Nine Great Benefits of Vacationing With Grandparents In 2023

Nine Great Benefits of Vacationing With Grandparents In 2023

Vacationing with grandparents has been around for years. I’m 60 and I have great memories of vacationing in Long Boat Key, Florida with my parents and grandparents. And for decades we have spent time in the summer with extended family at a cottage where four or five generations are present.

Author, Cynthia Ross Tustin – February 24th, 2023

And yet post after post lately talks about the “rising trend” of including grandparents on the family vacation. It’s not new. “Vacationing with grandparents” has simply blossomed into multi-generational travel, and often includes extended family like aunts, uncles, and cousins. Extended families can also include step-children and foster children. One great big blended family!

We’re in a post-pandemic, quasi-recession, “what’s old is new again” era. Families recognize the benefits of spending quality time together, creating lasting memories, and stretching a dollar. Embrace it.

So Let’s Dig Into Vacationing With Grandparents

Here are my top nine reasons why grandparents should be included in your next family holiday…if they aren’t already!

1. Legacy and Storytelling

A family vacation is an opportunity to connect the past with the present. The family road trip, just like a shared meal, provides time for everyone to sit, talk and ask questions. The funniest stories are often told when everyone is just “sitting around together”.

Grandparents have lived longer than anyone else in your family. Therefore, they have accumulated a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be invaluable for your family. Whether it’s stories from their own travels, tips for staying healthy while on the road, or insights into local culture and customs, grandparents can help enrich your family’s vacation experience.

Encourage your children to ask their grandparents questions about holidays they took as kids. Or questions about when they took you on vacation. Grandparents will love to dish to the grandkids about what you were like as a child. There’s so much generational family history to be shared. And it’s the stuff that just can’t be found on ancestry sites.

“Storytelling has been a mode of teaching and learning for thousands of years. Human brains are wired to relate experiences and share meanings in the form of stories.” It’s how we’re meant to share our history and our culture.

Consider taking a family vacation to places that you visited as a child with your parents. My parents shared great stories with my kids about Walt Disney World, Florida, and several amazing national parks. This way everyone has a shared and common bond. If you’re looking for destination ideas, read Vacations With Grandparents – The Best Excursions – 2023

Grandparents are wonderful at adding both context and continuity to shared family memories.

2. Bonding

Grandparents have a special bond with their grandchildren. Including them in your family’s vacation can help create lasting memories that your kids will cherish for years to come. Grandparents can participate in family activities and help document the trip with photos and videos.

Families with a strong inter-generational closeness may find it easier for grandparents and grandchildren to bond. That’s because those types of relations are already the norm in your family. But if you’re trying to build new bonds or re-establish old ones, take it slow. Don’t push. Fun, patience and a good sense of humor will go a long way toward building a strong relationship.

3. Share the Childcare

If you have a young family, the extra hands are a huge bonus! I can’t understate this. There’s nothing worse than heading to a great destination or vacation rental home and returning exhausted.

If everyone agrees to share child care, kids should get enough quality attention, and everyone should get enough rest. If you have teenagers, the extra eyes will be the bonus. Not that teenagers are bad…they just may require supervision versus care.

You may want to think about an all-inclusive vacation or something like a Walt Disney Cruise. That way everyone’s needs are taken care of. Kids get time with their peers. They get to make new friends, and nursery and daycare facilities with licensed staff are readily available amenities.

The other advantage, since people often want to do different things, you can break the group up for an afternoon or two for different sorts of adventures. Just because you’re vacationing at a dude ranch doesn’t mean everyone will want to (or is able to) go horseback riding.

Not everyone will want a museum or art gallery. Not everyone wants to zipline or e-bike (older family members shouldn’t discount the fun of an e-bike and the ease of use). But with multiple adults to look after the kids, different activities can happen simultaneously.

Grandparents may also prefer the slower pace of small children…who need naps; leaving you to have a full day at the beach enjoying water activities with your older children.

4. Stress Reduction

Traveling with kids can be stressful. Having grandparents along for the ride can help provide emotional support for the entire family. Grandparents are generally less stressed, and less hurried. They frequently have the time and energy to listen and offer a comforting presence during times of stress or anxiety. Kids benefit immensely from this.

