1. Talk about money first
Money causes more friction on family holidays than anything else, and it's easier to sort out before anyone has booked. Agree on:
- Who's paying for what. Sometimes grandparents want to treat everyone. Sometimes each household pays its own way. Either is fine, as long as it's clear.
- The shared costs. Accommodation, car hire and big meals out can be split per household or per person. Our post on splitting holiday costs between two families walks through fair ways to do it.
- A rough budget per day for eating out and trips, so no one feels awkward at the restaurant.
If grandparents are paying, it's still worth agreeing a budget. It stops anyone feeling they have to choose the cheapest option to be polite.
2. Keep the journey short
A long travel day hits the oldest and youngest hardest. For most families, a good rule is:
- A direct flight, ideally under four hours.
- From the airport nearest the grandparents, or one everyone can reach easily.
- A short transfer at the other end, under an hour if possible.
That rules out a lot of places that look perfect on a map. A ferry on top of a flight to a small Greek island can turn a four-hour trip into a ten-hour one. A large island with its own airport, like Crete or Mallorca, is often easier.
If anyone needs help at the airport, UK airports provide free special assistance. Book it through your airline when you book, or at least 48 hours before you fly.
3. Choose where to stay carefully
A villa or large apartment usually beats a hotel for three generations. Everyone gets space, you can eat together without paying restaurant prices every night, and grandparents can retreat for a nap without a long walk back to a room.
Before booking, ask the owner:
- Is there a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor?
- How many steps are there to the front door, between floors and down to the pool?
- Does the pool have steps or just a ladder?
- Is there a walk-in shower?
- How far is it to the nearest shop and restaurant, and is it flat?
If you want more independence, look at two apartments in the same complex, or a hotel with family rooms close together. You get time together and time apart.
4. Plan a slow daily rhythm
Most multi-generation holidays go wrong by trying to do too much. A rhythm that works for most families is:
- One outing in the morning, when it's cooler and everyone has energy.
- A long lunch and a quiet afternoon by the pool or the beach.
- Dinner together, or a night where the parents go out alone while grandparents babysit.
Plan no more than one big day trip every couple of days. Grandparents may not be used to being on the go all day, and small children tire quickly too.
5. Let each generation pick something
A simple way to keep everyone happy is to let each household, or each person, choose one outing or one meal during the week. Grandparents might pick a boat trip or a garden, teenagers a water park or a beach club, and parents a winery or a long walk.
Everyone joins in, and no one feels the whole week was planned around someone else. It also stops the loudest person deciding everything.
7. Sort the practical things
- Travel insurance: make sure everyone's policy covers pre-existing medical conditions, and declare them. Older travellers may need a specialist policy.
- GHIC: UK residents should carry a Global Health Insurance Card in the EU, but it's not a replacement for travel insurance.
- Medication: pack it in hand luggage, in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription.
- Car hire: check the age limits, as some companies charge extra or refuse drivers over a certain age. Many charge extra for drivers under 25 too.
- Shade and heat: if anyone struggles in the heat, avoid July and August in southern Europe and go in May, June or September instead.
8. Choose a place that suits every age
The best places for three generations combine short flights, easy beaches or flat walks, good food and things for older children to do:
- Menorca: calm, shallow beaches, small towns and about two and a half hours from the UK.
- Algarve: villas everywhere, golf, beaches and boat trips, with lots of direct flights to Faro.
- Lake Garda: lakeside towns, ferries instead of long drives, and theme parks for children.
- Malta: English is widely spoken, distances are short and there's plenty of history.
- Tenerife: reliable warmth in winter, with flat seafront promenades in the south.
Our summer holidays and beach holidays pages have more ideas.
When everyone wants something different
With three generations, it's normal for one person to want a beach, another a city and a third to want to avoid the heat. Our post on what to do when everyone wants a different holiday has ideas for finding a place that suits all of you.
You could also use somewhere.party. Everyone adds their ideas to one shared list and gives them points, then a draw picks the winner, weighted by the points. Grandparents get as much say as everyone else, and no one has to be the one who decided. Our guide to how to decide where to go on holiday explains how it works.
