Millennials and travel

[running2disney]

I can agree with that but it still doesn't address my comment IMO at least.

Most often you're going to find the parents inviting the kids not the kids inviting the parents--at that stage in life. Certainly there are trips here and there I mean my mom went with us to Vegas and my mother-in-law is about to go on a ski trip with us however what you're talking about is every trip. I'd hazard a guess it's not the norm for the kids to say "hey mom and dad wanna go on a trip?"

So why not say "hey parents why do you want to travel with your kids rather than instill a sense of independence, etc?" Obviously it's your thread I just found the question more negative towards the young adults when I feel it's more probable the parents inviting the kids at that stage in life. Obviously young adults can say no though.

* ETA: Again your thread just me musing out loud here

I agree completely! As a millennial, I will say that all of my friends who travel with parents (myself included) do so because they have been invited. While I’ve enjoyed our multigenerational trips, many of us have actually had to be intentional about declining family trips in order to save our vacation days for our own young families. Most recently I had to tell my MIL she couldn’t invite herself on our family vacation because we wanted some time with just us.

 

[SirDuff]

Probably phrased that way because the parents are paying for the trips. Mellenials seem to expect parental help much longer than past generations. And don’t seem to be ashamed to accept it.

Except that the OP explicitly said that they kids were paying for their own trips.

Now I see all these kids in their mid/late twenties - often married - travelling with their parents. And it's not that the parents are paying. The children have good jobs. No kids. Lots of friends. But traveling with their parent.

 

[EveDallas]

Some vacations not odd. All vacations? Would his SO be okay to spend all vacations with you?

My post was regarding many 20s year olds that I know ( I can think of 5...) that have great paying jobs, are in committed relationships and only travel with their parents. My coworker mentioned it and it dawned on me that I knew people like that too.

\Maybe these 20-somethings realize their parents won't be around forever. I'd give anything to vacation with mine again.

 

[JBeaty0507]

I am a millennial and l love to travel with my parents. To be fair, I don't travel with them for every vacation, but I do like to fit in at least one vacation with them in a year if I can. In addition, I do feel like most of our vacations include at least his family or my family in some way. Sometimes we want to go somewhere and then our families realize that they would like to go too. If they want to come, I try to figure out a way to make it happen. My husband and I actually went on a 12 day Alaskan vacation with my parents AND his parents and we had the time of our lives! I know that my parents won't be able to travel like this forever. I also know that if I don't plan it, they wouldn't go on some of these vacations, so I don't mind it at all. I can't imagine not ever wanting to include them in my adventures.

 

[dish rag]

Except that the OP explicitly said that they kids were paying for their own trips.

Thanks but I wasn't responding to the OP, was responding to a direct statement by another poster that I quoted. They answer is still the same, it's usually the parents paying for all or most, that's why it's phrased that way, that the young adults are traveling with the parents.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thanks but I wasn't responding to the OP, was responding to a direct statement by another poster that I quoted. They answer is still the same, it's usually the parents paying for all or most, that's why it's phrased that way, that the young adults are traveling with the parents.

And I was speaking directly about the OP's OP..

 

[nkereina]

For us, DH and I are in our early 30s, but travel with my parents periodically and have done so since we were in our 20s. We like trips alone together and take those often, but its fun to go with others too, and neither of us have any "couple" friends that would enjoy the same kind of travel as us or would be able to get away from home obligations for a trip. A lot of our "couple" friends are also having babies and still struggling financially, so vacations are few and far between for them.

My parents are retired and haven't experienced a lot of travel, so we're happy to go with them and show them the ropes, so to speak. Its fun to watch them experience new places. It also works out because my dad is a beer drinking buddy to my husband and my mom is a shopping partner to me. So the dynamic works well! I think its also a fun experience for us because we live in a different city than my parents, so we don't get to see them or spend as much time with them as we do my husband's family. So it makes our vacation time together extra special.

 

[Jennasis]

I don't particularly care how or with whom other people vacation and find it kind of odd that it would even occur to someone to question it.

