Hannah Johnson first went to Walt Disney World with her mother while still in college. After a brief break because of COVID, the Ringgold, Ga., resident has resumed their trips together as an annual event.
“I decided (the annual trip) was going to be what I did for her,” Johnson said, “kind of as a payback for all the things she did for me. I could just see how happy she was and how much it meant.”
According to Meghan Hayes, an independent travel adviser, adults taking trips with their parents is a growing trend.
“This trend specifically is growing because less people are deciding to have children, or they’re deciding to have children later on,” Hayes told Yahoo Life, “but they’re still ready to go on bucket list-style trips and want to include their family in these trips.”
Hayes said adult children traveling with their parents has grown to be nearly 25% of her business, up from about 5% to 10% before the pandemic.
Yahoo Life talked to people who said they believe it’s important to travel with their parents, and how they think it benefits them.
“My mom loves the Germany pavilion (at EPCOT) so we spend like an hour there,” Johnson said. “Then at Magic Kingdom, we go to Casey’s Corner (a quick-service hot dog restaurant inside the park), then sit and people watch. We like to do the PeopleMover (a tram-style attraction that gives park guests a tour of the Tomorrowland area) and more chill things, because (my mom) is not a huge thrill person.”
How do these trips help her mom?
“My mom has anxiety, so just learning how to navigate and deal with a crowd and not just freak out and shut down is a huge deal,” she said.
Megan duBois, who wrote the Yahoo Life article, said she takes a few trips each year with her parents, who are in their late 50s and early 60s.
The author and her mother, 63, recently traveled to Machu Picchu. Although the older woman needed a little help reaching the top, she nevertheless made it to the spot overlooking the ruins.
“(M)y mom and I sat together and I leaned over to tell her how proud I was of her and that she can still do anything that she sets her mind to, even if it’s scary,” duBois wrote.
For Carly Caramanna, traveling with her mother is a way to connect. “It’s exciting,” she told Yahoo Life, “because instead of visiting each other’s homes, we explore new destinations.”
The pair head to a domestic destination every other month, with a European trip each winter. “It’s like payback in the best kind of way,” she said.
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