Grandtripping
Grandparents are still behind the wheel driving their grandkids, of course, but some are taking travel well beyond the roller rink. They’re crossing the nation and traveling the world, hand-in-hand with their grandchildren. A new word was coined for it, grandtripping.
What’s behind this new version of globetrotting?
A major factor can be attributed to changing demographics. Older adults are generally healthier, wealthier and better traveled than their predecessors. In addition, today’s families are scattered from state to state.
Retirees, who may have grown up in the same communities as their own grandparents, now live far away from their offspring. “Grandtripping” provides an ideal way to merge two great passions: traveling and spending quality time with their children’s children.
A leader in grandtripping is Elderhostel, a nonprofit organization for people older than age 55. But they add a third passion to the scheme: the chance to learn something new.
Combining the excitement of travel with educational opportunities, Elderhostel offers specialty programming for grandparents who wish to travel with their grandkids.
Elderhostel reached a significant milestone in 2005, celebrating 30 successful years. It began in 1975, when world-traveler Marty Knowlton returned to the United States after a walking tour of Europe. While traveling, he lodged at youth hostels and the seed of an idea was planted. Expanding on the concept of hostels, Knowlton teamed up with friend and university administrator David Bianco. The program took root and thrived.
Two hundred-twenty “pioneers” participated in the first Elderhostel programs. By 1980, word-of-mouth was so pervasive more than 20,000 people signed up. It appeared lifelong learning was an idea whose time had come.
Each year brought additional expansion. Today, working with 600 universities, museums and other institutions, Elderhostel offers more than 9,000 programs annually. An innovation came in the mid-1980s with the first intergenerational programming at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. International intergenerational programs were added in 1999.
Elderhostel spokesperson, Despina Gakopoulos said, “Our intergenerational programs were started by creative Elderhostel program coordinators who wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between younger and older generations. We are always hearing from grandparents about how wonderful it is to share these unique experiences with their grandchildren.”
In working closely with past participants, Elderhostel has refined grandtripping. Their experience indicates the most successful ratio is no more than one young person per adult. A portion of their learning programs can accommodate three generations.
Great care is taken to assure both children and grandparents have a positive experience. As with all thorough trip planning, nothing is left to chance. An eligible age range for the child is specified in each trip description. For example, on their trip to New Zealand called Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth Locations, the age for young learners is 10-15 years. Levels of physical activity are also clearly noted in the descriptions.
Retired grandmother Marilyn Wayman of Prairie Village, Kan., has taken six intergenerational trips with Elderhostel. The first five were with her grandson Greg. This past July she took a journey to New Mexico with her other grandson, Andrew. For 8-year old Andrew, it was his first time away from home.
Marilyn said, “Even sitting in the airport was a learning experience. Andrew commented on how busy it was and how many people seemed to be flying. I think this came as a surprise to him.”
Is Andrew ready for another Elderhostel program with his grandmother? “You bet he is,” Marilyn said with enthusiasm.
“Overall these trips are extremely well run, well-organized and they keep the kids busy. They are great learning experiences for us both. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to have one-on-one time and that aspect appeals to me. You can’t get that in the big family setting,” Marilyn said.
Although Marilyn narrows down the trip options, her grandsons make the final decision where they will go.
“I think it’s important to select something the child is interested in already. You might not want to do something involved with art, for example, if the youngster is heavily into sports,” she said.
At Elderhostel, they like to say the world is their classroom and if you peruse their thick brochures, you’ll see they back up that claim. The offerings are grouped into three broad categories: Exploring the United States and Canada, Adventures Afloat and International.
Intergenerational programs are available in the United States and internationally, but as of now, not in Adventures Afloat. The average length is six days, although they can span a range from three days to 12 days. In terms of meeting the age criteria, at least one of the people traveling must be 55 or older.
