation tips that will help you during the planning stages? Do you feel overwhelmed trying to plan a vacation for multiple family members? Well, I’m here to help! After years of traveling with extended family, I’ve realized which topics are important to discuss before each vacation. I’ve put together this list filled with tips to help you plan both a memorable AND enjoyable experience for the whole family.

This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. This compensation is used to support our website so we can continue to bring you great content. Thank you! 

Multigenerational Travel

What is multigenerational travel?

Well, it’s exactly how it sounds; multiple generations vacationing together. These vacations can include grandparents, parents, siblings, children, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews.

It’s no shock that over the last few years, everyone has experienced the loss of quality time with family members, especially grandparents. Now more than ever people are realizing the importance of making lifelong memories with their families. What better way to do that than planning a multigenerational travel experience the whole family will love!

For the last 14+ years, our family has vacationed with my husband’s parents at least once a year. We’ve been to Florida, Tennessee, Colorado, Michigan, and many more. Over the years, these vacations have taught us many helpful tips when planning a trip with extended family. We have learned a lot from our mistakes and it has gotten easier every year. Here are some of the most important multigenerational vacation tips to help make your trip a memorable one.

Multigenerational Vacation Tips

#11 Plan the Vacation Together

Begin planning well in advance to allow ample time for coordinating schedules and booking transportation. Multigenerational trips involve more people, so early planning is essential to secure accommodations, transportation, and activities.

But before you book anything, make sure you sit down with everyone to discuss what each person envisions for this vacation. Open and transparent communication among family members is crucial. Discuss everyone’s preferences, interests, and limitations to create an itinerary that accommodates everyone. Here are a few multigenerational vacation tips for topics to discuss:

• Vacation Expectations: What types of vacations interest you?
• Cost: Discuss the budget openly with all family members and agree on how expenses will be shared. This may involve splitting costs equally or according to individual financial capacities. How are you going to split the costs? Are you splitting everything 50/50?
• Destination: Which destination will meet everyone’s needs? How are we getting there; flying, roadtrip, train. etc.?
• Accommodations: Are you staying in a hotel, vacation rental, camping, etc.? Are you staying together in one house or in separate accommodations?
• Activities: Encourage family members to share their must-see destinations or activities. What activities does each person like to do while on vacation? Are you a theme park family that loves non-stop thrills, an all-inclusive resort family who loves to relax on the beach, or a mixture of both?
• Shared Responsibilities: Ask everyone who would like to be in charge of things such as meal preparation, transportation arrangements, and daily scheduling. Delegating tasks to different family members ensures that the planning workload is distributed evenly.

If there are children within the group, make sure to involve them in the planning process. Let them suggest activities or destinations they would like to explore as well. Make sure to plan family-friendly activities that cater to the younger ones’ interests.

Here are 7 reasons why you should experience multigenerational travel!

#10 Consider Everyones Needs

Start off by select a destination that offers a variety of attractions and activities that cater to different age groups and interests. Consider factors such as accessibility, climate, and the availability of family-friendly amenities.

When discussing everyone’s needs for accommodations, consider accommodations that provide space and comfort for everyone. Do you need a one level rental because of aging parents? Is anyone traveling with a pet? If you are all staying together at one vacation rental, are there enough bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone? Thankfully, there have been more accommodating vacation rental becoming available due to the growing trend of multigenerational travel. Those vacation rentals offer ample bedrooms, a common living area, and a well stocked kitchen all of which allows for flexibility and communal living.

For example, because our family has multiple food allergies, I make all of our food while on vacation. This is where the well stocked kitchen is a live saver, complete with pots and pans, utensils, baking pans, etc..

During the planning, make sure to ask what each person needs every day. If you’re traveling with grandparents, do they need some downtime during the day to recoup? Are there babies and toddlers who need a nap in the afternoon? If so, don’t plan an activity for everyone to take part in during that time.

While it’s important to plan activities and excursions, don’t forget to leave some room for flexibility. Not everyone may want to participate in every activity, so offer optional outings or downtime for relaxation.

#9 Start Small!

If this is your first time planning a multigenerational vacation, I highly suggest starting small! Don’t go and book a two week vacation to Bali filled with every activity under the sun! Starting small could be a simple as booking a hotel room near the grandparents, ordering pizza, and spend the day swimming at the pool or enjoying a local museum. If you have a nearby hotel with an indoor water park they are tons of fun for the entire family.

