BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jul 6, 2015) - Multigenerational travel tops trends and prediction lists year after year. And rightly so. Multigenerational vacations, which include family members from at least three generations, are becoming more and more popular with nearly 50% of travelers over the age of 45 planning to take a multigenerational trip in the next year, according to AARP.
However, where does one begin when planning such a BIG family vacation? Deciding on the who, where, when and how of a multigenerational trip can be quite daunting even for the most organized travel planners. The travel experts at Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, have combined their knowledge with the know-how of well known family travel experts to come up with the ultimate guide, Multigenerational travel tips: How to plan a supersized family vacation.
The in-depth guide offers tips as well as commentary from a panel of six family travel experts around these important questions:
1. When to start planning a multigenerational trip? - When thinking about coordinating the schedules of a large group of people with different obligations (school, jobs, activities), extra time is required to cover all the bases. Our advice: start planning at least a year in advance.
2. Where to go? - It can be hard to get a family to decide on a restaurant to meet for dinner, let alone get multiple generations to agree on a travel destination and date for a trip. But, because you have started planning early, you can easily overcome this obstacle by following a few key pieces of advice:
-- Choose the dates first
-- Consider the whole group
-- Have options
-- Set goals
3. Who takes the lead when it comes to planning? - Organizing the travel arrangements and wrangling family members to make a decision requires a point person. If you're reading this piece, congratulations, that person may be you! If not, you should forward this article to whichever level-headed organizationally gifted family member just popped into your mind. Once you have a point person, other ways to smooth the planning process include:
-- Use technology
-- Play to your family members' strengths
4. How can we make travel logistics run smoothly? - Getting there is often half the battle. Family may be scattered throughout the country, flying from different airports and arriving at different times. Or, the whole family may be traveling together. Both scenarios pose unique challenges. No matter what you decide, our experts agree that you plan airport arrivals and transportation strategically and offer their suggestions for how to do so.
5. Where to stay? - The decision usually comes down to a hotel versus a rental house. A case can be made for each type of accommodation. While many multigenerational families enjoy the space and kitchen appliances provided by a rental house, other families prefer the privacy and amenities afforded by a hotel. We offer the pros and cons of both to help you decide what's right for you.
6. Whether to have a group itinerary? - Forcing travelers of different ages and interests to spend every day doing organized activities will be enough to make you need a vacation from your vacation. Be flexible with daily activities, but reconvene as a group throughout the day when possible. Added suggestions:
-- Spend meal times together
-- Work out details in advance
-- Keep in simple and remember to laugh!
7. Who should foot the bill? - Who will be paying for which travel expenses can vary greatly depending on the family. The most important thing is to know the costs and agree how they will be handled so that money doesn't become an issue while traveling. Our take: don't leave the finances to work themselves out. Decide upfront.
This guide goes into much more detail around these key questions and offers lessons learned from our experts' own adventures in multigenerational travel. The time- and stress-saving advice will help you and your family keep the focus on fun on your next group vacation. To read the complete guide with all the expert travel advice and tips, visit www.cheapflights.com/news/multigenerational-travel-tips.
About Cheapflights.com, part of the Momondo Group
Momondo Group is an online travel media and technology company that is driven by the belief that an open world is a better world. The group now serves travel search and inspiration to over 17.5 million visitors a month -- plus 8 million travel newsletter subscribers -- via its Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.com) and momondo (www.momondo.com) brands. Skygate began the sourcing of complex air-travel data in 1992, while Cheapflights pioneered the online comparison of flight deals for users in 1996 and momondo launched meta-search in the Nordic countries in 2006. The Group has offices in London, Copenhagen and Boston with a consumer base across more than 30 core international markets but users all over the world.
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