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According to a report from Virtuoso and Globetrender, 2025 will mark an unprecedented milestone in travel history: seven generations will be traveling simultaneously for the first time. From “Beta Babies” born to Gen Z parents to the seasoned “Matures,” this historic convergence is transforming how families vacation together. Forbes reports that 61% of Americans are planning trips with extended family or close friends in 2025, driving significant changes in accommodation preferences and travel styles.
This shift has sparked unprecedented demand for luxury villa rentals, as families seek spaces that can comfortably accommodate multiple generations while providing the privacy and amenities needed for extended stays.
The Villa Advantage: A New Era in Family Accommodations
Before diving into specific trends, it’s important to note a fundamental shift in how multi-generational groups are choosing to stay together. Traditional hotel arrangements, which often separate families across multiple rooms and floors, are giving way to private villa rentals that keep extended families under one roof.
This transition reflects both practical and emotional considerations. Luxury villas offer significant advantages for multi-generational groups:
- Space and Privacy: Rather than booking 5-10 separate hotel rooms, families can share a spacious villa with common areas for gathering and private spaces for retreat. Many villas offer multiple master suites, making them ideal for adult family members.
- Cost-Effectiveness: When comparing the cost of multiple hotel rooms for extended families, villa rentals often provide better value while offering premium amenities.
- Flexibility and Control: Private kitchens allow families to manage mealtimes and dietary preferences, particularly important with multiple generations. Evening gatherings can extend naturally without the constraints of hotel restaurant hours.
- Shared Experiences: Common spaces like private pools, game rooms, and outdoor living areas create natural settings for family bonding. Grandparents can watch grandchildren swim while parents prepare meals, creating organic opportunities for connection.
- Personal Service: Many luxury villas come with dedicated staff, from private chefs to a concierge, who can cater specifically to the family’s needs and help bridge any generational preferences.
This shift toward villa accommodations has become particularly relevant as families seek more meaningful ways to spend time together, setting the stage for the top 10 trends in multi-generational travel.
1. Sustainable and Ecological Travel
As environmental awareness grows, families are increasingly seeking travel experiences that educate and inspire across generations while minimizing their impact on the planet. Modern eco-conscious villas lead this trend with features like solar power, rainwater harvesting, organic gardens, and partnerships with local conservation projects.
These properties serve as ideal bases for environmental education and activities. Families might harvest breakfast ingredients from the villa’s garden, participate in local conservation projects, or join marine programs like sea turtle monitoring. Many villas now employ environmental educators who customize activities for different generations, from guided nature walks for grandparents to marine biology lessons for children.
This combination of sustainable living and hands-on environmental education creates experiences that inspire families to continue eco-friendly practices long after their vacation ends.
2. Slow Travel
The frenetic “10 cities in 7 days” approach is giving way to a more deliberate style of family travel. Extended villa stays, typically three weeks or longer, are becoming the preferred choice for families seeking deeper connections with local communities and cultures.
Luxury villas serve as perfect bases for this immersive approach. Private kitchens transform into culinary classrooms where local chefs share generations-old recipes and cooking techniques. Spacious living areas become cultural hubs hosting language lessons, art workshops, and music sessions. Villa gardens offer spaces for learning about local agriculture, with many properties maintaining olive groves or vineyards that families can help tend.
Small towns and rural communities are particularly popular for these extended stays. In Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia, families spend weeks in restored farmhouses, participating in seasonal activities like grape harvests or olive pressing. In Provence, villa stays coincide with lavender seasons or local festivals. Along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, extended villa rentals allow families to experience fishing village life, from early morning markets to evening folk music gatherings.
These slower-paced trips allow each generation to experience the destination at their own speed: grandparents might spend mornings at local cafes practicing the language with residents, while children attend traditional craft workshops, and parents explore historic sites. The villa becomes not just accommodation, but a home base for authentic cultural immersion.
3. Family Heritage and Ancestral Discovery
Thanks to DNA testing and easier access to family records, more families are planning trips to places where their ancestors once lived. It’s a wonderful way to connect with family history, and luxury villas make perfect home bases for these meaningful adventures.
Picture gathering in the villa’s living room with a local historian who brings your family story to life, or spending mornings exploring nearby villages where your ancestors walked. In the afternoons, families often learn traditional crafts or music that their grandparents or great-grandparents might have enjoyed.
Having a private villa for these experiences means plenty of space for family storytelling and quiet moments to absorb all you’re discovering about your heritage.
Image: ©paulpartridge
4. Off-Grid Getaways
Want to really connect with your family? Sometimes that means disconnecting from everything else. That’s why more families are looking for beautiful spots where phones don’t ring, and emails can’t find you. Remote luxury villas give you the best of both worlds – you’re away from it all but still totally comfortable.
Think about staying in a cozy mountain villa in the Italian Dolomites, or a peaceful retreat on a quiet Croatian island, or even a hidden gem in Portugal’s gorgeous Douro Valley. These places are perfect for quality family time: imagine everyone gathering on the terrace for stargazing, finding quiet spots in the garden for morning coffee, or simply enjoying long conversations without checking phones every few minutes.
5. Family Legacy and Values Trips
These carefully curated journeys serve as vehicles for transmitting family values, discussing financial legacy, and sharing family philosophy across generations. Private wealth management firms report increasing requests for assistance in planning trips that combine meaningful experiences with structured discussions about family heritage and future planning.