Another great option could be a long weekend staycation in your own state. Just remember, don’t bite off more than you can chew!

#8 Plan Activities Everyone Will Enjoy

I know you’re probably thinking this sounds impossible, but you can do it! After you pick a destination, make a list of activities that are available in that area. Plan a mix of activities that cater to various interests and are do able for the ages involved. For example, you can have days dedicated to sightseeing, cultural experiences, and leisurely activities. Also, make sure you plan separate activities too. (More on that in #7!)

After the activities are booked, print out a calendar so that everyone knows what they are doing, and on what day. Be clear about the plans for each day so that no one is waiting around because they don’t know what’s happening. Remember to be flexible! Not everything will go as planned, all the time. It won’t be the end of the world.

#7 Plan Separate Activities

Just because you are on a vacation with family doesn’t mean you have to be together the entire time. Trust me, you will need time to yourself and that’s ok! Not every one will have the same interests and there maybe activities that you want to do by yourself.

While planning a multigenerational vacation recognize that not everyone will want to spend every moment together. Allow for time where individuals, or smaller groups, can branch off and take part in their own activities. Just make sure you don’t take advantage of the “free childcare” you have just because the grandparents are around.

#6 Take Into Account Everyone’s Pace

When planning activities, whether it’s accommodating younger children who love collecting rocks and sticks on hikes or considering the mobility issues of aging parents, it’s crucial to keep everyone’s needs in mind. The last thing you want is for someone to feel miserable during an activity, as it can negatively impact the entire trip.

If you are traveling with older family members, be sure to consider their physical abilities and mobility. Ensure that both activities and accommodations are accessible for those with mobility challenges, and plan outings that are suitable for individuals of all fitness levels.

#5 Don’t Forget To REST!

This is one of the most important multigenerational vacation tips I can give you! I know everyone will be excited about the vacation and you’ll want to do ALL the things while together, but just don’t!

Make sure you plan for REST!

Make sure to integrate rest days into the itinerary, especially for older family members and young children. These days can be spent at a leisurely pace, enjoying the accommodations or local surroundings. The worst thing you can do is fill up your schedule while on vacation. You will likely be exhausted when you get home and you’ll need a vacation from your vacation.

#4 Relive Childhood Memories

It doesn’t matter who you ask, most people will have a favorite childhood memory that involves travel. Some of the most vivid memories I have as a child involve family vacations. As a family of six, that usually meant road trips around the Great Lakes region and camping in a tent wherever we went.

Consider planning a trip around a favorite family vacation you went on as a child with your parents, or plan a trip your parents went on with their parents. You could also book a trip to learn about family history and visit places your family lived at way before you were born.

#3 Multigenerational Travel Creates Lifelong Memories

There is no better way to make new childhood memories for your children than to plan a vacation with grandparents. A multigenerational vacation helps promote bonding between grandparents and grandchildren, and nurtures an even stronger bond between cousins. There will be moments when you will feel overwhelmed planning a vacation for this many people, but it’s all worth it in the end! These are the moments you will never get back.

#2 Take A Ton Of Photos and Videos

I don’t know about you, but I take a LOT of photos and videos while on vacation. I want my kids to be able to look back at these photos and say, “Hey, I remember that trip we took with Grandma and Grandpa to ________!”

Once you arrive home you could make a photo book, or make a video about your vacation, OR you can just print the photos! Yes! I’m talking to you! The one with all those pictures floating around on the cloud storage. (I speak from experience!)

A photo book, or let me date myself by saying a photo album, would be a great gift to give to each family that took part in the vacation. That way they can enjoy it for many years to come. My kids love looking back through photos to relive memories and see how much they have changed.

Taking a lot of photos during your multigenerational vacation also means that you will have plenty of family photo ops to use for your Christmas cards. You’ll thank me later!

Or if you decide to go the video route, you to add both photos and videos to it. Don’t forget to send it to everyone for their enjoyment.

#1 Multigenerational Vacation Tip

The last of the multigenerational vacations tips I can give you is…

JUST DO IT!

I’m sure you’ll think of a million excuses as to why a trip like this wouldn’t work for your family, but it’s all worth it in the end.

If you have any other questions, please let us know in the comments below. We will do our best to help you plan an incredible multigenerational vacation.

Photo by Matthew Sleeper on Unsplash