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Mon, 03/24/2008 - 7:28pm
By Mary Donius
Twenty-two years ago, Helena Kuenig was elated when she found out she was going to become a grandmother.
"One of my first thoughts was, 'Oh, good, I'm going to have kids to travel with again,'" said Kuenig, a travel agent, mother of five (and now grandmother of ten).
She had a feeling that other grandparents might feel the same, and Grandtravel (www.grandtrvl.com) - a company that plans trips exclusively for grandparents and their grandchildren -- was born. Its motto is "No parents allowed!"
"Traveling is the most wonderful experience for both generations," Kuenig said. "The grandparents are getting a chance to nurture, and the grandkids get a chance to feel independent from their parents."
With destinations around the world, it beats a trip to grandma's house. All Grandtravel trips include a teacher and a tour guide who make sure that things run smoothly. The trips are pricey, but groups are always small - "No one wants to take fifty kids into a restaurant," she said.
Kuenig was a pioneer in her day, but industry experts now report that trips designed from grandparents and their grandkids are increasing in popularity ever since Baby Boomers began entering their golden years. In fact, a poll last year of 279 American Express travel agents found that 69 percent of them are booking trips for grandparents traveling exclusively with their grandchildren. That's good news for parents who may not have the money - or the time - to treat their children to vacations. It's also good news for the grandparents and grandkids who love to be on-the-go.
"People are finding that traveling with the grandkids is a perfect way to spend family time," said Arlene Kurr, owner of World Wide Travel in Hingham. "More and more people are doing it."
Senior-junior travel is now easier, less expensive, and more varied than ever before. Trips include activities suitable for both the young and the old, and organizers such as Kuenig report that both grandkids and their grandparents made plenty of friends among their traveling peers.
GrandTravel trips don't include airfare, but its destinations are fascinating and far-flung. A new tour of the old west is planned for next year. Current favorites include an Alaskan tour featuring rafting in Denali National Park, a boat cruise among glaciers, and a salmon-fishing expedition. Also enticing is a trip to Hawaii that features a hula-dancing lesson, a tour of Pearl Harbor, and a deep-sea submarine adventure.
Then there's GrandTravel's intergenerational Italy tour, which stops in Florence, Rome and Venice and includes a Venetian mask workshop, a train ride through the hills of Tuscany, and a cooking lesson with a bona fide Italian chef.
"Grandparents are very anxious to transmit a cultural inheritance," Kuenig said.
Elderhostel, which calls itself the "world's largest educational travel organization for adults 55 and older," offers countless trips and tours geared toward senior citizens. But a special section of its Web site (www.elderhostel.org) is devoted to "intergenerational travel," designed especially for the youngest and oldest adventure seekers.
Some examples of recent Elderhostel trips:
Growing Up In New England: Work, Play & Family Life on Ship and Shore. This four-night visit to Mystic Seaport includes a costume party, a log-book workshop, and a chance to explore the Charles Morgan, the world's only surviving whaling ship. $608/person.
Cheetahs, Giraffes & Zebras: A Safari in California with your Grandchild. This three-night trip offers a glimpse of African safari in Santa Rosa, Calif. Learn about endangered species, African stories and dances, sleep in a platformed tent, and more. $354/person.
Spring Break Passport to the World: This four-night cultural tour of Chinese, Mexican and French cultures happens at The Sagamore luxury resort hotel in Bolton, NY. A few activities: cook a Chinese meal; make and break a Mexican piñata; and learn a French folk dance. $654/person.
The Sierra Club, which sponsors trips to all corners of the globe, also tailors adventure to the grandparent-grandkid set. One that happens locally is Get to Know your Grandchild, a tour of Western Massachusetts. Travelers stay at a Sierra Club lodge and enjoy swimming, rafting, nature hikes and local sightseeing. The weeklong trip costs for $595 for adults and $495 for children. More far-flung Sierra Club destinations for grandparents are the Virgins Islands and Tahoe National Forest in California. Check it out on www.sierraclub.org.
Finally, Elizabeth French of Manchester Travel in Manchester says that tried and true vacation destinations such as Washington, DC and Disney World are good bets for first time multi-generational travelers. Cruises, too, are a good option.
"Cruises are great because you can go excursions together and, if Grandma needs to take a nap, there's plenty for the kids to do," French says.
Number One Pick
Grandparents name Orlando, Florida, as a top destination when they are vacationing with their grandchildren, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau's press release.
This is not a surprise to the county officials in the area who have been working diligently at bringing more "grantravel" tourism to Orange County. "Orlando continues to be the perfect destination for multigenerational family travel as there is something to meet the needs of everyone in the group, regardless of age," the release states.
Sources: Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau "Multigenerational Travel On the Rise According to New Study"
Mary Donius is a travel writer from New England.
