Recently I was perusing social media and one of those fill in the blank posts was circulating. It was one of those where you ask questions of your child to see how well they know you and document their sweet and funny answers. While these were all predictably adorable, one question -- and the answer to that question -- stuck out in my mind.
The question was: "What is your favorite memory with your family?"
Many of my kids' answers referenced a special vacation taken together.
That got me thinking: I feel travel is really the best way for my kids to make memories with their grandparents. While we occasionally travel with my parents, I should really focus on making this an annual tradition.
Grandparents seem to already be clued into the value of traveling with their grandkids. The 2019 U.S. Family Travel Survey found that 37 percent of the 1,168 grandparents surveyed said they were likely to take their grandchildren on a skip-generational trip in the next three years. Their main motivation? Spending extended time with their grandchildren to bond. This travel is often called "gramping."
One thing to keep in mind: Children traveling alone with grandparents should have a notarized consent letter authorizing medical care and travel with grandparents so there are no questions along the way.
Macaroni Kid has six ideas for the perfect gramping vacation for multiple generations of your family:
1. Visit a Vermont farm
Liberty Hill Farm in Rochester, Vermont, loves to host grandparents and grandkids! According to Beth at the farm, "Grandparents so enjoy interacting with the farm and reminiscing about their childhood, whether the memories are simply having milk delivered to the front steps in glass bottles or growing up visiting their family’s farm as a child. They love making those connections with their grandchildren." Farm chores include feeding the baby calves, trying your hand at milking a cow, helping feed hay to the cows, gathering eggs, and cuddling kittens.
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Photo credit: Liberty Hill Farm Milking cows at Liberty Hill Farm in Rochester, Vermont. |
2. Cruise Alaska
This is surely on many grandparents' bucket lists and Maple Leaf Adventures has been hosting multigenerational trips for decades. From awe-inspiring scenery to beachcombing and whale watching, to naturalist-guided forest walks and indigenous cultural site visits, to kayaking and small boat rides, to steering the ship, people from 6 to 96 find fun and delight and are certain to make memories on one of these small group trips.
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Photo credit: Jeff Reynolds / Maple Leaf Adventures Maple Leaf Adventures offers Alaskan cruises on a heritage schooner, a classic tugboat, or luxury catamaran. |
3. Explore Machu Picchu
Adios Adventure Travel gets that traveling with grandparents can be magical. For grandparents who love to inspire their grandkids to learn about history and ancient civilizations -- and what grandparent doesn't? -- traveling to Machu Picchu in Peru is definitely a bucket list item.
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Photo credit: Adios Adventure Travel Adios Adventure Travel in Machu Picchu caters to multigenerational travel. |
4. Tour Ireland and Scotland
CIE Tours takes family vacations from muggle to magical, with enchanting adventures through Ireland and Scotland that fuel dreams and imaginations. The best part is everything is planned out beforehand and no one is left wondering what will be a “wow” versus a “yawn” experience for all ages while on vacation.
From exploring castles and cruising in search of the Loch Ness monster, to seeing the magic unfold at Warner Bros Studios’ “The Making of Harry Potter,” these real-life excursions will captivate the whole family with bouts of culture, history, nature, and more thrown in. CIE Tours also takes the cake on unexpected culinary experiences, like hosting a traditional Welsh banquet in a castle or feasting aboard a Pullman railway car.
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Photo Credit: CIE Tours CIE Tours offers magic for muggles of all ages on tours of Ireland and Scotland. |
5. Saddle up at a Montana dude ranch
Family-owned and operated for 75 years, Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork, Montana, is ideal for multigenerational travel as it offers a mix of programs for both children and adults in an atmosphere that's designed to create lifelong memories. The ranch offers multigenerational activities to appeal to the whole crew, such as boat rides, barn dances, and a weekly mouse race. There's also plenty of opportunities to spend time together around the campfire, as well as programs that include trail rides, arts and crafts, and a rodeo.
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Photo credit: Flathead Lake Lodge Everyone learns to be a cowboy at Flathead Lake Lodge. |
6. Be awed on an African safari
Alluring Africa offers South African safaris involving three (or sometimes even more!) generations of family. A once-in-a-lifetime trip like this is a wonderful way to bring everyone together -- far away from the stresses and strains of everyday life -- while making memories and experiencing something truly out of the ordinary.
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Photo credit: Alluring Africa An African safari is a trip your grandkids will never forget. |
