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by Ann Herren
Skip-Gen travel, when grandparents take their grandkids –sans parents– on vacation, is the hot new trend in vacations, and the way I see it, it’s a win-win for everybody involved.
It’s referred to as ‘Skip-Gen’ travel, when kids go on vacation– not with their parents- but with their grandparents. Meanwhile, mom and dad enjoy their own deliriously quiet ‘Staycation’ at home. U.S. News & World Report calls it one of their ‘9 travel trends to watch in 2018’, and we approve.
It’s a great way for generations to bond, and for grandparents to enjoy vacation in a way they may not have for quite a while, through the eyes, and sense of adventure, of a kid. If you have lots of grandkids, all cousins, there is a trend for that, as well. The formula is to not take all the grandkids from one family, but to pick a grandchild from each of your children’s families. Obvs, you’d rotate your vacations to be fair!
There are so many travel options to make the vacation work for both young kids and older adults.
RV camping is one good example, which according to CNN is back and bigger than ever, with RVs selling at never-before-seen record levels (in fact, the biggest market growth is under 45s). I can attest to the draw, our family just got an adorable retro camper that we named– like a true cajun girl– Clotilde. And she is everything.
Theme parks are another great destination to take the grandkids–they can suit just about any interest and level of activity, from day-to-day or park-to-park. I found a great list of amusement parks on grandparents.com and Trip Savvy has some really helpful tips for visiting theme parks with grandkids such as, use your smart phone to not only take pics of the fun, but pics of your locker, parking spot, and tickets.
Also, buy your souvenirs before your trip, not at the theme park, where the rip-off levels are worse than our local Sewer & Water Board (amiright?). Consider too,staying at the theme park. It might be pricier, but you can hop back to the room for power naps ( both generations!).
Cruises– they’ve gotten so much better (I’ll admit, I can’t stand cruises myself, I’d rather get eaten by red ants), the all-inclusiveness of them is perfect for making easy travel plans and entertaining the grands. Bonus- it’s all. Right. There. You can feed them, entertain them, go to shows and relax in your room with them, all within mere steps. No worrying about packing and unpacking, money, feeding faces- well, you know all this!
Classic vacations are also great to take with grandkids, national parks, beaches– all are great ways for everyone to relax, bond, and enjoy the great outdoors!
Here are few articles I found that I love;
10 Destinations Where Your Grandkids’ Cellphones Won’t Work
The Most Amazing Places to Take Kids in all 50 States
10 Tips for Traveling with Teens
and a site to scroll when you have time– Road Scholar –one of my favorite finds and great to follow on Pinterest)!
Happy Trails, y’all!
Enjoy your vacations, or staycations, and if you cruise and hate it, don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😉
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