By Marcia Abramson
Surveys conducted by such respected fact finding organizations as the Roper Starch Worldwide found that 62 percent of the grandparents they questioned answered that they traveled with their grandchildren at least 16 percent of their travel time for adventures of five days' duration. I also learned that the fastest growing travel trend worldwide is grandparents vacationing with grandchildren without parents in attendance, termed intergenerational travel. I learned that this is also
true of the many grandparents on Long Island. It is no secret that I enjoy traveling with my young grandson, Bradley, and look forward to having his younger sister, Maris, join us when she reaches the ideal "traveling with grandma" age of 8. I have exposed my grandchild to foreign travel with all the experiences of obtaining a passport, going through customs and immigration and re-visiting all the sites I enjoyed with his mother when she was an adolescent. Sailing down the Thames River, listening to the chimes of Big Ben, watching the changing of the guards at Buckminster Palace, visiting the Tower of London, trying to keep up with him, going through the maze at Hampton Court, eating Pizza at world famous Harrod's, enjoying the gracious elegance of the renowned Ritz Hotel and delighting in the performances at the London theaters are joyful memories that neither one of us will soon forget.
I have tried to include in our travels activities that will involve the youngster's zeal for active participation such as swimming, hiking, sailing, diving, horseback riding in places like Jamaica's Montego Bay and Ocho Rios and Florida's Daytona Beach and St. Augustine with a good healthy dose of culture and educational values. Jerry and former State Senator Carol Berman of Lawrence are frequent intergenerational travelers with their grandchildren to many domestic and foreign destinations. Dorothy and Jeff Harvey of Woodmere recently returned from a Disney Cruise with their three granddaughters. Other grandparents informed me of their pleasure in sharing travel experiences with their wonderful grand dividends to such far away places as Israel, Paris, the Caribbean,, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Colorado, Florida, The Disney and Universal theme parks in California and Florida.
However, it was very interesting for me to find that the Loews Hotels, ever mindful of meeting the needs of the public, just inaugurated an innovative program called "Loews Hotels Generation G" packages. These are indeed kid-friendly and grandparent-sensitive with reduced rates, and an adjoining room ( if desired), a take-home "memory album, a disposable camera and a phone card to answer a child's need to call home. These packages are tailored to meet the different age groups of the traveling child, such as the "In Grand Style Package" for teens and older grandchildren. The hotel accommodations are in a suite, behind-the-scenes sports and cultural tours, preferred event seating and spa treatments. There is a program geared for the 10-year old, the older grandchildren and the more adventure-loving grandparents called the "Grand Adventure Package." And then there is the "Simply Grand Package" which is open for individual planning of activities and events. "Generation G" guests also receive those ubiquitous goodie bags filled with useful travel items as well as "Tips for Successful Grandparent Travel." These packages are available in the 12 US Loews hotels and the 2 Loews Canadian hotels in Montreal and Quebec. I can only marvel at the fantastic package offered by the Regency, a Loews Hotel close by New York City. What grandparent would not like to see their grandchild go home with a monogrammed robe, dinner with the aliens at the Mars 2112 restaurant, a personal tour of FAO Schwarz, an opportunity to explore Manhattan's ethnic neighborhoods and the added "piece de resistance" tickets to the Lion King on Broadway!. For more information you can call 800-23-Loews or visit wwwloews hotels.com.
A short drive to Philadelphia at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel will treat you to a horse and buggy carriage ride through Center City and take you to some of the finest museums on the American continent. The young children can spend hours at the Please Touch Museum, don costumes and produce and film their own TV show in an interactive studio. A walk through Rodin Sculpture Garden is another treat as is the Philadelphia Art Museum where I saw a better Cezanne presentation than in Paris. And not to be forgotten by the grandchildren and the grandparents is the Franklin lnstitute. Generation G packages are also available at other Loews Hotels in Washington, D.C; Annapolis, MD; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; San Diego, CA; Santa Monica, CA; Tucson, AZ; and Chicago, III.
I have to agree with Jonathan Tisch, president and CEO of Loews Hotels when he comments, "Grandparents and grandchildren traveling together have a wonderful opportunity for sharing experiences and creating new memories."