Private villas create intimate settings for meaningful family discussions about legacy and values. Their exclusive environments are particularly suited for:
- Storytelling sessions about family history and values
- Discussions about family wealth stewardship
- Visits to causes and projects aligned with family philanthropic interests
- Family council meetings where all generations contribute to decisions
- Activities that reflect and reinforce the family’s core principles
6. Wellness Retreats
These days, wellness means something different for every family member. Maybe Grandma wants to start her day with gentle yoga, while the teens are ready for an energetic workout, and the little ones just want to splash in the pool. That’s where luxury villas really shine – they’re set up so everyone can do their own thing while still being together.
Many villas now feel like your own private spa resort. You might find a peaceful garden perfect for morning meditation, a fully equipped gym for those who can’t miss a workout, or a dedicated massage room for post-activity relaxation. Some even come with their own wellness staff – think personal trainers who know how to work with every age group, or chefs who can make healthy food that kids actually want to eat.
The best part? Unlike at a resort, you can pad around in your robe all day, schedule treatments whenever you want, and never worry about sharing space with strangers. It’s a great way for families to start healthy habits together in a totally comfortable setting.
7. Events Travel
Sometimes the perfect family trip starts with an amazing event that everyone wants to see. Think about it – watching a solar eclipse together, cheering at a big sports match, or experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime festival. These special moments become even better when you can share them with three or four generations of your family.
Having a private villa for these big events is a game-changer. Instead of splitting up between hotel rooms, your family has a comfortable home base where you can build excitement before the event and share stories afterward. Plus, you can take your time exploring the area – maybe catch some local festivals, try regional foods, or discover hidden gems that tourists usually miss.
Remember the families who rented villas for the Paris Olympics in 2024? They got to enjoy the Games but also had quiet spaces to retreat to when they needed a break. This year, many families are doing the same thing for the Jubilee of Hope in Rome – making the most of both the main event and all the little moments in between.
8. Destination Dupes
Ever noticed how some of the most famous spots in Europe are getting a bit too crowded? That’s why savvy families are discovering what we like to call “destination dupes” – places that offer similar magic but without the crowds and often at better prices.
Take the Greek islands, for example. While everyone’s fighting for sunset photos in Santorini, families in the know are falling in love with Paros. You’ll find the same gorgeous, whitewashed buildings and amazing sea views, but with more space to breathe and really feel like you’re in Greece. Plus, the villas there often cost half what you’d pay in Santorini!
Looking for that dreamy Italian countryside experience? Instead of joining the crowds in Tuscany, try Puglia. It’s got everything you’re dreaming of – historic towns, incredible food, rolling hills – plus those unique trulli houses you won’t find anywhere else. Or skip the tourist crush in Provence and explore France’s Occitanie region instead. You’ll still get those postcard-perfect lavender fields and medieval villages, but with more chances to meet local people and fewer tour buses.
The best part? These lesser-known spots often end up being the highlight of family trips. After all, there’s something special about discovering a place that isn’t in every travel guide.
Image: ©paulpartridge
9. Adventure Experiences
Gone are the days when grandparents sat on the sidelines while the kids had all the fun. Today’s grandparents are often leading the charge on family adventures! And here’s the cool thing – having a luxury villa as your basecamp makes it easy for everyone to join in at their own pace.
Picture this: your villa in Spain’s Costa Brava has trails starting right at your doorstep, so early birds can hit the hiking paths while others enjoy a lazy breakfast. Or maybe you’re in the Austrian Alps, where your whole crew can ski in and out as they please, with hot chocolate waiting in your cozy living room.
The secret to making these active trips work for everyone? Your villa can arrange different versions of the same adventure. While the teenagers tackle challenging mountain bike trails, grandparents might enjoy a gentle e-bike tour through wine country. And at the end of the day, everyone comes together to share stories over dinner in your private kitchen – much better than trying to get a restaurant reservation for 12!
Image: ©paulpartridge
10. Off-the-Beaten-Path Travel
Ready to be your family’s hero? Skip the tourist hot spots and discover places that’ll make everyone say, “wow!” These hidden gems are where some of the best family memories happen, simply because they’re unexpected and special.
Ever heard of the Azores? Think Hawaii meets Ireland – green volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic where you can go whale watching in the morning and soak in hot springs in the afternoon. Or take Albarracín in Spain – it’s like stepping into a fairy tale, with castle walls that glow pink at sunset and streets so charming they’ve earned it “most beautiful village” status multiple times.
Looking for something really different? There’s a lovely little town called Bale in Croatia’s Istria region where Italian and Croatian cultures blend perfectly. Kids love that there’s a Dinosaur Park nearby, while adults appreciate the local vineyards and those gorgeous medieval streets perfect for evening strolls.
The best part about staying in these off-the-radar spots? Your family villa often comes with insider access to local life. Maybe it’s joining a traditional cooking class in someone’s home kitchen, or having a local artist teach your kids ancient crafts. These are the experiences that turn a regular family vacation into stories you’ll share for years to come.
Image: ©paulpartridge
Looking Ahead
Family travel is changing in the best possible way. We’re seeing grandparents, parents, and kids planning trips together not just to see new places, but to really connect with each other. Whether they’re tracing family roots in Ireland, learning to make pasta in Italy, or watching the sunrise together from a mountaintop in Croatia, families are creating moments that become cherished stories.
And at the heart of these experiences? The perfect home away from home. Luxury villas have become more than just beautiful places to stay – they’re where family magic happens. They’re where Grandpa teaches the kids his secret recipe in a professional kitchen, where teens actually put down their phones to join a family game night, and where three generations can gather on the terrace to watch shooting stars. These spaces give families the freedom to be themselves and the comfort to truly relax together.
After all, isn’t that what travel is really about? Not just checking places off a list but creating those perfect moments when everyone looks around and thinks, “This is exactly where we should be.”
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