By Antonia Grant
I am a firm believer in the importance of multigenerational relationships (i.e. those between grandparents and grandkids). I believe they grant us wisdom, a chance to know our family history, and a chance to broaden our understanding of the world in ways that we may not be able to otherwise do – not to mention well-researched and documented benefits related to aging. In our own family, we work hard to cultivate these relationships for our daughter – and ourselves.
Our daughter is lucky to have four grandparents and three great-grandparents in her life, not to mention other multigenerational relationships with family and friends. To honor and and continually foster these relationships, we add travel to the mix! Traveling as a large, multigenerational family has its challenges, but the benefit of this type of travel far outweighs those challenges. To date, we have taken five multigenerational trips in my daughter’s four years – on both sides of the family. Here is what I have learned and the reasons why I believe kids should travel with their grandparents.
1) Everyone sees the world through a new lens.
When we take the time to see and experience the world in community with others, we observe, share, and relate to the world in incredible ways. Our parents and grandparents see the world through their history and lived experiences, while our kids see it through a new life lens. This mixing of world views and understanding enhances how we view ourselves – and how we view the world.
2) We strengthen family relationships through shared experiences.
When we travel together, we actually spend time together. No one is focused on work or the daily life of maintaining a house or other aspects of our daily routine. Our attention is focused on one another – and the experiences we are able to share. This is strengthened by the rise of large, less expensive lodging options (like Airbnb), which often offer opportunities to cook, lounge, and play together. These shared, uninterrupted, opportunities strengthen our relationships and create new memories.
3) We open up our worlds – and can reduce feelings of isolation.
There is no shortage of literature around aging and feelings of isolation. When we travel together, we can reduce feelings of isolation, no matter the age, by creating shared experiences. Our lives get busy. We do not always have the leisure of calling or spending time with our loved ones – especially if they live far from us. Traveling together brings us together and can lessen feelings of isolation and distance, and, instead, foster feelings of connectedness and community. This is so important for families.
4) We can explore our family heritage and share family stories. It keeps our history alive.
I strongly believe our family histories and knowing where we come from is critical to our understanding of self and how we relate to the world. Multigenerational travel allows opportunities to share and explore our own histories through storytelling, memory sharing, and opportunities to heritage seek in the areas where our families originated. Traveling to areas or countries where your family originated can spark deep interest in history, culture, language, and so much more. These shared experiences and stories can keep our own family histories alive for our children.
5) We get to learn from one another.
Engaging with different cultures and/or navigating new locations can be complex and challenging, at times. Traveling together offers unique opportunities for us, particularly our kids, to learn from one another. Adults role model problem solving, communication, and trying new things in a much different way while traveling than they might within the context of their daily routine. Kids who observe this are able to strengthen their own problem solving and resiliency, no matter the context. More than that – we learn about each other. We learn what we like to do, what we like to eat, and who we are as people. Traveling together allows us to share our passions – and learn about what makes others excited. Whether it is museums, the beach, hiking, eating, etc. – traveling together allows us to share and to learn together. This enhances our connectedness to one another – and to the world at large.
