On their last family adventure, Emily Palley-Samson and Micah Polowin and their son Sloan travelled with Polowin’s mom, Carolyn Kobernick.Supplied
Last winter, Emily Palley-Samson, her husband Micah Polowin and their now two-and-a-half year old son Sloan made the trek from Toronto, Ontario to Mexico for an extended visit.
The family started their trip in a small beach town on the country’s west coast where they spent most of their time in and around the ocean, including a sunset fishing trip. Then, they swapped sea and sand for an urban adventure in Mexico City. It meant blending adult and child-friendly activities, with the family exploring the city’s art galleries and trying delicious new dishes at its standout restaurants while also making time for Sloan to run around local parks and play.
It was a special trip, made all the more so thanks to an important travel companion: Polowin’s mom, Carolyn Kobernick, who joined the trio for part of the trip.
Travelling with a toddler and a 73-year-old had its complexities while navigating intense heat, unfamiliar food, a different language and entirely new daily rhythm, but for Palley-Samson, that was part of the experience. “I think kids benefit deeply from watching adults navigate the unfamiliar together,” Palley-Samson says. “Sloan saw problem-solving and adaptability in real time, and experienced a new larger family dynamic.”
Families across North America are following suit. According to a 2025 survey from the U.S.-based Family Travel Association’s (FTA), 92 per cent of parents had plans to travel with their kids in the coming year, the highest level since 2020. A 2025 survey from Flight Centre found that 73 per cent of Canadians have travelled – or want to travel – with multiple generations of their family. And, according to U.K. travel company Journeyscape, adventure travel is gaining popularity for this demographic, overtaking more traditional forms of family travel, such as beach getaways.
For therapist and parenting expert Alyson Schafer, travelling with multiple generations is an opportunity to exercise the muscle for adaptation. “It’s ultimately a real opportunity to step into each person’s reality and then work collaboratively to make it the best holiday ever,” Schafer says. And, she adds, you might discover that when you’re pushed to try something new with someone you trust – say, the kids encourage grandma and grandpa to try dog sledding, or a parent showing their teen the ancient rock carvings at Ontario’s Petroglyphs Provincial Park – you’re more inclined to like it.
For family-friendly fun that puts nature first, try snorkelling with salmon off of Vancouver Island’s Campbell River (known as the salmon capital of the world). Visitors can rent everything they need to snorkel, including a wetsuit, and find all the information they need through Oceanfix.
For those looking for inland exploration, Kayanara, an eco-friendly guest ranch in British Columbia’s Cariboo region, is a great option. Here, older kids and adults can go mountain biking or take an ATV tour, while grandparents and young kids can opt for gentler options, including fishing, bird watching, hiking and boat rentals.
Or, try biking your way through New Brunswick’s Fundy Isles. With a number of tour groups across the region, visitors can go the distance – and choose the difficulty level – they’re most comfortable with. Hop on an E-Bike to zip around Saint John for a few hours or take a guided multi-day ride through Kouchibouguac National Park.
For travellers looking to enjoy Canada’s great outdoors in a more laid back way, stargazing and taking in the Northern Lights in Alberta’s Banff region might just be the answer. Or, try Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan for stunning landscapes at Big Muddy Badlands and to take in bison, which were reintroduced to the area in 2005.
For Palley-Samson, the next multigenerational trip is not a question of if, but when. She says their family would love to explore more of Western Canada in the summertime, particularly the country’s coastal islands and mountain towns.
“We’ll get there as soon as Sloan is old enough to hike and surf,” she says.
