Sure, you’ve heard of multi-gen travel.
But have you heard of actually having fun on a multi-gen trip?
One travel writer finds out if it’s possible to actually enjoy the trend.
Credit:Jan van der Wolf/Getty Images
Jan van der Wolf/Getty Images
As I travel writer, I know that multigenerational travel is all the rage.
In 2019, when Leah was 16 months, the three of us went to Greece for a week.
My concept this time was the European sequel.
David Soanes Photography/Getty Images
David Soanes Photography/Getty Images
On June 5, we boarded a red-eye toMadrid.
The first win was our flight on Air Europa, which has new fleet of Dreamliner airplanes.
Leah went right to sleep.
Courtesy of Marbella Club
One of my travel theories is that the best places are the hardest to get to.
If we couldnt be blissed out here, there was no hope for us.
But kiddie jetlag can rear its head at any moment, no matter how fabulous the surroundings.
Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
We were testing the waters with how much of an adult vacation we could have.
The three of us headed to The Grill, the fine dining establishment at the Marbella Club.
Ill call it the scream heard around the world."
Courtesy of Nobu Hotel Marbella
Why hadnt I just opted for Florida and eliminated the time-zone change?
Three scoops of chocolate ice cream, however, had a miraculous effect.
Kids club is a bit of a misnomer for a place that is more like a school.
The kids club was crucial to our multi-gen vacation.
To enjoy our time together, we all needed time apart.
Too late for that.
There were, of course, competing and conflicting interests.
Did my mom get to spend as much time in the Alhambra as she wanted to?
So, we left my mom to explore and high-tailed it almost a mile to the closest bathroom.
Sensing we might be on borrowed time, we dialed back our ambitions.
Every multi-gen trip needs a fixer.
Ours was a concierge at the Marbella Club named Antonio.
There were certainly times when the three of us were in perfect harmony.
The last day we took a boat trip along the coast.
Leah balanced on a paddleboard while my mom and I bobbed in the Mediterranean.
This is what we should have done every day," I thought.
At first, Leah wanted to leave.
But she pushed through, and even wound up trying sushi for the first time.
Like a family, though, its all a work in progress.
