Multi-generational vacation ideas are not all that hard to come up with. You do need to think about how you are going to accommodate the different generations, and how you are going to keep everyone occupied, but you have a lot of options if you just start using your imagination.
Some grandparents want to create once-in-a-lifetime adventures with their adult children and their grandchildren.
One way to vacation together as a family that seems to be very popular among people we’ve talked to is cruising.
Cruising offers the best of both worlds depending on the cruise line you choose. You can be all together as a family as often as you want… especially at meals… and you can go off and enjoy different activities when you feel like you might want a little space for yourself. Some cruise lines cater to families with small children, some don’t. So choose your cruise line according to your needs.
Sometimes the planners choose multi-generational vacation ideas that are more out of the ordinary or meaningful… perhaps a safari in Africa or renting a house or villa far from home. Villas in Tuscany and Provence are easy to arrange. You can find places to rent for your family all over Europe and America for that matter.
You don’t have to go far, far away. You could just choose to take a house in one of your favorite vacation spots. Or rent a couple of condos, side by side in Mexico or Hawaii. Two condos gives different generations more chance for some quiet time when they need it.
You could choose a resort someplace tropical. The Caribbean is a great spot for this. Choose the right one, and there will be something for everyone. Be careful though.
Remember that not all resorts are open to the youngest generation. At one of our favorite scuba diving resorts, children under 5 are not welcome. If you want to go scuba diving together, the kids should be over 10 anyway to be certified.
If you’re looking at all inclusive resorts, keep in mind that some all inclusive resorts are for couples or singles only.
If your family is into winter sports, another multi-generational vacation idea is to go to a ski resort…. where the grandparents can ski and the younger generation will most likely be snowboarding in a different area. Everyone can enjoy some family togetherness around the fire in the evening.
Dude ranches are another great option with lots of activities for all ages… horseback riding, swimming… why you might even get to try a little roping or something!
Exploring National Parks anywhere in the world can be a great educational opportunity for all the generations.
For families that love the outdoors, camping is a great option. Tent camping is affordable. Some families opt to take their own or rent recreational vehicles. Wild areas and cities all over the world have spaces for these.
If your family is more the rugged outdoor type, you could try backpacking. When we hiked into the Grand Canyon years ago, we encountered a multi-generational group of hikers. The grandparents had hiked the Grand Canyon several times… everyone was keeping up and carrying their own weight.
I’m sure that now that we have you started, you can come up with some great multi-generational vacation ideas of your own… ones that will fit your budget and be just perfect for your family to create some great memories.
Some people love shopping. I’m not one of them, but I do like shopping on vacation. While I LIKE shopping on vacation, I think some people vacation to shop!
Travel for what ever reasons you want… and if shopping is one of your loves…. why not shop while you’re traveling?
I like wandering in bazaars and flea markets, but I like looking at big department stores in cities like London and Paris or almost anywhere else too.
Exploring big stores lets you see what the fashions are like in the country you’re visiting, and it gives you a different perspective on the country and it’s people. If you’re a real shopper… you probably just love shopping someplace new!
I love prowling museums and historical sites, but grocery stores, department stores, and bazaars give you a glimpse of everyday life.
I like going to small boutique stores almost anywhere. You find more local flavor… less “mass marketed” items. If I can find a jacket that Bhutanese women wear over their “kira”…. I’ll have a jacket at home that no one else will have… unless they, too, have been to Bhutan.
I like going into grocery stores. There are supermarkets now all over the world in addition to small local markets. It’s fun to look at local grocery items and see what else is for sale.
There are places like Carrefour and LeClerc in France and Lidl all over Europe… not to mention IKEA! We went to a Safeway in Amman, Jordan. It was fun to try to buy lowfat milk in Arabic and see the kinds of goods they had for sale.
Small markets are fun to see too… You see exotic fruits and vegetables. And if you’re lucky enough to be in a town for the weekly market, you’ll probably be doing some cheese or sweets shopping on vacation!
It’s fun shopping for arts and crafts made by local artisans. Sometimes we shop for something for ourselves to bring home. We have gone looking for carpets in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Turkey… and we came home with a few.
We have bought “made for tourist” items like Tibetan horns, and African wood carvings, and sometimes jewelry. We try to find things that are small and pack easily… except for the carpets anyway.
Sometimes we shop for interesting items that will make fun gifts for friends and relatives at home. The amber earrings that we bought in Gdansk will make great gifts for my nieces come Christmas.
It’s interesting, in researching this article, I found thousands of sites trying to entice readers to go THERE and shop…. and THERE was any place in the world! There are whole tours set up for shopping on vacations… either near home or far away!
