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Have you heard of the travel trend Called SKIING?
No, we are not talking about skiing on the slopes. Here, SKI stands for ‘spending your children’s inheritance’, and it’s all about empty nesters embracing travel in their later years.
That makes sense: you have no children to take care of, you have more free time and perhaps you have a lot of savings.
But some parents have faced backlash for their decision to travel in old age, with claims they are being selfish and stealing their children during a cost-of-living crisis.
One Aussie couple was tied labeled as “bad” because they chose to take a $100,000 dream trip, taking advantage of their son growing up and leaving home. After they told their story in the SBS program Insightcritics took to social media to condemn their choice.
“Boomer privilege at its best and we’re still not aware of it. So right,” read one comment.
But many older travelers claim this is the perfect time for them to explore the world. They are financially secure, haven’t raised children or are employed, and have the opportunity to take “dream trips” that they may have put off earlier in life.
The happy medium is intergenerational travel: parents or grandparents traveling with their children even after they grow up.
Travel organization Fearless has seen a 117 percent increase in intergenerational travel over the past twelve months, with many parents of adult children taking them on trips.
Australian grandmother Robyn Nixon takes an Intrepid trip every year with one of her six grandchildren.
“It started as a birthday gift idea when the eldest was 11. This then became a precedent for each of the others,” she says.
It was so successful that she has even gone on reunion trips with some of the families she met on vacation along the way.
Robyn says traveling is a great way to spend quality time with her family while satisfying her desire to travel.
“Traveling and sharing experiences really creates memories and a bond that the children remember above and beyond anything we do together.”
It’s also a chance for parents and grandparents like Robyn to take bucket list trips they might otherwise have missed.
“We see many older travelers keen to treat their children and grandchildren to experiences they might not otherwise have been able to afford,” says Brett Mitchell, Managing Director ANZ at Intrepid Travel.
“There is certainly a post-pandemic desire for parents to spend quality time and reconnect with their children through adventures and new experiences on vacation.”
Whether parents are traveling with children or as a couple, Intrepid says there is an increase in the number of older travelers taking group trips.
“A group tour is a great option for older travelers as it provides a sense of structure and ease during the trip, which many of our older travelers crave,” says Brett Mitchell, Managing Director ANZ at Intrepid Travel.
“There is also a huge social benefit to embracing small group travel. It can be a stage in life where individuals and couples may find it difficult to make lasting friendships and may experience elements of loneliness. Traveling within a group immediately brings them connects with like-minded individuals and creates a sense of community.”
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