Older women spearhead travel trend that’s ‘good for the soul’
As travellers look for more meaningful experiences while on holidays, a new trend is taking off to give us just that. And it’s all thanks to our grandmas.
Speaking on Today Extra, travel expert Sami Lukis said the trend is twofold – either holidaying like a grandma, or with a grandma – but both invite travellers to slow down and focus more on connection.
Sami Lukis is a big fan of the grandma-maxxing travel trend. Supplied
“I love this trend because travel is not just about what you see, it’s travel that makes you feel, travel that you learn from,” Sami said.
“We’ve seen an increase in young people especially wanting to book travel experiences specifically led by older women.”
Indeed, a report by tour guide company GetYourGuide showed that 76 per cent of Gen-Z travellers from France, Germany, the UK and the US would book a “grandma-inspired” holiday activity, fuelling the grandma tourism boom.
Though grandmas hosting tours isn’t an entirely new concept, with experiences like cooking classes with a nonna popular for travellers in Italy for many years now.
It’s something Sami often includes in her own hosted tours in the country and said it is “always a highlight”.
“There are grandmas all around the world that are now hosting tours for travellers,” Sami said, pointing to granny-led sightseeing tours in Tokyo also becoming popular.
“I was in Vietnam for Nine Travel just a few weeks ago, and the hotel there had this wonderful initiative.
“They invite the resort staff to bring their grandmas in one day a week to cook and to teach cooking to prepare the Vietnamese dishes in the traditional way.”
Cooking classes in Italy have been a popular activity for travellers for years. Getty Images/iStockphoto
As for why young people in particular are gravitating towards the trend, Sami said it’s a way to escape the overwhelm of everyday life.
“It’s all about the connection. We’re so addicted to our phones and technology. I love that the young’ens are cottoning on to the fact that spending time with the oldies is good for the soul,” she said.
“And these grandmas are often handing down recipes traditions and secrets that they learned from their mums and their grandmas.”
Anything that’s good for the soul is something we can get behind.