 

[soccerdad72]

I know a few older folks who have the philosophy of, "If I pay for the entire trip, I know I'll see my kids (and grandkids) for a week" I just think its more common in this generation to move farther away from your immediate family, therefore it's often not as easy for parents to see their grown children often.

That being said, most millennials I know travel a lot on their own during the year, so the once a year trip with their parents is not their only vacation.

 

[cabanafrau]

If the premise is that millennials are traveling with their parents, presumably two generations are involved. If doing so is different than how it used to be done why is it only the behavior and choice of the millennials that merits questioning?

 

[Disney_Alli]

I am 34, married and currently in the middle of a two week vacation with my husband and my parents. We’ve done several trips solo over the last few years but usually take at least one vacation a year with my parents. They live several hours from us (about an 8 hour drive) and we don’t see them often except when we vacation together. We don’t vacation with my in-laws (except our destination wedding/vacation) as they own a cattle ranch and really don’t vacation but we do try and spend a good amount of time with them too.

 

[skyblue17]

Thanks but I wasn't responding to the OP, was responding to a direct statement by another poster that I quoted. They answer is still the same, it's usually the parents paying for all or most, that's why it's phrased that way, that the young adults are traveling with the parents.

So phrase it "why are people in their 50-70s paying to take their adult children on vacation when those children are capable of taking their own vacations?"

 

[smiths02]

\Maybe these 20-somethings realize their parents won't be around forever. I'd give anything to vacation with mine again.

I was just writing something like that:
One thing to consider is that parents are getting older. My DH is Generation X (barely) but his parents are 38 and 35 years older than him. He is 40, but we have done a few trips with his parents. I am glad that we did when we did because they are in their mid-late 70s now and rapidly declining.
(I know age is a number, but I see so many people having a kid at 42 and you have to think that when that kid is 25, that person is 67. I know a 67 year old can be active, but most people past 70 or so are not travelling the world. Also, a 67 year old probably can more easily adjust work schedules. My mom still needs to work at 58, so coordinating a vacation would be harder.)
I also feel like families are smaller than in previous generations, which makes travelling with them easier. It also may make the family unit and relationships different from having more kids in previous generations.
Also people are waiting longer to marry and have children so how many of these 20 somethings that travel with their parents are newlyweds?

I do think some of it is that parents are paying or at least making it more affordable. (I really don't know how OP knows that Millennials go on these trips and pay or split 50-50. Even if so that is only the families they know.) Maybe the Millennials have good jobs, but do they have student loans are they trying to buy a house, start a family, pay for kids in daycare? I am an older Millennial and the vast majority of my friends could not afford a bunch of vacations in their 20s and even now in their 30s. People working "good jobs" with high salaries in their 20s don't have 3-4 weeks worth of vacations, IME (at least in the United States).

 

[CdnCarrie]

\Maybe these 20-somethings realize their parents won't be around forever. I'd give anything to vacation with mine again.

Can't say that when I was a 24 year old newlywed with healthy parents in their 50s that their life spans were the top reason on my vacation decisions. It had much more to do with wanting time with my spouse. Maybe if they were in ill health it would have been. Or if we didn't live in the same city.

If the premise is that millennials are traveling with their parents, presumably two generations are involved. If doing so is different than how it used to be done why is it only the behavior and choice of the millennials that merits questioning?

I think overall it's a well known fact that most young people aren't that keen on spending all their time with their parents. Younger years are usually filled with time spent with peers and significant others often leading towards marriage and starting their own families.
I guess for the same reason we encourage our children to go off to college, become independent while we work on our new empty nests and the relationships that will sustain us with our peers duringthe next stage of life.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

People working "good jobs" with high salaries in their 20s don't have 3-4 weeks worth of vacations, IME (at least in the United States).

Which just means they won't be vacationing much or taking multiple long vacations much irrespective of who is paying.

