A Renewed Sense of Appreciation
Covid-19 certainly taught us some lessons, didn’t it?
I don’t know about you, but I have such a renewed sense of appreciation for any trip I get to make, and I do mean any trip.
I also look back in gratitude at trips I was able to make with my family before the pandemic. My mother passed away this year. It’s a great comfort to me to know that I was able to take her to Italy, France, Greece and Turkey prior to her passing. Those memories will stay with me forever.
My children are grown with children of their own. Their lives are full of the things young families are involved with, and little time is left over for travel with Gigi and Grampy. I am so grateful for the years I traveled with my kids when they were younger, when life was less complicated.
What travel experiences have you shared with your loved ones? Have you considered travel with your parents, your children, your grandchildren?
There is a huge uptick in family/multi-generational travel right now. Whether it’s a simple beach vacation, or a deep dive into another culture and country, families are getting together and traveling together like never before.
Grandparents especially want to share the world with their grandchildren, while they have the time, the health, and the funding. The travel we share with our families not only leaves them with fond memories of us, it also introduces them to a world they may have known little to nothing about. It’s a way for us to share our perspectives about the world around us, and about our family’s reaction and response to that world.
Many tour operators have decreased their minimum age requirements, realizing the demand for family adventures in ways previously unheard of. River cruising for instance, ten years ago everyone thought river cruises were for the Depends generation. Now river cruises are including lively and engaging activities that make a huge impact on children. Did you know the average age of a river cruise customer is 52? That’s not the “depends” generation, is it?
Families are no longer looking for vacations that seem “normal” to them. We’ve had about 18 months of normal, haven’t we? Everyone is looking for what I call “experiential travel”, travel that connects you with the culture and history of the location.
Families are also booking more travel together over what have typically been “family” holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those need to be booked no less than 11 months in advance.
As we look forward to future travel with an appreciation we didn’t have before, let’s be sure to include our loved ones and family friends in our plans. You never know who is going to say “yes, we’d love to go there with you” until you ask.