Multigenerational travel is booming—and for good reason: when young and old vacation together, memories are made for a lifetime. What matters in the planning—and where family getaways work especially well.
Guests are just arriving for dinner at Parkhotel Holzner above Bolzano. A gray-haired man in his 70s is sitting at one of the large dining tables. His relaxed expression softens a little when a young woman enters the restaurant with a little girl on her hand and a whining baby in her arms. Even before she gives him the restless baby, it's clear that they belong together. "Now you go to Grandpa," says the woman and sits down at the table with the girl while Grandpa gently cradles the baby and walks up and down.
It's striking that it is not the only table where children, parents and grandparents sit together in harmony. No wonder: multi-generational vacations are the trend right now. According to a survey conducted by the tourism company TUI in collaboration with the market research institute Appinio, around 18 percent of respondents took so-called "multi-gen" trips in 2024.
At the same time, studies by Virtuoso and Forbes show that multi-generational vacations are one of the fastest-growing travel segments. More than half of the parents' generation surveyed said they were planning a trip with their grandparents this year or next. How did this development come about? What are the opportunities and challenges of a multi-generational vacation? What types of travel are suitable for this and how do hotels specifically respond to this?
"There are several demographic developments behind this trend," explains Heike Schänzel, professor at Auckland University of Technology and one of the leading international experts on family and intergenerational tourism. Families are getting smaller and smaller, she says - with seven children and 15 grandchildren, it's more difficult to go on vacation together; with one child and one or two grandchildren, it's much easier; and also more important, because: Families no longer live together as they used to, but are often far apart. "Sometimes you have to go on vacation together to meet up at all," says Schänzel.
What's more, today's generation of grandparents is getting older, is active for much longer and is usually in a good financial position. In keeping with the spirit of the times, many people are questioning whether they really need a new car or a big house - with the result that they would rather invest the money in spending time with their family. Corona has fueled this development, explains Schänzel: shortly after the pandemic, most vacations were family reunions. But the desire to spend time together was already apparent beforehand - and remains one of the main motivations for multigenerational travel even years after coronavirus.
Because they miss their grandchildren in everyday life, it's often grandma and grandpa who initiate a vacation together and sometimes also plan and organize it. For grandfathers, there's an additional point: as a parent, they were largely in the traditional provider role and now realize how little time they spent with their children. They can now make up for this with their grandchildren - and thus also make up a little for what they missed out on with their own children.
Parents may enjoy family time together, but they also have a need for peace and quiet and relief, perhaps also for togetherness. Schänzel talks about "own time" versus "family time": while grandparents have a lot of space for themselves in everyday life, this is exactly what most parents lack - especially when the children are still small.
This is one of the major challenges when traveling with the extended family: different generations have different needs and expectations of their vacation. To avoid conflicts, it's important to clarify these in advance. Very important: Do the parents expect grandma and grandpa to look after their grandchildren? Is that what the grandparents want? But also: Who wants to do what? Doing sports, playing with other children, relaxing in the spa? And how much privacy does each party need?
Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort is prepared for these questions: "Our concept is not just 'child-friendly', but explicitly 'family-friendly',"emphasizes Roman Stern. The Zurich native designed and planned the resort on the western tip of the Portuguese Algarve together with his wife Chitra and opened it in 2010. It was one of the first luxury family hotels in Europe - and the term family here included grandparents from the very beginning.
The basis for ensuring that different generations feel comfortable on vacation together is the accommodation, explains Stern. In the family hotel room with a connecting door or in one of the spacious villas, the individual family members can retreat when they are looking for peace and quiet and spend time together whenever they want.
The offer is also tailored to meet different needs: from the Kids Club for the little ones to tennis for the grandparents, from water sports for teenagers to massages for tired parents. There are also activities for the whole family, such as mini-golf, family soccer or walks together. "We firmly believe that the time families spend together is particularly valuable in today's fast-paced world," says Roman Stern. The bookings prove that others share his view.
According to Stern, grandparents report that they really appreciate being there on vacation not just as babysitters, but as active family members. This way, they would have their own space and be able to enjoy their own vacation experiences. Parents, in turn, feel relieved in every respect, says Stern, because they know their children are in good hands - whether with grandparents, at the Kids Club or at other supervised activities.
In addition to resorts, which have long had a strong presence in the family vacation sector with childcare, a wide range of accommodation options and activities, other types of travel are also available for multi-generational trips. Heike Schänzel mentions cruises in particular: "On a ship, everyone has their own area and can pursue their interests. As a rule, there are many different offers, but people come together again at mealtimes at the latest."
Ranches, safari lodges or glamping facilities offer shared experiences and adventures in nature with luxurious amenities that older travelers in particular - but also many parents - appreciate. Wellness hotels such as Chalet Mirabell in Northern Italy are increasingly focusing on cross-generational spa moments - together or separately: with a family spa and an adults-only area, guests have all options open to them.
City trips also score points with a variety of activities for all ages. So far, however, city hotels have been less geared towards multi-generational travelers. Once again, Martinhal is an exception: the Sterns' newest hotel, Lisbon Oriente, offers studios as well as two- or three-bedroom apartments with a kitchen and a shared living room. The Shangri-La Group is also implementing its so called Fam.ily concept, which is specially tailored to families and multi-generational travel, in some city hotels, for example in Hong Kong and Singapore - with special rooms, experiences and services.
Whether in the city or in the country, it's often the grandparents who bear a significant share of the vacation costs. According to studies, around half even pay for the whole family. Conclusion: higher travel budgets - and a preference for higher quality experiences. Monika Holzner from Parkhotel Holzner confirms this - the hotel in Oberbozen is a true pioneer of multi-generational vacations: "My parents-in-law decided on the 'family hotel' concept in the 1990s. From the very beginning, this referred to the family as a whole," she explains. "This includes grandma, uncle, cousin, even the good friend who is like family."
The wide range of facilities ensures that all generations feel at home here: There's a children's club and two tennis courts, a family spa and an adults-only spa. Children can run around and grandparents can stroll in the large park. In the hotel bar, a collection of games naturally brings together several generations over cocoa and cocktails. Those seeking peace and quiet can retreat to the Art Nouveau reading room. With the cable car station in the immediate vicinity, the city of Bolzano is just twelve minutes away. It's just as easy to get to the surrounding nature on the Ritten, where there are regular hikes - including some for the whole family.
The most important thing, however, is the special spirit at Parkhotel. Monika Holzner puts it like this: "Here, everyone can be who they are." This seems to go down well with the guests - around 80 percent come back again and again, and some parents have been here themselves as children.
Holzner has noticed a change in recent years: the children used to be sent to the Kids Club for dinner much more often. Today, most guests would celebrate eating together at the large family table. "During the day, everyone can do what they want, in the evening, everyone enjoys being together."
Holzner has also observed a growing awareness of sustainability and an increasing interest in nature and culture in the vacation region. "Guests are increasingly asking questions like: Are the meadows fertilized? Where do your apples come from? What is the history of Northern Italy all about?" Such questions are now regularly addressed in the morning journal, which is available on the tables every day at breakfast.
Roman Stern notes that in parallel to multi-generational vacations, so-called "skip-gen" trips, i.e. trips by grandparents with grandchildren but without parents, are also on the rise. Heike Schänzel also confirms this. Whether with or without an intermediate generation, Stern also sees a trend towards longer stays where vacation, work and family time merge. Martinhal has already responded to this with suitable offers: The accommodation offers space and infrastructure to work remotely; Lisbon Oriente even has a co-working space. The extended family vacation has probably come to stay.
