Temple visits and short wedding trips aren’t enough — people are now solo travelling with an ageing parent to reconnect and create memories. It is an elite trend that needs more takers, across the board
I took my first mother-daughter vacation in 2014 to Edinburgh, a year after my father passed away. In the years that followed, my mother, who lives alone in a different city from both her children, would occasionally join us on family holidays. I was content that I was doing my bit, but after spending two years by herself during the pandemic, she reluctantly expressed a desire to travel with just me. She fondly recalled our holiday in the English countryside, where we found ourselves stranded and had to steal apples from someone’s orchard. “I have the best time when I’m alone with you,” she said.
I belong to the original ‘bucket list generation’. Coined in 1999, the phrase is derived from the jovially morbid ‘kicking the bucket’. And so it is that we find ourselves living in an era when exploring the planet has become almost essential to our existence. Everybody we know is fervently planning trips — with partners, children, family and friends. But what about ageing parents who want to take a vacation with their children, to get quality time with them to reconnect? Or the parent left on their own? Who do they plan exciting holidays with, especially if they don’t want to be squeezed into a busy family itinerary?
Read More
