Multi-Generational RV Trips: Stays That Work for Grandkids and Grandparents

Hey there, fellow traveler! There is a particular kind of trip that has been quietly taking over family travel, and if you own an RV, you are already better equipped for it than almost anyone else. Grandparents, parents, and kids traveling together. Or increasingly, grandparents and grandkids traveling without the middle generation at all.

The numbers behind this are striking. According to the 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey conducted by the Family Travel Association, NYU School of Professional Studies, and Good Housekeeping, 73 percent of grandparents take at least one multi-day trip with their grandchildren each year. Roughly three quarters of those grandparents plan and organize the trip themselves, and the vast majority pay for it. The Family Travel Association also found that 28 percent of respondents had taken a skip-generation trip in the past three years, and 35 percent were planning one in the next three.

The reason families keep doing this is simple. Grandparents report that these trips help their grandchildren become more adventurous (63 percent for skip-gen trips), more flexible and adaptable (59 percent), and more confident (54 percent). And 82 percent of grandparents say skip-generation travel is a great way to bond with their grandkids.

The problem is that most accommodations are terrible at serving three generations at once. Hotel rooms separate people. Cramped campgrounds give everyone too little space and too much noise. What works is the opposite: room to spread out, safe places for kids to run, quiet corners for grandparents, and enough going on that nobody gets bored. That is exactly what a well-chosen private land stay delivers.

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Why Private Land Beats a Campground for Three Generations

Space solves most conflicts. A packed campground loop puts your rig fifteen feet from a stranger's, which means constant reminders to keep it down, stay out of the neighbor's site, and be careful of passing traffic. On a private farm or ranch, kids can run and grandparents can sit without either group managing the other. Everyone gets to relax at their own volume.

The property becomes the activity. Multi-generational trips fall apart when the entertainment plan only works for one age group. Farm properties solve this naturally. Collecting eggs, meeting animals, picking berries, and exploring a pasture are genuinely engaging for a six-year-old and genuinely pleasant for a seventy-year-old. Nobody is being dragged along.

You control the pace. Grandparents often need a slower rhythm than a packed itinerary allows. When your base camp is somewhere beautiful, a low-key day at the property is a legitimate plan rather than a wasted one.

Cost matters when one person is paying. Given that most grandparents fund these trips themselves, and multi-generational travelers are notably budget-conscious, a private land stay that houses the whole group in one place is significantly cheaper than multiple hotel rooms or a resort.

If you are new to booking this way, our step-by-step guide to booking your first CurbNTurf stay walks through the process in plain language.

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What to Look for in a Multi-Generational Stay

Not every property works for a group spanning seventy years of age. Here is what to prioritize when you browse listings.

Level, firm ground near the rig. This is the single most underrated accessibility feature. Grandparents with mobility limitations, walkers, or unsteady footing need level ground between the RV door and wherever the group gathers. Soft pasture, steep grades, and deep gravel are all harder than they look. Read listing photos carefully and message the host to ask directly.

Short distances between everything. A beautiful property with the parking pad a quarter mile from the farmhouse and the bathroom is a problem for both a toddler and an eighty-year-old. Compact layouts win.

Hookups if anyone has medical equipment. CPAP machines, oxygen concentrators, and medication refrigeration all need reliable power. If someone in your group depends on any of these, do not gamble on solar and a battery bank. Filter for shore power and confirm the amperage with your host. Our guide on decoding power, water, and connectivity explains what each amenity listing actually means.

Clear off-limits zones. Working farms have equipment sheds, livestock pens, ponds, and machinery. Ask your host on arrival which areas are off limits so you can brief the kids once, clearly, rather than supervising every moment.

Cell signal or connectivity. Grandparents often want to check in with family, and someone in the group may need to reach a doctor. Rural properties vary enormously. If reliable connectivity matters to your group, our article on Starlink for RVers covers whether satellite internet is worth the cost and power draw.

Shade. Older adults and young children are both more vulnerable to heat than the middle generation planning the trip. Mature trees or a good awning setup matter more than they might seem. Our guide on hot-weather RVing without hookups covers staying comfortable when it gets warm.

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Making the Trip Actually Work

A few things that experienced multi-generational RV families do differently.

Build in downtime deliberately. The most common mistake is over-scheduling. Plan one major activity per day and leave the rest open. Grandparents need rest, kids need unstructured play, and everyone needs a break from each other.

Give each generation a job. Kids collect eggs or gather firewood. Grandparents tell stories or teach a skill. Parents handle logistics. Shared purpose beats shared entertainment.

Sort out sleeping arrangements before you leave. If everyone is in one rig, the grandparent with the bad back should not be on the convertible dinette. If you are running two rigs, book a property with room for both and confirm with the host before you arrive.

Plan medications and mobility aids like you plan food. Extra prescriptions, a list of medications, a copy of insurance cards, and knowledge of the nearest hospital are all worth thirty minutes of prep.

Let the host be a resource. Farm and ranch hosts frequently love showing kids around, and many have raised children on the property themselves. Ask what they recommend. Some of the best moments on these trips come from a host offering to show the grandkids how something works.

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Where These Trips Work Best

Working farms and ranches are the strongest fit overall. Animals, open space, and built-in activity for every age. Our article on Cultivating Calm: RVing with Kids on Private Farms goes deeper on the family angle.

National park gateway properties work well because grandparents and kids can do a scenic drive or short walk together while the middle generation takes on a longer hike. Our guide to private stays near Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton covers the gateway strategy.

Seasonal harvest properties give the trip a built-in event. Berry picking in June, peaches in July, apples and pumpkins in October. Our Seasonal Agritourism calendar maps out what is happening month by month.

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The Trip They Will Remember

Here is the thing about these trips. The grandkids are not going to remember the itinerary. They are going to remember the morning they collected warm eggs with their grandmother, the evening everyone sat outside and someone told a story about the old days, and the fact that for four days nobody was in a hurry.

Grandparents know this, which is why 73 percent of them take one of these trips every year and why they keep planning and paying for them. The window is real. Kids grow up, grandparents age, and the years where everyone can travel together comfortably are finite.

Open the CurbNTurf map, find a property with room for everyone, message the host about level ground and hookups, and book the trip while the whole family can still take it together.

Keep Reading

• Cultivating Calm: RVing with Kids on Private Farms for the family-travel angle on farm stays.
• Beyond the Crowded Campgrounds: Your First CurbNTurf Booking Guide to book your very first stay with confidence.
• Power, Water, or Peace? Decoding Your Perfect CurbNTurf Connection to match a site's amenities to your group's needs.
• Seasonal Agritourism: A Calendar of Harvest-Based RV Stays to plan around berry, peach, and apple season.
• Best Private RV Stays Near Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Teton for national park gateway planning.