More families are bringing grandma and grandpa on vacation. Is multigenerational travel a good idea?

Far more than previous generations, current parents — largely millennials but also some Gen X- and Z-ers creeping in there too — are taking multigenerational vacations, complete with kids and grandparents along for the ride. On the surface, it looks like a win-win, with parents (hopefully) getting some vacation child care out of Grandma, while grandparents supposedly soak up more quality time with grandkids. But how helpful is it to have such an unwieldy travel group — and is everyone just overwhelmed? Here’s what travelers of any generation should know about planning a big family vacation — and pulling it off with fewer risks, more rewards and everyone’s mental health intact.

The multigenerational travel trend

For plenty of families, like Dr. Sherry Katz-Bearnot’s, multigenerational travel had been a tradition for decades. “Even when our kids were little, we traveled with my parents,” Katz-Bearnot, a psychiatrist, mother of three and grandmother of two tells Yahoo Life of her vacations in the 1980s and ’90s. “We went to Colonial Williamsburg with the kids and my parents, and they loved it.” Thirtysomething years later, she’s recently returned from a successful trip to Europe with her grown kids and her grandchildren. And these days, more families than ever are hopping on the bandwagon.

Jared Benoff, owner of the travel agency Vacationeeze, says his business has seen a steady uptick in multigenerational travel in recent years. And while these trips used to be anchored to a milestone — say, a 60th birthday or a 50th wedding anniversary — they’re no longer for special occasions only, Benoff tells Yahoo Life. “Especially since COVID, we're seeing even more ‘just because’ trips,” complete with kids and parents and grandparents alike, he adds. “More people are realizing you don't need a reason to take an incredible trip together as a big family, and there's no better way to experience a place than together.”

By Amelia Edelman.

Full story at Yahoo News.