Grand Travel

Traveling with the Grandchildren
When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with each of my grandparents.  Some of my fondest memories of them are the trips and outings we took together.  I remember one time my paternal grandparents took my brother and I to Washington D.C.  We drove from Ohio to the D.C. area and then took a bus tour of the city. 

My maternal grandparents spent most of their free time camping, and they would often take us with them for the weekend.  It was special time to spend with each of them (without our parents) on these little trips.

Of course, that was over 30-something years ago.  Nowadays, grandparents traveling with their grandkids (with or without the parents) has become so popular that it’s earned a new term—multigenerational travel or grand travel. My own kids have traveled with my parents to such places as Ohio Caverns, to festivals, horseback-riding stables, historic sites and even to Guatemala.

Amir Eylon, State Tourism Director for Ohio says that this kind of travel is a trend that has been growing both nationally and in Ohio over the past decade.  “There are a few reasons why this is happening,” he explained. “First of all, parents are working longer and the grandparents have more discretionary income (pre current recession) and the flexibility of time to travel. Also, today’s grandparents are more mobile than any generation of grandparents before them, so they have a thirst to show their grandchildren the world if they can. And lastly, travel is an easy way for generations to connect, as they rely on active shared experiences versus passive activities.”

Sometimes grandparents want to expose their grandchildren to new cultures and experiences.  Seniors today are more travel savvy and may enjoy taking their grandkids on a foreign adventure. This type of travel works best with grandchildren at least eight years old.
Christina Woycitzky, travel specialist with Barefoot Travel says she is seeing more resorts catering to multigenerational travel. “We see more families traveling together (grandparents, parents and grandkids) and the travel industry is recognizing that,” she said. “Many resort hotels and cruise ships are converting their rooms into suites so that there is room for these larger groups traveling together. The big parks like Disney even offer multigenerational travel programs called ‘grand gatherings’ so that the grandparents and their grandchildren can experience the fun together.”
Tips for a Successful Grand Travel Experience.

Whether it’s a day trip or a weeklong adventure, here are a few tips to help create a memorable experience:
1. Plan carefully, considering your own limitations and the child’s age, energy level and interests.
2. Include the grandkids in the planning process. Show them pictures of where you plan to go and explain what the travel will be like (plane, car, train, etc.).
3. Have an emergency plan in the case of a lost child and take along a parent’s notarized authorization for medical care.
4. Pack children’s acetaminophen and cold medicine, ointment for bug bites and wounds, bug repellant, sunscreen, and a first aid kit.
5. Take their favorite snacks, games, toys, books and music.
6. Resist the urge to do too much. Try to have some down time and be flexible.
7. Start out with a short day trip before embarking on an extended trip.
8. Discuss rules in advance such as spending limits or how much time they are allowed on their DS or on their cell phone.
9. Include recreation time for the children.
10. Build memories by working together on journals and taking photos.

Highlands Nature Sancturary

I recently visited Highlands Nature Sanctuary and Appalachian Forest Museum near Bainbridge, Ohio with my daughter and our cousins.  The Garmin GPS flawlessly guided us there, even though the road the sanctuary is located on becomes little more than a path before arriving at your destination.  Our cousins are city girls, but enjoy hiking in the great outdoors, so the adventure of exploring this site that was formerly operated as 7 Caves for over 80 years, was a treat for all of us.

The caves are no longer open to the public as the management of the site works to bring them back to their original, pre-visitor state. The hiking trails through the Rocky Fork Gorge offer breathtaking views of cliff overhangs, streams, huge Beech trees, wildflowers and rock formations.  This land is now a part of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, a charitable non-profit, stewarding over 3,000 acres of native Eastern Forest throughout southern Ohio. 

We especially enjoyed the Valley of the Ancients Trail, hiking
single file among the coolness of the huge rocks that line much of the path with my youngest cousin, age seven, singing (rather loudly) Just a Spoonful of Sugar which reverberated throughout the gorge. Something the abundant wildlife in the area probably hadn’t ever experienced before! It was truly a delightful, peaceful time shared with my family of which we will always have fond memories.

Experiencing the outdoors in this way can be a transforming experience.  When you can walk among dense nature, you begin to notice and appreciate even the tiniest creatures and plants.  Your stress and worries slip away and you experience inner peace. Hopefully, you can find a special place to visit this week and with each step along the path, you can let go of your worries and truly know that All Is Well.

Why Would Anyone Want to go to Guatemala?

Before leaving on my trip, I tried to assure my friends and myself that Guatemala was safe. But now, as I spied the loaded revolver stashed in a pot of geraniums in the courtyard of my Guatemalan hotel, I wasn’t so sure.

 

And then there was the comment I overheard at the airport before I boarded my plane. As a young man passed by my gate he asked his companion, “Why would anyone want to go the Guatemala?”

 

As I stared at the gun, anxiety overtook me.”What am I doing here?” I thought.

 

I tried to calm these panicky thoughts by filling my mind with all the peaceful and genuinely friendly local people I had met so far in this beautiful country. 

 

First, I remembered Pedro, a man in the village market of Solola who said, “It makes my heart happy that you are coming here to Guatemala to visit. It is good for the people.”

 

Then there was Sara Noemi who was selling weavings. As I showed her photos of my children, we bonded even without being able to speak the same language. While we talked, a little girl who said her name was Jandi came up to show me an intricate lace weaving. I told her my name was similar to hers and that made her laugh.

 

In that same market in Solola, I met Jeremy, a delightful 12-year-old salesman. I bought a necklace and a toy chicken bus from him and he flashed a huge grin complete with dimples. I ran into Jeremy once more in the Chichicastenango market where he smiled again as he sold me a couple of multi colored woven headbands.

 

Another Mayan village on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Santa Catalia, revealed more amigos. At the primary

School Girl in a small Lake Atitlan Village

school there I met a classroom full of six-year-olds.
 
Rosa, Claudia, Rosenda, Juana, Carlos, Mayra and Norma, eagerly gathered around me laughing as I showed them the photos I had taken of them on my digital camera.

 

On up the street in that same village was the small home of a weaver named Sylvia. She was weaving on a backstrap loom. I pointed to the glittery, purple woven liston she wore on her head. I asked her how much. “125 quetzales,” she said. We bartered a bit to settle on a price and then she removed it from her head and wove it around mine.

As I looked around at her simple one room home, I noticed a bed, a wooden dresser, a table and a soap opera on the television. Sylvia seemed happy with her life. She smiled as I left and thanked me. As I walked through that village, several local heads turned and laughed to see a blond gringo with a liston on her head.

 

I thought of the sisters who road on our tourist boat for a whole day on Lake Atitlan.  Dalila, 14, and Selena, 12, were peddling

the weavings of their mother, Sionas.  I noticed Dalila’s worn purple toenail polish matched the horizontal purple stripes in her long black skirt. The girls shared with me that they have nine brothers and sisters and they all work on the small family farm raising corn and chickens.  Dalila and Selena grinned broadly as I showed them pictures of my family, especially my 13-year-old son, Maxx.

Dalila and Selena

I also met eight-year-old Anna Candaladia, who happily showed me a copy of a tourist map for her village of Santiago Atitla’n. Her picture was on the cover of this map and she grinned as she held it up next to her face for me to take a photo.