Family getaway on gramps

Generous grandparents are making it possible for the whole family to go away together as one in seven over 50s have been on holiday with their children and grandchildren and a third have paid for the whole trip, according to Saga Travel Insurance.

Intergenerational holidays are popular with the whole family. Not only do children have their choice of people to play with but parents have a built-in babysitter as grandparents are keen to spend time with their grandchildren. This could be why one in ten over 50s say they are planning a holiday with children and grandchildren for next year.

Analysis of data shows the most common countries for family getaways are Spain, USA and France.

However, paying for the whole family to go abroad is not cheap as intergenerational holidays costs around £4,000 on average.

Even if parents can’t make the trip grandparents and grandchildren aren’t missing out on some holiday fun. One in six grandparents say they have taken their grandchildren overseas without their parents in the last five years and a further one in ten are planning to do so in the next year.

Saga understands that its customers may want to go on holiday with younger family members. This is why its travel insurance customers can add anyone under 50 years old, including children, on their policy. Furthermore, the whole family doesn’t have to travel together to be insured.

Kevin McMullan, Head of Travel Insurance at Saga, commented: “It’s great to see so many families going away and spending quality time together. A lot of over 50s are making this happen by being so generous and paying for the trip.

“Going on holiday with the whole family is great for everyone. Not only can parents recharge their batteries and enjoy some adult time together as their parents are on hand to babysit, but grandparents can create precious memories playing games by the pool with grandchildren. The real winners of these holidays though are the kids as they get to spend time with all their favourite adults.”