But consider the reduced stress for parents. Knowing children are being cared for by someone they know and trust will allow them to relax and unwind too.

5. Grandparents Can Act As Mediators

Family vacations can sometimes be fraught with tension, and having grandparents along can help diffuse any conflicts that may arise. Grandparents can act as a mediator between family members and help keep the peace during stressful situations.

Grandparents may not want to be stuck in the middle of an argument between a dad and his teenage daughter. However, grandparents are often good a diffusing an incident, or de-escalating a donnybrook should the need arise.

Make sure everyone knows the rules upfront. Should there be a stalemate, granny breaks all ties, and she can send even the adults to a neutral corner.

6. Shared Expenses

Family vacations can be expensive, and grandparents may be willing to help out with some of the costs. Whether it’s covering the cost of a meal or paying for a fun activity, grandparents are usually prepared,o contribute to the family’s vacation fund.

Shared expenses can provide an opportunity for more elaborate or different experiences such as a home or cottage rental in a unique destination. Sharing in this manner can also work from a cost-avoidance perspective. Shared rental and grocery costs are generally less than staying in hotels and dining out every night. Ultimately, everyone will get more for less.

7. Improved Health Benefits For Grandparents

a) A good relationship between grandparents and grandchildren has been shown to be a strong anti-depressive.
b) It can help older parents stay physically active. Playing with grandchildren can be a fun way to keep the body moving. Whether you’re playing a round of golf together, walking around the shopping mall, or taking a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, physical activity is good for your health.
c) Caring for children can keep us mentally alert. A study in the Journal of the North American Menopause Society found the highest cognitive scores among older women who spent one day a week babysitting their grandchildren. The same applies to all time spent.
d) Taking your grandchild on an outing can provide opportunities for interacting with other adults, and possibly even other grandparents. And, of course, there’s the quality time spent visiting with your grandchild. This social interaction can help fight the loneliness that older adults sometimes experience.
e) A longer life. A study of 500 European grandparents between 70 and 103 was conducted. It found those who did not provide at least some care for their grandchildren were less likely to be alive five years after the study began.

Improved Health Benefits for Grandchildren

Health benefits aren’t a one-way street. Research has also shown that grandkids enjoy health benefits, too. Studies found that teenagers who regularly spent time with a grandparent had lower rates of depression, higher academic success, and greater self-confidence than teens who didn’t see their grandparents often.

8. Give Aging Parents an Opportunity to Travel

Pre-existing health conditions can make travel difficult, if not impossible, for some older adults. Vacationing with extended family is often a game-changer for those who want to travel but can’t without help. Additionally, it can be very helpful to those who are simply afraid to travel alone.

Are you a person who fears traveling by yourself? Check out my recent article called, Fear of Traveling Alone and How to Overcome It:  A 2023 Guide For Retirees

9. Unique and Different Interests

Having grandparents along for the vacation can have benefits beyond shared child care. Or even having an extra adult driver on the road trip. Grandparents bring a diversity of ideas to the group. They provide an opportunity to do things that might be outside the normal family activities of your small nuclear family.

Grandparents may suggest activities that wouldn’t normally be considered bobsledding, ice fishing, games that aren’t electronic, music, and unique restaurants. The sky is the limit. And for those of us, “of a certain vintage”, teenagers may make us more open to newer technology. Or they can give us a fresh perspective on current events and their impact on younger generations.

Can Grandparents Travel With Grandchildren?

In case you’re wondering if you can travel with just you and your grandchildren, the answer is yes. And many of us do. There are a few things you should know if you plan to travel just yourself and the kids. Or, heaven forbid, something happens and their parents have to leave the family vacation urgently. If you’re traveling out of the country, permission letters may be required. And you may need to be the keeper of certain documents or some very specific medical requirements.

If you’re looking for some Tips For Traveling With Grandchildren, read this post.

Let’s Sum Up!

In my mind, there’s little if any downside to multigenerational family holidays! I was actually sold at shared costs and reduced stress! The idea of creating a legacy with grandchildren through story-telling is appealing. And the thought of quality bonding time will probably appeal to virtually all grandparents!

And the health benefits are backed by science. My only question about those health benefits, specifically the longevity benefit is this. Do I really want to be 105 on a long family road trip with a car full of teenagers? Time will tell!