Want to appeal to multigenerational travelers? Follow the grandparents

And while travel is often seen as a luxury, people will always find a way to visit new places. People are finding new ways to hack life, choosing to live and travel together, making it a continued accessible priority for us to create memorable experiences with our loved ones.

Swapping bills for thrills

Census data shows that the number of people living in multigenerational households in the US quadrupled between 1971 and 2021 to 59.7 million. According to our own MRI-Scout Baseline study, this trend shows no signs of slowing. Expect that number to reach 75 million by the end of 2024.

According to that same study, 56% of people living in multigenerational households are seeking adventure and thrills, citing travel as a passion. Understanding these families is a must for travel brands’ positioning.

Evolving travel preferences

‘Multigen’ living is a consequence of economic headwinds, but multigen travelers are still committed to living their best lives, seeking out international destinations, high-end accommodation, and convenient pre-planned activities.

The top vacation choice for a typical multigen household (comprising grandparents, parents and children) is a beach destination, with a slightly higher propensity for international travel than domestic. From the US, Europe is the most sought-after continent for family vacations. Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean are also popular.

According to MRI-Scout respondents, multigen crews are also more likely to splash out on accommodation than single-gen households, opting for 4-star (35%) or 5-star hotels (20%). Convenience is high on the list of priorities, with multigen travelers preferring packaged deals (60%), pre-organized activities (40%) and guided tours (43%).

Cruises stand out as a vacation choice that combines luxury, glamor and convenience to suit the whole family. One in three cruisers belongs to a multigenerational home; a further 30%, who haven’t cruised before, say they would be open to it in the future.

How to reach multigenerational travelers

Start with one question: who is making the decisions?

Parents in traditional multigen households are more likely to be busy with work and childcare and as such may often be happy to pass on the planning process to their parents. Grandparents are therefore important stakeholders in the multigen travel planning process, often taking on the role of planner and key decision maker, with more than half of grandparents saying they plan their multigenerational trips.

Baby boomers also take on much of the financial decision-making, spending an average of $6,700 on their vacations, compared with the $2,000 average of a millennial vacation.

Multigenerational media preferences

Given the key role grandparents play in travel decisions, it’s important for brands to understand how best to reach and inspire this demographic, but parents and children in multigen homes also play their part in choosing a travel destination, as well as accommodation and activities.

Multigen homes typically spend less time with traditional media and more time with on-demand video, streaming audio, and gaming, likely due to the higher numbers of gen Z and millennials present in multigen homes when compared to single-gen.

When it comes to travel inspiration, friends-and-family recommendations featured highly across generations, but media preferences were more varied, with baby boomers preferring Google searches (36%) and direct websites (for cruises, hotels and airlines).

Millennials and gen Z show a strong preference for YouTube at 24%, and along with Google search (24%), YouTube ranked as the highest-performing media for multigen households as a whole (24%).

What should a multigenerational travel strategy look like?

To reach and inspire multigenerational travelers, brands should employ a broad multi-channel media strategy, using language that highlights family values, including strengthening family bonds, fostering shared stories and creating lasting memories across generations.

This should include a range of social media to appeal to generationally diverse interests; segmented email marketing lists based on family structure to deliver relevant content and offers; and partnerships with family-oriented publications, travel advisors, and influencer families who share their multigen travel experiences

Brands should also focus their efforts on offering inclusive packages. That can mean pre-planned itineraries that mix adventure activities with cultural experiences and relaxation, or it can mean tailored messaging and visuals to resonate with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Multigen home dwellers often speak other languages than English, and therefore show greater attentiveness to advertisements in their spoken language. Similarly, families with diverse citizenship are likely to respond to advertising that acknowledges and celebrates cultural holidays of major immigrant populations (like Lunar New Year or Diwali).

Looking to the future

Multigenerational travel is quickly becoming a significant market segment, driven by the rising number of multigenerational households and their commitment to making memories through adventure.

For travel brands to connect authentically with this diverse audience, they must understand cultural nuances and reach across a variety of channels with inclusive messaging that celebrates their unique family values.

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