– Family Travel Consulting finds current events, active wellness, and endangered environments are among top motivators for family vacation planners in 2015 –
Family Travel Consulting (FTC) is seeing a resurgence of big adventure, bucket list trips for families, as predicted by the 2014 MMGYGlobal Traveler Sentiment index, which found traveler confidence bolstered by the strong economy. Every aspect of the travel industry, from airlines to cruises, hotels to motor coaches, has had a record-breaking year and is looking forward to an even stronger 2015.
What’s new is that Grandparent travel has grown 30% in the past year, forcing businesses to stand up and offer a seat (and a family suite) to boomers arriving with toddler or teen in tow.
Here are some of the latest trends – as varied as today’s families themselves — caused by this demographic shift.
1. News Creates New Destinations for 2015. An educated worldview is the new suntan.
Greece and Thailand, often on the 11 o’clock news, have never been cheaper, easier to get to or more desirable. RoadScholar is leading educational family trips to China and Iceland. Insight Cuba will offer family-oriented People to People programs. Extraordinary Journeys is offering alternative safaris to India, Tasmania and Galapagos until Ebola is eradicated.
2. Fitness, Health, Sports Motivate Travel. Forget buffets; get fit instead.
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas boasts recreational opportunities from sky-diving to bumper cars, roller skating to spin classes. Hotels are adopting workout tools and apps like Fitbit (available in 8 languages.) Multisport soft adventure tours (hiking, biking, horseback riding and more) increasingly attract families with special itineraries. ResponsibleTravel.com sends active families to hike Petra in Jordan, sea kayak in Croatia, and bike through Spain, which has the second greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world.
3. Ecotourism Evolves from Admiration to Participation. Everyone prefers must-do’s to must-see’s.
Eco-stars like Costa Rica, the Riviera Nayarit region of Mexico, and New Zealand will promote active adventures designed to introduce families to local culture and the environment. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic is sailing with upscale, multigenerational passengers to Greenland.
4. All-Inclusive Travel Wins Resort Wars. The Flop n’Drop beach vacation gets even easier.
Club Med is expanding internationally; Hilton Hotels is managing its own all-inclusive line; Hyatt has just launched the Zilara (adults-only) and Ziva (family) all-inclusive brands. To compete, resorts and cruise ships will pack in more perks and make planning a family beach vacation seamless.
5. Luxury Family Travel Arrives. We’ll say it: Kids are demanding travelers.
Two-thirds of the multigenerational travelers surveyed recently by Preferred Hotels Group and MMGY Global said that kids actively choose the family’s destination. Since 60% of millennials polled worked with travel agents, luxury travel specialists are thriving. The British Family Twist, for example, plans custom, super-luxe vacations with chauffeurs, private photographers, and en-suite nannies.
6. The Sharing Economy Discovers Family. Mobile, user-friendly and hip = value.
Our in-laws’ 13-person reunion at an AirBnB.com villa rental happened because the house-sharing service is trusted and chic enough for vacation planners. Hitting the road next is uberFamily which brings kid-focused rideshares, with carseats installed for a $10 surcharge, to uber cars in New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC. RentLuggage.com will unhinge the suitcase industry; AlltheRooms.com is selling out hotels by including condos, homestays and more in search results.
7. Technology Makes Family Travel Easier. High tech gets high marks.
Hotels and cruise lines are caving in to demands for ubiquitous free WiFi by D-I-Y travelers. Smart wristbands, cards and apps safeguard tickets to Disney parks, open rooms on cruise ships, monitor skills on Vail ski trails, predict wait times at airports, and find cheap gas stations with a clean restroom.
Next year, Siri — using Google Maps — should be able to answer, “Are we there yet?”
About Family Travel Consulting
Family Travel Consulting is the collaboration of Eileen Ogintz of Taking the Kids, the nationally syndicated travel column with millions of readers; and Kyle McCarthy of Family Travel Forum, the vacation planning resource that’s The Wall Street Journal’s “Best for Grandparents” and a Forbes “Favorite.” FTC provides strategy, marketing, digital and social know-how to travel and family products, and hosts the TMS Family Travel conference and Summit for media reaching the family vacation audience.
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A destiny I will never forget.
This was by far, the best vacation I have ever been on. I hope be awarded the scholarship so that I can go on to college, graduate with honors, and get a great job so that one day I can show my family what a great place Yellowstone National Park is. Thank you for considering my application!
I hope you enjoy my essay. Thank you for your time.
My favorite city so far!
It's such a beautiful place!
my trip.
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for checking out my blog. 🙂 I hope you enjoy.
With Much Appreciation,
– Zoe McDowell
hello
I have run short on space, yet I managed to squeeze in about 3/4ths of my trip.
Lordsburg and Demming are in New Mexico (I guess I should have edited that), and there are numerous other details I would have liked to have included….
If you're interested in traveling in my footsteps, I highly recommend the Togwotee Lodge and Resort, which is where we stayed during our trip.
While visiting Paris the summer I was fourteen, I was captivated my by its beauty. The city's rich culture, diverse people, and turbulent history fascinated me and captured my imagination. It was there that I discovered the wonder of adventure, and my never-ending love of Paris.
this is my actual scholarship submission. PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE THE PREVIOUS ENTRY. THIS IS MY SUBMISSION. THANK YOU.
