What happens when you take parents in their 80s, a 6-year-old and 4-year-old, along with your brother and sister-in-law on a two-week vacation in Europe? Turns out, unexpectedly, a summer of epic travel. In fact, I would say: once-in-a-lifetime kind of travel. 

Multi-Generational Travel

For as long as I can remember, my Dad’s dream has been to travel to Scandinavia. It’s almost like he spoke about it as the Promised Land from the time I was at least a tween. So for his 85th birthday and to celebrate his clean bill of health, I decided that I would make that happen for him and my Mom. Of course, no trip is a party until my niece and nephew are involved. So with my brother and sister-in-law, we set out on a 2-week trip to see the world. Or, at least Scandinavia and the Baltics.

It’s pretty wild to think that there is an 81 year difference between my Dad and nephew, Nick. With all the time we spent together, I found myself reflecting on how much they actually look alike. It was pretty special to see the generations together. While this wasn’t at all tailored to a kid’s trip, there is something to be said for exposing your kids to culture. Of course, these aren’t easy trips for the parents, as you have to be much more engaged. There’s no babysitter or Kid’s Club, but real cities to explore.

A Chance for Grandma + Grandpa to Treat

I especially liked that because this was my Dad’s trip, my parents exposed the kids to a completely different way of traveling. This included flying them business class, (my nephew looked like a boss in his seat) and staying in nice places.

It was also good for the kids to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They experienced the cities, and walked around for hours. And you know what? They enjoyed it. It’s not to say that they’re not going to a family resort or cruise in the future. But, they can do both with their parents. I think that this trip to Europe, especially their heritage country of Lithuania, will have a lifelong impact.

Traveling with Family + Dynamics

Now that I’ve officially survived the longest continuous time I’ve ever spent with family, I can say this with credibility. I don’t know why more people don’t travel with their parents, siblings, kids and extended family. Yes, sometimes there are personality conflicts and internal dynamics at play. But, I found that planning things ahead of time and having all the infrastructure set up, goes a long way.

Also, if you know there are foreseeable issues (this is your family, after all), take the conflict out beforehand. I highly recommend giving family members space to enjoy on their own, and plenty of free time to choose their own adventure. Lastly, finances can be stressful. It goes a long way to manage costs before the trip so the bulk of expenses are pre-paid.

I’m on a Boat

There were a lot of firsts on my family vacation to Europe. Besides the first time in Scandinavia and first time in Europe (and their Motherland of Lithuania) for my niece and nephew, I went on my first cruise. My friends blew up my phone with messages that pretty much said the same thing: “I can’t believe you’re on a cruise.” Well, that makes, like, ten of us, as I didn’t think cruising to countries I had already been to was on my Bingo card. But, with aging parents who aren’t as mobile, and young kids, a cruise was the only way to make this trip happen.

We were on a Silversea cruise, where there aren’t a lot of multi-generational families. However, their itinerary aligned with everywhere we wanted to see, and then some. Also, the service and the food on our cruise were exceptional. And that’s not just because they have unlimited caviar on request either. It’s no secret that I’m a food critic, so I didn’t have high expectations on the cuisine. What I found, though, was that the food was of the highest quality, and excellent in execution. I think my Mom and I had lobster every day; I loved every one of my meals. I also love that my Mom indulged in ice cream twice a day. As she is relatively healthy still at 84, I told her to keep doing what she’s doing. It was really special to see my parents enjoy themselves.

I’ve traveled to almost 150 countries and stayed at the best hotels in the world. There was something about this family trip, though, that hit just different. I would say that while it wasn’t easy (I did work my arse off to ensure all ran smoothly), it was one of the most memorable trips of my life.

Wishing you a summer of memorable, epic travel.

Christine Drinan, Founder