Vacations Bridge the Generation Gap

A FEW years ago, Marion Stoddart, founder of Outdoor Vacations for Women Over 40, started offering "multi-generational trips," where mothers, daughters, grandmothers, granddaughters, aunts, and nieces vacation together. At least two generations must be represented (one participant over 40, the other at least 18 years of age).

"It started out as a weekend trip," Ms. Stoddart says, recalling how the concept of multi-generational trips evolved. Last year, they were her "runaway best sellers."

This year's multi-generational trips include a week of "fun in the sun" on Vieques, Puerto Rico; a week of hiking, biking, beachcombing, and canoeing around Prince Edward Island, Canada; and several weekend hikes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

"It's a time for them to get together and spend some quality time," Stoddart says. Different groups form: The younger and older women do some things together as well as mothers and daughters or generational pairs. "Often we find it's the mother paying the way and the daughter isn't always terribly willing at first," Stoddart says. "But as it turns out, they always have a wonderful time."