This was the most incredible vacation ever! All my classmates who attended agreed and have remembered every memory from Washington D.C. Thank you School Tours of America and my special sponsors Mrs. Nobel and Mr. Fitch.
My trip to new york was wonderful. I even c reated a website to prove it.
http://nothinglikenewyork.shutterfly.com/
I almost did not go on this trip, worrying about what could go wrong, that summer would nearly be over when I returned, and how much it cost. But, I decided to take this trip to see a few of my German friends and their families, not knowing when, otherwise, I would see them again if I didn't take this opportunity. Now that I have returned home, I am very happy to have taken this trip.
My name is Inemesit Effiong.I am an avid reader and an ardent Colin Firth fan. I love outdoor activities, writing poetry, and volunteering. I have had the privilege of volunteering with several clubs like National Honor Society, Rotary Club, Interact Volunteer Club, and The Bridge Run. I enjoy watching Jeopardy with my father (mostly because of Alex Trebek) and I hope to pursue Nursing as a major. I entered this contest because I love exploring and I fell that my experience is very relatable, especially to teenagers my age, who would like to travel abroad, but lack the means or opportunity to do so.
This is a blog about my trip with my mother to New York City
I encourage you, go on a mission trip! You will never regret it. If anything it can help you to figure out your place in this world.
I raised money for this trip during the course of my Freshman year, first by a Bake Sale, which raised over $700, then by giving out poetry that I had written in exchange for donations. They expereince broadened me as a leader and created lasting friendships with other cultures.
This was my Italian experience. It was extremely fun and I can’t wait for the time when I get the chance to return.
Hope you enjoyed my essay! Just wanted to share my beliefs and personal experience. 🙂
Hopefully you can enjoy my post! It's what I believe and is my own personal experience. 🙂
My scholarship entry!
Im glad to share my families trip with you. I hope this inspires you to go on a trip with your family to Hawaii.
My vacation to Spain in general was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. The culture was rich and the archetecture was far more ornate than anything I've ever seen in the United States. I will defenately go back there some day if I am fortunate enough.
This particular blog was submitted as a scholarship essay to myfamilytravels.com, enjoy!
I truly am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I had to travel to Hong Kong for a month! I'll definitely think about living in Hong Kong in the future!
I hope people can read this travel blog and see for themselves how great the aftermath of war is. Because of war, these children have to suffer every single day. ):
This blog was very fun to write, it let me reevaluate what had happened during the trip and laugh about it once again. Maybe it will inspire someone else to do what what my family did and go through the indescribable little horrors that we all went through. Happy traveling!
If you have ever wondered what a BIG city is, than New York City is the place for you to go! i had a blast there! Check it out!!
I had alot of fun writing this essay.
Europe is a great place to visit!
it looks cool!
Here is my scholarship for the Teen Travel Writing Scholarship of my journey to Alaska!
My trip to London.
I discovered that I was a pretty good photographer while on this trip. I now take all the family vacation pictures!
My trip to Yellowstone was truly amazing! Yellowstone is a must-see for all nature lovers and hikers!
The wedding took place on August 6, 2011.
this was a wonerful trip with friends & family
My experience was amazing here!
My essay describes the emotional connection to the effects of a storm which would seemingly ruins a trip to Lake Michigan.
I wish I could have written more about Germany, but summing up a vacation such as that in only 600 words seemed impossible to me. I would have never guessed I would have learned so much about myself there. We did activitivities I would never seen myself doing in a million years. Many of the students that went on the trip I would not normally be friends with, but at the end of the day no matter how different we were from one another, we were all friends and family to eachother and still keep in touch till this day. I don't know when I will be able to go on such an amazing adventure again, but my advice to whoever comes across this is, if you have the oppritunity, take it. Even if you are apprehensive, take the risk because I'm willing to bet you will learn so much more.
Thank you all for reading this and best of luck to everyone who entered this contest!
We love going to the Hawaiian Islands. Maui was one of our favorites. Molokini Crater is just off of the Maui coast. I couldn't believe at the variety of fish we snorkeled with–we even glimpsed a reef shark! Snorkeling at Molokini Crater was a great experience and was the inspiration for this short essay.
This is my scholarship essay, please confirm that it has been entered. Thank you!
The reason for my visit to Nigeria was because of a death in my family. In the attatched picture, I am in the middle, surrounded by my family members as we walked toward the area where the ceremony was to be held. The whole experience of visiting Nigeria a third time (but as a teenager) opened my eyes and made me realize that there are things in the world bigger than just me and my problems, and it's my job to find a way to give back before time runs out.
This was my family trip to Missouri…never forget how important learning and family is.
I am a young international traveler interested in seeing the dynamics between different cultures acted out out not only through travel but through international relations on a global stage. Trips to Belize and across the world have cemented my belief that nations working together is for the good of everyone on earth.
I wrote this for the Scholarship writing contest.
This is my entry for the FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholorship!
I hope that everyone can learn a little about this unique country from my blog. There are so many more things I wish I could say, but space is limited!