NEW YORK – As the trend in family and intergenerational travel grows, so do the services available to help plan trips that include baby, grandma and everyone in between.
Taking your baby to Italy? Contact Ciao Bambino (www.ciaobambino.com or 866-802-0300), a company that can find you a nanny in Milan or a stroller in Stromboli.
Looking for a little bonding between 7-year-olds and 70-year-olds? Grandtravel (www.grandtrvl.com or 800-247-7651) has trips to the West and Southwest designed for grandparents and grandchildren to take together.
With roughly 1 in 10 passengers younger than 17, cruises are increasingly popular among multigenerational groups. Disney Cruise Lines is just one of many – from Royal Caribbean to the Queen Mary 2 – offering activities and excursions for children and teenagers. At www.cruising.org you can see some of the options.
Even adventure trips have been redesigned to accommodate three generations. "There are a lot of outfitters who have a lot of family trip offerings, from domestic raft trips to international travel – Costa Rica, Australia, Galapagos," said Outside magazine editor Leslie Weeden.
Whitewater trips safe enough for children are ubiquitous; just type "family," "white water" and your desired destination into your favorite Internet server to sample the choices.
Grand European Tours (www.getours.com or 888-522-3950) can help plan a trip for you and a dozen of your favorite cousins to research your roots in Ireland, take a tasting tour of French or Italian cuisine, or head to some Mediterranean beaches. If you can get a group of 10 travelers together, you can earn a free land tour for yourself; bring a group of 15 and you can earn both a free land and air tour.
For more ideas on family travel, from destination ideas to planning tips, visit www.familytravelforum.com or www.familyfun.go.com.
