The Multi-Generational Travel Trend: Why More Families Are Choosing to Go Together
Part of our work is continuing to learn. We do that on the ground, through our own site visits and time spent with partners around the world, and through reputable research on how and why people travel. This week, two articles on multi-generational travel stood out, and both speak directly to what we are hearing from our clients.
Research shows that more families are choosing to travel across three and even four generations, and the reasons are genuine, time together, milestones worth celebrating, and a desire to share meaningful experiences while everyone is able.
We're grateful to the families who have trusted us with these trips over the years, and we hope what follows helps you think about what a trip like this could look like for your own family.
Multi-Generational Travel Trends: What the Research Shows
The first piece, from Topologica, reports that nearly half of all travelers are now choosing multi-generational trips, a meaningful increase from just two years ago. Bookings for groups of eight or more have grown by more than 20 percent.
We loved reading that when young parents were asked why they want to bring extended family on vacation, most said quality time. Only a small share mentioned help with the kids.
Families aren't gathering because it's easier. They're gathering because time together matters to them. That's a lovely thing to see reflected in the numbers.
For the first time in history, seven generations are alive at the same time, from the Silent Generation to the newest babies of Generation Beta.
It's a quiet, remarkable thing. A great-grandmother in her 90s can share a meal with a great-grandchild who is just learning to walk. A four-generation trip, once rare, is something more families are now able to consider.
Every family has that one story, the one a grandparent has told so many times everyone knows the ending. When there's a new generation at the table, that story gets a fresh audience, and a little more life.
XZ Beta Travel: Planning a Family Trip With a Newborn and Grandparents
The article also describes a newer version of the trend called XZ Beta travel: Gen X grandparents traveling with their Gen Z adult children and their newborn Generation Beta grandchildren.
These trips tend to move a little slower, and that's part of their beauty. One home base rather than a new hotel every other night. Mornings shaped around a nap. An afternoon where the new parents enjoy a wine tasting while the grandparents take the baby for a walk.
Planning a Multi-Generational Family Trip With Care
We have been doing this work for three decades, and we still don't take it for granted. We've been humbled by what travel can open up, whether it was sitting with a 94-year-old survivor in Hiroshima or watching a family grow quiet together at the DMZ.
When a family invites us into their planning, they're trusting us with their time, and time together is something none of us can get back. That trust means more to us than we can easily say.
If "we should all go somewhere together" has come up more than once, it may be worth listening to. Whether it's a milestone, an anniversary, or simply a sense that now is the right time, we would be honored to help you think it through. We'd love to hear your story.
Q&A
Question: What is the multi-generational travel trend?
Short answer: It is the growing number of families traveling with three or more generations together, usually grandparents, parents, and grandchildren. Recent reporting shows nearly half of travelers are now choosing multi-generational trips, and bookings for larger groups continue to rise.
Question: Why are more families traveling across generations?
Short answer: Most families say it comes down to quality time. Young parents overwhelmingly cite time together, rather than childcare, as the reason they bring extended family along. Longer lifespans also mean more families have healthy, active grandparents and great-grandparents who want to share these experiences.
Question: What is XZ Beta travel?
Short answer: XZ Beta travel describes trips where Gen X grandparents travel with their Gen Z adult children and Generation Beta grandchildren. These trips often favor a single home base, a gentle pace, and destinations with shorter flights and smaller time differences.
Question: How many generations can travel together today?
Short answer: For the first time in history, seven generations are alive at once. That makes four-generation trips, and occasionally five, a real possibility for families who plan with each generation's needs in mind.
Question: What does a multi-generational trip look like in practice?
Short answer: It usually begins with a purpose, such as a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a heritage journey, or a long-awaited reunion. The most meaningful trips balance shared meals with open time and smaller moments, like a grandparent and grandchild spending a day together.
