Nothing bonds and enriches family spirit like travel. Especially multigenerational family travel.
Four people who know this better than anyone are Brandon, his Mom Michelle, Grandmother Jean and Grand Aunt Pat – three family generations from Long Island, USA.
We spoke to Mom Michele on their return home from Trafalgar’s Best of Ireland tour about how this happy travel group formed, why it works, and what they got up to during their 10 days in ‘The Emerald Isle’.
Michele reveals what multigenerational travel is like in Ireland (with Trafalgar)
It’s impossible to go on just ‘one’ multigenerational trip. Trust us.
GET INSPIRED BY: Family tours with Trafalgar
When did you first travel with family and why?
I travelled with Jean (my Mom), Aunt Pat & Uncle and another aunt to Disney World, Florida when I graduated high school in 1995 and again when my cousin had a destination wedding in Florida in 2006. I have travelled with Jean & Brandon (my son) to Virginia to visit family in 2011. Also Brandon and I went to Italy with his former school teacher and classmates in 2013. That was our 1st trip overseas!
But this Best of Ireland tour was the best by far! It really opened my eyes.
How did the four of you decide to tour together?
This Ireland trip took place in May 2022. It was Brandon’s college graduation present and the first time we’ve all travelled together. I think it went very well – we’re happy because we’re family! When we planned this trip we asked Aunt Pat’s advice because she is the most travelled out of all of us. She had been to Ireland before and joyfully joined our group to experience it all again.
We all love to see different places, which works nicely. Brandon and I ventured off on our own a few times but made our way back to explore with Jean (my Mom/Brandon’s Grandma) & Aunt Pat. My funniest memory is that everyone thought Brandon & I were siblings, so I got to be 23 again for 10 days!
RELATED CONTENT: Tips for travelling with older family members
What made you choose Trafalgar and our Best of Ireland tour?
We went with Trafalgar based on Aunt Pat’s recommendation as she has toured with Trafalgar several times with my uncle and friends. We picked Best of Ireland because we wanted to see all parts of ‘The Emerald Isle’: Dublin’s Grafton Street and St Patrick’s Cathedral; the Cliffs of Moher, The Ring of Kerry, Galway, Adore village, Waterford, New Ross and Galway: ‘The Garden of Ireland’. Blarney Castle Gardens & Westport House were particular favourites, deserving of any bucket-list.
I describe our Travel Director Sally Creegan as the encyclopedia of Ireland. She knows everything about Ireland’s past and present – and was a special part of the whole experience.
I loved all the different landscapes, the friendly locals, the food & especially the friendships we made on our tour group; we would chat about the day just shared during most evenings.
How did you find the ‘Be My Guest’ experience at Westport House
This was one of the best days of the trip. Westport House is a magnificent stately home from the 18th-century with over 400 acres of immaculate grounds.
And it was our absolute favourite… I personally wanted to move in! The local hosts welcomed us like family and offered a delicious fizzy beverage to enjoy on arrival. The guide was absolutely wonderful. Her passion for the place was evident in how she excitedly told the history of Westport House and what the plans are for the future. We even met one of the owners. And enjoyed the tea party very much (everything was so yummy). I loved that we were free to tour on our own too.
After that, we went to Knock to see the Marian shrine and collect holy water, as it’s believed villagers saw an apparition of Our Lady here in 1879. There was even a wedding at the church that day. Something was in the air…
Next was a scenic tour to Harrison’s restaurant, where we enjoyed the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth food. I highly recommend this place. Once we returned to the hotel (as with all the nights before), we went to the hotel bar to enjoy a few drinks with our tour friends. Thinking about it makes me miss them!
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Where would you like to travel next?
I think my next trip will be to England with my boyfriend. He is a huge Beatles fan & I love castles. My bucket list of destinations is quite long. I want to go pretty much everywhere I haven’t been yet! I certainly will travel with Trafalgar again. And I would love it to be with Brandon, Jean and Pat again!
GET INSPIRED BY: Best of Ireland tour (4.7/5.0 Trip Rating based on 852 Independent Reviews)