We prefer to think that we go to those department stores and boutiques and bazaars for the cultural experience. If I come away with an interesting new “ethnic” outfit that I could never get at home… that’s a souvenir.
If we come home with a new carpet… that’s a wise purchase. If we come home with a “tacky tourist curio” to hang on the Christmas tree… that’s just plain fun.
Psychologists say that the act of shopping someplace new can dose the brain with dopamine, a natural chemical that provides deep satisfaction and that often starts to flow when we confront something novel and exciting…. Maybe that’s why I like shopping on vacations better than shopping at home!
The kids are grown and out of the house… time to think about year round vacations! This is no time to mope about the empty nest…. This lets you start planning to take vacations when other peoples kids are in school.
You can stop thinking only about kid friendly places. You can plan late night entertainment. You can go during different seasons.
You can explore more museums or archeological sites or do some wine tasting… things that just weren’t possible with the kids in tow. Now you can think of things you’ve always wanted to do, but you put them off because they were things that might bore the kids. (more…)
When I was growing up we took our family vacations in summer. Dad might take some days off around the holidays, but we didn’t VACATION then… we stayed home.
Now, if you’re planning a trip with the kids, you may need to take those vacations when school is out, but with a little creative thinking, it doesn’t have to be JUST a summer vacation.
If you’re going to the popular vacation venues like national parks or beaches, there will be crowds in the summer… and high prices.
It sure would be nice if you could go someplace on shoulder or off season wouldn’t it? If you could avoid some of those crowds and prices? (more…)
Many people try to see Venice in a day. Time and money are often short when you’re traveling, so you want to get to as many places as you can. You really shouldn’t see Venice just in daylight…. a day and a night maybe. Or two nights and a day.
Venice really is a small town. You can walk right across it from the train depot to St. Mark’s Square in less than an hour… but that would be if you were just walking and not looking, and what you really want to do is stroll and SEE Venice…. La Serenissima herself is the main attraction.
The first time we went to Venice, we arrived by train at night and stayed near the train station. As soon as we settled in, we hit the street and started walking. (more…)
What about a camping family vacation this year? If you’re American and you leave it to the kids to decide on your family vacation, chances are you’ll be heading to Disneyland or Disney World.
There’s nothing wrong with that… those magical lands on both coasts of the U.S. are great fun for kids of all ages.
And there are plenty of things to do nearby to both, but what about something different….maybe getting back to basics and a camping family vacation? Ah-oh. Camping? Where do you go? What do you do?
If you’ve never camped before, you might want to start close to home… so you can bail out if you have to! You can save the beautiful park far from home for another time, once you know you’re all going to like the camping experience. (more…)
Is your family planning on going on vacation soon, but there is a budget involved? This is when it is important to know how to find the best budget hotels. It will take time to find the best deals, but it will be well worth it. This article is going to tell you how anyone can find the best deals available with a little time and work.
The internet is the best way to use to find budget hotels. There are so many hotels that now have websites, which makes it much easier to find good deals. It is very important that time is taken for finding more than one hotel website and then comparing them.
You want to compare each site that is found for hotels on a budget because this is how you will find the deal that is best for your situation. Plus, it will help to save money when on vacation.
Once the hotel sites have been found and compared, the next thing to do is to decide when the vacation will start. If it is possible to go during non-peak season, do this because it will save quite a bit of money on hotels. Rates are always cheaper for non-peak times and for families.
Anyone can find the best budget hotels if you spend time doing it. It will be well worth it when your family is on vacation, while saving money to be there. A vacation doesn’t have to be too expensive, if plans are made ahead of time.
Everyone needs to take a vacation with their family, but it is not always easy to do when you don’t have a lot of money. The truth is, it doesn’t require a lot of money to take a vacation. All it takes is some planning, searching and time to find the best family budget vacations that are available.
This article is going to give you some important tips to help.
- Plan ahead – It is imperative to plan ahead if the family will be taking a vacation on a budget. This is the only way to save the most money possible while still allowing your family to have fun.
- Go on vacation during the non-peak period. This will help to save money on everything because it will be much cheaper. Plus, it might be possible to find special discounts available only during this time.
- Check with hotels, airlines, car rental services and anywhere else that is needed to find the best deal possible. This will take time, but there are many times that a good deal will be available, especially for families. Always take time to look because this can provide a way to save money and stay in your budget.
- Food on vacation can get expensive so it is a smart idea to pack a cooler with food to take with you. This will help to cut down on eating out because this is something your family can enjoy once you arrive at the vacation destination.
These are not all the tips that need to be known, but they are the ones that are most important for helping keep the family in the budget. Family budget vacations are definitely possible, but will take time to plan. Get started now so your family can start having fun.