Travel Destinations: Grandparents and grandkids set off adventures
By Mary Donius
Twenty-two years ago, Helena Kuenig was elated when she found out she was going to become a grandmother.
"One of my first thoughts was, 'Oh, good, I'm going to have kids to travel with again,'" said Kuenig, a travel agent, mother of five (and now grandmother of ten).
She had a feeling that other grandparents might feel the same, and Grandtravel (www.grandtrvl.com) - a company that plans trips exclusively for grandparents and their grandchildren -- was born. Its motto is "No parents allowed!"
"Traveling is the most wonderful experience for both generations," Kuenig said. "The grandparents are getting a chance to nurture, and the grandkids get a chance to feel independent from their parents."With destinations around the world, it beats a trip to grandma's house. All Grandtravel trips include a teacher and a tour guide who make sure that things run smoothly. The trips are pricey, but groups are always small - "No one wants to take fifty kids into a restaurant," she said.
Kuenig was a pioneer in her day, but industry experts now report that trips designed from grandparents and their grandkids are increasing in popularity ever since Baby Boomers began entering their golden years. In fact, a poll last year of 279 American Express travel agents found that 69 percent of them are booking trips for grandparents traveling exclusively with their grandchildren. That's good news for parents who may not have the money - or the time - to treat their children to vacations. It's also good news for the grandparents and grandkids who love to be on-the-go.
"People are finding that traveling with the grandkids is a perfect way to spend family time," said Arlene Kurr, owner of World Wide Travel in Hingham. "More and more people are doing it."
Senior-junior travel is now easier, less expensive, and more varied than ever before. Trips include activities suitable for both the young and the old, and organizers such as Kuenig report that both grandkids and their grandparents made plenty of friends among their traveling peers.
GrandTravel trips don't include airfare, but its destinations are fascinating and far-flung. A new tour of the old west is planned for next year. Current favorites include an Alaskan tour featuring rafting in Denali National Park, a boat cruise among glaciers, and a salmon-fishing expedition. Also enticing is a trip to Hawaii that features a hula-dancing lesson, a tour of Pearl Harbor, and a deep-sea submarine adventure.
Then there's GrandTravel's intergenerational Italy tour, which stops in Florence, Rome and Venice and includes a Venetian mask workshop, a train ride through the hills of Tuscany, and a cooking lesson with a bona fide Italian chef.
"Grandparents are very anxious to transmit a cultural inheritance," Kuenig said.
Elderhostel, which calls itself the "world's largest educational travel organization for adults 55 and older," offers countless trips and tours geared toward senior citizens. But a special section of its Web site (www.elderhostel.org) is devoted to "intergenerational travel," designed especially for the youngest and oldest adventure seekers.
Some examples of recent Elderhostel trips:
Growing Up In New England: Work, Play & Family Life on Ship and Shore. This four-night visit to Mystic Seaport includes a costume party, a log-book workshop, and a chance to explore the Charles Morgan, the world's only surviving whaling ship. $608/person.
Cheetahs, Giraffes & Zebras: A Safari in California with your Grandchild. This three-night trip offers a glimpse of African safari in Santa Rosa, Calif. Learn about endangered species, African stories and dances, sleep in a platformed tent, and more. $354/person.
Spring Break Passport to the World: This four-night cultural tour of Chinese, Mexican and French cultures happens at The Sagamore luxury resort hotel in Bolton, NY. A few activities: cook a Chinese meal; make and break a Mexican piñata; and learn a French folk dance. $654/person.
The Sierra Club, which sponsors trips to all corners of the globe, also tailors adventure to the grandparent-grandkid set. One that happens locally is Get to Know your Grandchild, a tour of Western Massachusetts. Travelers stay at a Sierra Club lodge and enjoy swimming, rafting, nature hikes and local sightseeing. The weeklong trip costs for $595 for adults and $495 for children. More far-flung Sierra Club destinations for grandparents are the Virgins Islands and Tahoe National Forest in California. Check it out on www.sierraclub.org.
Finally, Elizabeth French of Manchester Travel in Manchester says that tried and true vacation destinations such as Washington, DC and Disney World are good bets for first time multi-generational travelers. Cruises, too, are a good option.
"Cruises are great because you can go excursions together and, if Grandma needs to take a nap, there's plenty for the kids to do," French says.
Number One Pick
Grandparents name Orlando, Florida, as a top destination when they are vacationing with their grandchildren, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau's press release.
This is not a surprise to the county officials in the area who have been working diligently at bringing more "grantravel" tourism to Orange County. "Orlando continues to be the perfect destination for multigenerational family travel as there is something to meet the needs of everyone in the group, regardless of age," the release states.
Sources: Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau "Multigenerational Travel On the Rise According to New Study"
Mary Donius is a travel writer from New England.
