What is a multi generationAL holiday?
find the right accommodation
This is probably the most challenging part when it comes to such a trip. Finding the right accommodation is likely to be the biggest time consumer.
Here are some things to consider:
- Ensure everyone can have some privacy and a comfortable room to retreat to
- Can children be gathered in one bedroom / one area of the house?
- If anyone has mobility challenges, can their room be on a ground floor.
- On that same topic, is the house easily accessible?
- Is the dining area big enough to welcome everyone around the table (you’d be surprised at the number of houses with 10 beds but a small dining table)
- Are there enough bathrooms?
- If you are travelling somewhere warm, plan for a home with a large outdoor space where everyone can enjoy fresh air and walks
- Is the home located in a place where supplies are easy to get? (is there a nice market or an opportunity to get your groceries delivered)
take everyones energy into account
It almost would need no extra explanation. But indeed, take your parents / in laws / grand parents / toddlers / teenagers energy into account.
Not everyone might be up for long hikes, full days by the beach or jungle exploration.
It is important to bring balance into the trip so everyone can enjoy downtime as well as active moments. A good way to do this is openly ask who would wish for what out of this holiday and what are must haves and no-no’s.
plan bonding times
Not all activities have to happen as a group. It is nice to plan individual times and activities between some members of the family.
- Plan activities cross generational. And maybe also couple people who are not used to spending so much time together.
- Plan kind of activities that can foster great conversations (cooking, hiking, pottery…)
Individual activities will allow greater bond and a good team feeling.
outsource the logistics
If you end up being above 10 people, cooking 3 times a day for that kind of crowd is exhausting. As soon as you are done with one meal, you have to think of the next one.
- Book a private chef for a couple of evenings.
- Look at places that can offer breakfast included.
- Ensure there is daily cleaning so you can focus on what is important
This will give a true feeling of holidays, especially for those who are mostly responsible for this kind of chores.
plan a realistic itinerary
Planning to move every 3 days with a big group can be too much. The packing and unpacking will exhaust everyone.
- Plan to stay in one location for at least 5 nights so everyone can enjoy settling in.
- Pre-organise all your transfers and ensure those are not too difficult logistically.
- Book different kind of accommodation such as boutique hotels or private villas
create memories and document those
Create beautiful memories everyone will be able to enjoy back at home. Maybe there is a passionate photographer amongst children?
- Create a shared photo album so everyone can add on their pictures
- Create a paper photo album you can gift to the grandparents
- Don’t forget to take a group photo!
- Maybe hire a photographer (on airbnb experiences) to spend a couple of hours taking candid photos of this special holiday.
I hope these tips have been useful to help you reflect on an upcoming multi-generational holiday. These are truly beautiful memories to be cherished.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to organise your next multi-generational holiday!
