Multigenerational trips are a rising travel trend, and that makes sense. A vacation between grandparents, kids, and grandkids gives extended families time together without the expectations of holiday gatherings, and with so many vacation schedules to juggle with quality time, families are finding it easier to simply see each other while they relax. To help make your own three-generation getaway work better, it helps to pick places with plenty of options for every age, because not everyone wants to do the same thing. It also helps to decide ahead of time who’ll pay for what. Whether riding horses across the open plains, exploring a city, rafting rivers, or cruising, these diverse ideas offer vacations that your family will remember for all the right reasons.
All-inclusive Caribbean Resorts
All-inclusive resorts restrain budgets from ballooning—the pervasive risk of all multigenerational trips. It’s not a problem when the grandkids want more tennis, kayaking, or windsurfing, or when teens grab second helpings of lobster or steak. The upscale Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico (pictured), a luxury resort on 206 acres, delivers good food and a sense of expansiveness. The oceanfront, family-friendly Ambassador Class rooms are around 1,100-square feet, and the spa, which administers treatments inspired by local traditions, provides ample space for relaxing. At the kids' clubs, those aged 4 to 12 years take mariachi lessons, listen to stories, and enjoy arts and crafts, and teens get foosball, air hockey, and video games. At Beaches Turks & Caicos, Providenciales, set on 75 acres, expect more crowds but also more activities—wakeboarding, sailing, scuba diving—as well as no-extra-fee child care for infants through 3-year-olds, plus a full day's worth of activities for kids 4 to 17. The waterpark’s geysers and slides divert kids for hours, and the Sesame Street characters thrill preschoolers, who can bake cookies with Cookie Monster, take a nature walk with Big Bird, or listen to stories with Elmo for added fees. For a bit of luxury, consider a two-bedroom suite or a 3- to 4-bedroom villa. Both come with butlers.
City Explorations
Like many big cities, Boston’s mix of history, art, outdoor sites, and science attractions enables families to follow their interests without roughing it. Along the Freedom Trail, grade schoolers find the Old North Church and other places they’re learning about. Turn rebel by dumping tea in the harbor at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. Little ones like to build houses and blow giant bubbles at the Boston Children’s Museum as well as climb the duck sculptures in Boston Public Garden (pictured). At the New England Aquarium, animal lovers can see harbor seals, penguins, and endless tanks of fish. At the Museum of Fine Arts, admire one of the largest collections of Monet paintings in the United States. Science-oriented teens find fossils and dinosaurs to ogle at the Museum of Science (one of the best in the country) and kinetic sculptures to activate at the MIT Museum, across the river in Cambridge. In season, enjoy family bike rides along the Charles River Esplanade, Boston Red Sox baseball at Fenway Park, or ice skating on the frozen Frog Pond in Boston Common. Boston is just one example, though; many of America's historic cities are equally good playgrounds for multi-age family vacations.
Dude Ranches
Whether you never-ever put a foot in a stirrup or you can lope like Annie Oakley, dude ranches make for memorable multi-family vacations, especially if they’re resort properties where choosing a trail is as easy as booking a massage, tennis workshop, or fly-fishing outing. Such extra options not only assuage the saddle-sore but also cater to non-riders. The best ranches feature lessons for all ages, rides for grade-schoolers and teens, as well as pony excursions for little ones. At resort ranches, lodging ranges from comfortable to luxurious rooms, cabins, and homes staffed by real chefs. In the evening, get together over s’mores, storytelling, roping, and square dancing. At some ranches, the all-inclusive fee covers horses, lessons, accommodations, and meals while other properties price à la carte. For the Ranch at Rock Creek (pictured), a Relais & Châteaux luxury property 20 miles southwest of Philipsburg, Montana, summer and fall are prime saddle time. The best horseback riding weather at Tanque Verde Ranch, Tucson, Arizona, is February through April.
Cruises
Megaships are now being designed expressly for families. The slate of amusements is huge and surprising: zip lines, bumper cars, laser tag, movies, skydiving simulators, as well as multiple pools and children’s activities—older, well-behaved grade-schoolers and teens enjoy the freedom to roam the ship without you. When the ship stops at new ports, diverse itineraries give you even more options. Europe’s castles intrigue grade-school princesses and knights. The Continent’s city art museums and trendy boutiques draw tweens and teens. In Hawaii, go local with surfing or kiteboarding lessons. The Caribbean draws beach lovers, snorkelers, sailors, and shoppers. Easy to pay for, cruise fees already include lodging, entertainment, standard meals, plus children’s and teen activities—with no unexpected outlays to break your budget. Just practice tough love and limit the add-ons and be sure the line you choose has programming suited to the children in your group. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Disney lead the way in the industry for mounting comprehensive kids and teens’ diversions and making sure every age level—including yours—is amused and comfortable.
By: Candyce H. Stapen, Family Travel Expert for Frommers