Olivia Brochu
As a mother of four in my mid-30s, the invitations to bachelorette weekends and girls’ trips with my friends are starting to dry up — and I’m totally OK with it.
In their place, I’ve been jet-setting with a multigenerational group of women in my family, ranging in age from 30 to 70. We started traveling together five years ago as a birthday celebration for my aunt, and had so much fun that we’ve turned it into a regular getaway.
Although I’ve always enjoyed getting away with my girlfriends, I’ve found traveling with family members from different generations has its perks.
The expectations feel different with a multigenerational group
Olivia Brochu
Unlike the bachelorette trips I was used to attending, when I travel with family, we never create lengthy agendas where our days are planned down to the minute.
Although I always appreciated having a well-thought-out plan, I often found myself with little downtime. In fact, I often left weekend getaways feeling a bit burned out.
When travelling with my family, though, it seems obvious and understood that we wouldn’t want to do the same thing all the time because we’re all different ages. If a planned activity doesn’t appeal to everyone, it’s fine to pull out.
For example, on a recent trip to Mexico City, the 60-and-up contingency didn’t feel up to the climb to Chapultepec Castle.
Instead, they peeled off to play cards at our Airbnb while the rest of us forged ahead. They had fun relaxing, and I got to take in the incredible views with my cousin and sister.
Another day, I felt like going on a run around the city, so I headed out solo. The rest of the group spent the same afternoon shopping.
On bachelorette trips, I always felt pressured to participate in the planned group activity, almost as if it would have been rude to carve out some alone time. Now, no one is forcing me to wear matching outfits or attend a boozy brunch if I don’t want to.
My travel experiences feel more fulfilling
Although I always enjoyed going on girls’ trips with my friends, the experiences always felt a little monotonous. We typically spent our days lounging on the beach and bar hopping while talking about our jobs or the dating scene.
Now, though, when I travel with my family, I find that the experience feels more enriching.
On our first multigenerational trip, we spent a long weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ll never forget visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and taking in the artist’s breathtaking desert landscapes. I doubt a bachelorette weekend with my peers would’ve included a stop like this.
My conversations feel more meaningful now, too. For example, over dinner in Mexico City, my 74-year-old aunt and her 48-year-old daughter gave me tips on how to have sex-positive conversations with my sons.
Their kids are decades older than mine, so their advice was full of insights from their own experiences, bolstered with the advantage of hindsight.
I can always commiserate and speculate with moms my own age, but the wisdom of more experienced moms is invaluable. Plus, travel offers a unique opportunity to have conversations that we otherwise often don’t have time for.
I feel very fortunate to be able to travel with a group of multigenerational women
Olivia Brochu
Although I still enjoy traveling with friends from time to time, I’ve found that some of my fondest travel memories have been made with relatives decades older than I am.
Every time we gather around a table together, jetlagged but excited, I think to myself, “How lucky am I?”
I have these incredible sources of wisdom and joy in my family — and the opportunity to explore the world with them.
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