When I was at the insurance company it was all PTO with a don't ask don't tell policy with 19 days of PTO and 1 Floating Holiday plus the Holidays the company counted. There was no such thing as sick time. It was all rolled into PTO. That said utilizing weekends or holidays helps if you're at the 9-5 M-F type job. For instance if one has the funds you can take a vacation where you leave on a Friday night or Saturday morning, and come back the next Saturday or Sunday thus only taking 5 days of PTO but getting a longer vacation out of it.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I do think some of it is that parents are paying or at least making it more affordable. (I really don't know how OP knows that Millennials go on these trips and pay or split 50-50. Even if so that is only the families they know.) Maybe the Millennials have good jobs, but do they have student loans are they trying to buy a house, start a family, pay for kids in daycare? I am an older Millennial and the vast majority of my friends could not afford a bunch of vacations in their 20s and even now in their 30s. People working "good jobs" with high salaries in their 20s don't have 3-4 weeks worth of vacations, IME (at least in the United States).

I don't know all the details about payment. How do I know who goes on trips? One family are ILs and we talk to them all the time. Other is a good friend and her daughter and we text constantly. Others are extended family via FB.
It's not an exact science. Just a noon time conversation with a coworker that I found intriguing.

And yes good union jobs here easily start at 3 weeks holidays (example young nurse in a unionized environment where starting salary is $50,000).

 

[cabanafrau]

Can't say that when I was a 24 year old newlywed with healthy parents in their 50s that their life spans weren't the top priority on my vacation decisions. It had much more to do with wanting time with my spouse. Maybe if they were in ill health it would have been. Or if we didn't live in the same city.



I think overall it's a well known fact that most young people aren't that keen on spending all their time with their parents. Younger years are usually filled with time spent with peers and significant others often leading towards marriage and starting their own families.
I guess for the same reason we encourage our children to go off to college, become independent while we work on our new empty nests and the relationships that will sustain us with our peers duringthe next stage of life.

In regards to your first comment above, it's possible your experience doesn't correlate with the experience of everyone else, nor should you (or anyone else) expect it to.

In regards to your second comment, a vacation isn't all the time. Vacationing together wouldn't necessarily indicate that the younger generation hasn't gone off to college and become independent while the parents have worked on their empty nests and built those enduring friendships to sustain them. Seems possible that all of those things are still manageable within the other weeks of the year when both generations aren't on vacation.

 

[smiths02]

Which just means they won't be vacationing much or taking multiple long vacations much irrespective of who is paying.

When I was at the insurance company it was all PTO with a don't ask don't tell policy with 19 days of PTO and 1 Floating Holiday plus the Holidays the company counted. There was no such thing as sick time. It was all rolled into PTO. That said utilizing weekends or holidays helps if you're at the 9-5 M-F type job. For instance if one has the funds you can take a vacation where you leave on a Friday night or Saturday morning, and come back the next Saturday or Sunday thus only taking 5 days of PTO but getting a longer vacation out of it.

Average American worker takes 17 days vacation (according to Google), which is up to highest in 7 years.
I also think it speaks to that maybe younger generations (or just people nowadays, whatever generation) are taking their vacation time more, which gives them more time for family vacations.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Average American worker takes 17 days vacation (according to Google), which is up to highest in 7 years.
I also think it speaks to that maybe younger generations (or just people nowadays, whatever generation) are taking their vacation time more, which gives them more time for family vacations.

I thought we were talking about people in their 20s not the average American

My husband (30) gets 5 weeks of vacation per year and can bank twice that (and often does). That said he's been working for the company for about 13 years now. Those in their 20s don't have that seniority and you don't usually start anywhere near that high.

I actually don't know that more people are taking vacation. It all depends on how the company defines it. My husband's company saw more vacation utilization when they had vacation and sick time separated out because they could more easily track who was calling in sick. Now that it's combined hard to tell. When I was at the insurance company because it was all rolled into one someone taking a PTO day could just be doing things like doctor's appointments, shopping (as an example of an errand one may do), sick or vacation.

 

[Searc]

I have traveled (to WDW & Disneyland) with my parents as an adult.

I have traveled numerous times to WDW with my mother, but I don't want her, or our kids, on every vacation with us (I'm 45 and married 23 years). I think CdnCarrie is specifically talking about kids who don't vacation anywhere *without* their parents.