When someone mentions traveling with family or people of all ages, do you roll your eyes and groan, or do you get excited? Most people fall into the first category, but that's because they don't know how fun and easy multigenerational travel can be.
When you travel in groups, you get the added benefit of discovering a destination through someone else's eyes. They might pick up on things that you would have never noticed. The same goes for multigenerational travel. A teenager and an adult can have completely different experiences in the same place while both have a great time.
Just as you would begin planning any other trip, planning a multigenerational trip begins with deciding where to go. It's important to pick a destination that offers many different activities. Bonus points if you can pick a place that not everyone has been to before! Have everyone select their top three destinations and then begin narrowing it down from there. Once you've picked a place everyone is happy with, you'll be amazed how much easier the rest of the planning will be.
A common misconception on group trips is that everyone has to stick together at all times. This is absolutely not the case! Why drag half of your group to another museum when there’s a local open-air market just down the road? As a group, pick a few activities you want to do together like dinner, a boat cruise, a day hike, or a private tour, and let everyone fill in the rest of their schedules. Making sure everyone takes time to do what they enjoy while on your trip is part of what makes multigenerational travel so successful.
One of the most important questions in the planning phase, unfortunately, the last question to be asked: how much is this going to cost? Nothing is more disappointing than getting excited about a trip only to realize that it's way out of your budget. When traveling with people who are all in different phases of life, budgets are inevitably going to vary. One of the great things about traveling with a group is that you can take advantage of group discounts. Whether it's booking a house instead of a hotel or booking group passes for a tour, you can easily accommodate everyone's budgets.
Multigenerational travel is a very rewarding experience. While it might seem difficult to pull off if you follow these simple steps while planning, everyone is sure to have a great time!