Not A Trend, But Tradition: The Evolution Of Multigenerational Travel

Multigenerational travel has become the latest global buzzword. Every travel trend report today seems to talk about grandparents, parents and children holidaying together. But for Indians, this is not exactly breaking news or a revolutionary concept. Whether it was that annual hill station trip, the summer trip to London or that inevitable cousin wedding that turned into a week-long vacation, travelling together has always been an integral part of Indian culture. We’ve always travelled as a family, often across multiple generations and holidays have rarely been limited to just one nuclear setup.

What has changed isn’t the fact that we are travelling together, but how we’re choosing to do it now. 

For the longest time family-led holidays were driven primarily by the convenience of the destinations. Whether it meant grandparents flying in from India, parents making it from their homes in Singapore or Dubai or the grandkids travelling from wherever they may be studying, the goal was to find a place where everyone could reach with minimal hassle. Today, that conversation has evolved significantly. Of course, the destination still matters but families are looking beyond just the pin on the map. They’re asking a different question: what can the destination offer to every generation? Can everyone have the experiences they’re looking for while still enjoying the time together? The focus has shifted from simply gathering in one place to making the most of the time being spent there together and creating meaningful, shared memories.

From Convenience To Curated Experiences

Today, what is paramount is the experiences a destination has to offer. Can grandpa play golf while the kids attend a regional cooking class? Can mom spend the afternoon at the spa while dad relaxes at the poolside bar? Does the destination offer enough variety for everyone to pursue their interests without feeling as though they are compromising? The reality is that every generation travels differently. Personalisation has become one of the defining luxuries of multigenerational travel. Shared memories are no longer created solely by doing every activity together, instead they are enriched by individual experiences and the opportunity to reconnect later to share stories. Grandparents no longer have to endure a zip-lining adventure simply because the grandkids are excited about it, nor do the grandkids have to pout through the museum walk simply because it is on the itinerary. 

The Villa Effect

That is why the accommodation choices have become just as important as the destination itself. Instead of booking four separate hotel rooms, families are gravitating towards private villas and residences that allow everyone to be under the same roof while still giving each generation the privacy and space it needs. Breakfasts around one dining table, lazy afternoons by the pool, grandparents lounging in the fresh air while grandchildren play in the garden, and evenings spent swapping stories over private chef-led barbecue dinners. In many ways, the accommodation becomes the heart of the holiday, a place where the family naturally comes together between individual adventures.

Looking at it through a broader lens, this trend is accelerating globally as well. Luxury travel agency Zicasso reports that multigenerational travellers choose villas over hotels at a ratio of 4 to 1, largely because villas offer the best of both worlds: togetherness and privacy. They provide closeness that makes memories inevitable, while offering just enough personal space to ensure that no one ends up arguing about who gets to use the bathroom first. In fact, Zicasso also found that searches for villas for family reunions and multigenerational holidays have increased by 23 per cent since 2024, reinforcing the idea that where families stay has become just as important as where they choose to travel in the first place. 

Dining has become another defining aspect of these holidays. After all, if there's one thing that every generation can agree on, it is that everyone is nicer after they’ve eaten. Meals are no longer just another stop on the itinerary, it has, in fact, become the itinerary itself. Families are building entire days over vineyard lunches, local farmers' markets, street food tours and Michelin-starred tasting menus. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the best memories are made around the dining table rather than the tour bus. The teenagers get their Instagram-worthy shots, the grandparents get to tell stories that somehow always begin with “back in our day” and the parents get an hour, maybe two, where everyone is seated in one place and no one asks "What's next?"; everyone wins. 

Planning these increasingly complex holidays has also made travellers rely more heavily on travel advisers and trusted partners. Today, itineraries must cater to multiple age groups, vastly different activity levels and a host of dietary restrictions that require almost as much coordination as the trip itself. One grandparent wants Jain food, one teenager suddenly declares she’s gluten-free this month, another goes vegan, dad insists on finding the perfect steak, while the youngest will only eat buttered pasta! The professional travel partner is no longer responsible for merely ‘booking' a holiday, they are expertly balancing the expectations (and appetites) of three generations. Beyond managing flights, hotels and logistics, they’re playing the consultant role, helping choose destinations while handling the countless little details and accommodating inevitable last-minute changes. They ensure everything runs seamlessly, so that families can truly focus on doing what they travelled for in the first place, spending meaningful time together.

A New Generation Of Grandparent Travellers

The image of the elderly traveller has also changed dramatically in the post-Covid era. They are no longer seen as travellers who require constant assistance. People are living longer, healthier lives than before. According to the World Health Organisation, the global life expectancy has significantly increased by more than 6 years since the year 2000. In India, the transformation has been equally remarkable. Life expectancy has more than doubled over the last seven decades, increasing from a shocking 32 years to nearly 70 years today. Grandparents and older travellers are now fitter, more active and far more adventurous than any previous generation.

They are willing to embark on wildlife safaris, to learn local crafts, sign up for wellness retreats or even go as far as to travel alone with their grandchildren. The stereotype of the ‘needy’ elderly traveller is taking a back seat. Hilton's 2026 Asia Pacific Trends Report found that 79 per cent of Indian families have either already taken or are planning to take a “skip-generation” holiday, which is where the grandparents travel with the grandkids without the parents. Even more remarkably, 96 per cent of Indians believe that these multigenerational trips actually have a positive impact on grandparents' well-being and longevity. It's no surprise, then, that 65 per cent of Indian families said that they have either already taken or are planning to take a trip with three or more generations. 

These numbers will come as little surprise to anyone in India. While the world may now just be discovering and embracing multigenerational travel, we have been doing it for decades. We’re trading matching itineraries for personalised experiences, swapping cramped hotel rooms for villas and finally accepting that every family holiday is more tolerable when there is a bathroom per generation. For us, this is less of a passing trend and more of a long-standing tradition. We’re simply refining the experience, ironing out the kinks, respecting each generation's individual needs and learning how to travel better together.