Skip-gen vacations are exactly what they sound like. Essentially, they involve grandparents going on vacations with their grandkids while the parents stay at home, and it’s something that’s so common that even travel researchers use the term “skip-gen” now.
But why? What is it that makes skip-gen vacations so appealing to both grandkids & grandparents? And why has 2026 become the year when this type of vacation is so popular? That’s what we’re going to find out.
The term is in research literature
Unlike a lot of travel terminology, the phrase “skip-gen travel” didn’t actually come solely from travel blogs, as it’s something that one peer-reviewed 2026 study looked into.
The researchers interviewed different sets of grandparents about the trips they had taken without the middle generation.
They referred to this phenomenon as “skip-gen travel.” Previous tourism researchers also referred to it as “grandtravel,” with one 2019 paper explaining it as a vacation where grandparents & grandchildren travel together.
Trips can be short
One interesting detail about skip-gen travel is how flexible it can be. Grandtravel includes day trips & overnight stays, as well as longer holidays. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve flying across the world.
Something like a simple road trip or a weekend stay in a cabin functions as skip-gen travel. Even visiting a museum for a few hours with your grandchildren counts as grandtravel, as the most important aspect is the fact that you’re spending leisure time together.
What are people doing during skip-gen travel
The NYU School of Professional Studies Family Travel Survey looked into skip-gen travel, specifically at the activities involved in these sorts of vacations. They found that cultural attractions are some of the most popular, including trips to museums and historic sites.
Interestingly, beach-focused travel didn’t appear to be as common during skip-gen travel experiences. It appears that grandparents are aiming for more learning-focused outings when they’re traveling with their grandkids.
Practical details families often plan around
Interviews with skip-gen grandparents indicate that they choose to have slower travel itineraries and more accessible lodging. They also try to ensure that they choose activities that both generations are able to deal with.
It makes sense. After all, many grandparents help with childcare at home, meaning that travel planning tends to be similar to the routines that these families know. Grandparents are often comfortable with maintaining the details of skip-gen travel.
How the lack of parents affects the trip
The biggest effect that comes from parents not going on vacation is in terms of group dynamics. Fewer adults being involved in the trip means there are fewer roles to juggle overall. In the 2026 study, skip-gen grandparents described how the pacing and decision-making aspects of the vacation felt rather different.
They also mentioned how their sense of shared responsibility wasn’t the same as regular multi-generational trips, simply because they were the only adults going on this vacation.
The idea of legacy
So why exactly do people decide to go on skip-gen vacations? According to research, participants claim they wanted to give their grandchildren experiences that they would remember years later.
The 2026 research also found that some grandparents claimed that they want to leave a legacy for their children. They wanted to create travel memories that actually have meaning for their descendants.
Retirement timing
We can’t ignore the fact that grandparents have a lot more say in their schedules once their work starts to slow down. They start filling their weekdays differently when they leave full-time jobs. With such flexibility, families start planning around school breaks or quieter travel days.
Grandparents don’t have a fixed block of vacation days they have to use. Instead, they’re able to suggest midweek travel or longer stays that parents might not be able to deal with, giving the older generation the chance to take their grandchildren on trips that may not normally be possible.
Parents get an actual break
There’s also the fact that parents get a chance to have an actual break, while knowing that the childcare side of things will be covered. In fact, a 2026 health economics paper found that grandparent support helps to create parental time for leisure or rest.
However, that doesn’t necessarily translate into emotional benefits. One study from the University of Exeter found that grandparents caring for younger children didn’t affect the mothers’ well-being. It really depends on each family’s situation and expectations.
It’s not separate from bigger family patterns
It’s important to remember that the concept of skip-gen travel doesn’t exactly exist in a vacuum either, as demographic studies have shown the impact grandparents have on their grandchildren. They provide childcare & emotional support, for starters.
A working paper from the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing actually referred to grandparents as being ongoing supporters of their grandchildren. As such, it’s not surprising that some families feel comfortable planning vacations without the parents present.
What we can say carefully
Tourism research now talks about skip-gen travel as being an emerging travel type. It’s also something that university surveys have been tracking alongside multigenerational vacations, although that’s about as far as the evidence goes.
The exact number of skip-gen vacations happening each year isn’t exactly clear. However, what we do know is that many sources indicate that it’s a travel type that’s on the rise in multiple places.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us.