Multi-Generational Wellness Vacations - Something to Please Everyone
How we please groups traveling together for wellness and lasting memories
How do you book a wellness family vacation for a group of 15—or 30 or 40—and please every traveler, from infants and children to teens, adults and seniors? One trend we are noticing in our clients' preferences is the all-inclusive resort, especially for those interested in Turkey, the Caribbean, Greece, Spain, and Mexico, thanks to an expanding range of property offerings for every age, interest and desire.
Multigenerational travel continues to grow in popularity . The 2017 Virtuoso Luxe Report listed multigen travel as the top trend for the year. Groups are increasing in number and families are opting for an incredible range of destinations, activities and wellness resort amenities. A 2016 study from the Family Travel Association (FTA) reported that 87 percent of respondents believed the family travel market will grow robustly or moderately within the next three to five years, indicating an ongoing opportunity for specialized health and wellness tourism referral and booking agents to book immediate and extended family vacations of all kinds for the foreseeable future. Seniors now tag along and in some cases, respite care is available to stay with them when the family needs a break. In fact, German insurers now cover the cost of respite care travel attendants in Greece and other locations.
All-inclusive resorts, have undergone drastic change in recent years, adding a huge array of destination resorts, brands and on-property options for accommodations, dining and activities. These resorts have a jam-packed agenda that appeals to a broad range of ages and interests all day and all night. Satisfied clients create opportunities for medical and wellness tourism properties, providers and health facilities to earn repeat business and referrals, referred to as "customer lifetime value".
What's Driving the Uptick
One primary driver of this new popularity of family travel include the desire to spend quality time as a family, the expanding range of family wellness activities and multigenerational travel that include active grandparents who are interested in spending quality time with their grandchildren. "They find this sort of wellness vacation as a way for them to share unique and memorable experiences together. That's what medical and wellness tourism is all about", says global medical tourism expert and Medical Tourism Journey's CEO, Maria Todd. She defines medical tourism as, "an experiential product that offers an unforgettable visitor experience. It is produced by combining carefully coordinated travel to a destination, an opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of its people, its culture and its history, the rest and rejuvenation of its accommodations, the unique flavors and recipes of local and regional gastronomy, and the precision and compassion its health services providers working collaboratively. Together, they produce the elements to create a unique visitor experience and story-telling value that will be shared for generations.” This definition is a huge departure from the typical uninteresting medical tourism pitches that feature cheap medical and dental services that so many suppliers and medical tourism facilitators seem advertise. "Like trying to sell cheaper, day-old sushi, even if you love sushi, you don't want it at any price."
Baby Boomers enjoy laid-back itineraries that allow them to enjoy the company and build lasting memories of time spent with friends and family. But Gen Xers are now the ones planning the multigenerational medical and wellness tourism trips involving three or more generations of family. One of our most popular packages is for dental checkups and straighforward dental preventive care in Southern and Eastern Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The entire family gets a checkup and dental cleaning appointment blocked one after another over a period of about 3-4 hours time. The rest of the time is playtime and enjoying local leisure activities.
Special events travel is also becoming popular. These trips focus on anything from bridal party getaways and bachelor golf outings to and vow renewals to family reunions, super milestone birthdays, mmilestone anniversaries, and more— where extended families and small groups gather to celebrate together on a special vacation. Some of our bridal party getaways have a mani-pedi spa day and a mammogram at a location where the mammogram costs about $25 and they all go together as a group. The mammograms are a way to buddy up and keep each other honest about preventive health and early detection. All the mammograms can be completed in sequential appointments in a block over a period of about 3 hours leaving the rest of the time for giggling and champagne toasts.
Family Values
Locations like Qatar offer family time together to visit museums and shops and visit many foodie paradise outlets where alcohol is absent. In Turkey and Dubai, alcohol is far more available to visitors at the resorts.
Price sensitive travelers often prefer a destination everyone can reach without too much trouble or expense. For American families, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras and Belize are ideal options, with easy and affordable flights from all around the U.S., an abundance of all-inclusive resorts, and inexpensive medical and dental and spa services in a variety of settings at eco-resorts, voluntourism venues, and sleepy seaside tropical retreats. Nearby zip line and other activities round out the itinerary for those who want to do more during the day. Newer resorts are in locations that are easy and inexpensive to travel to, from hubs like Miami to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico. Some travel focuses on Diaspora returning home so that seniors can help younger family members connect with their heritage and give life to the stories shared across generations. Families are spread across the United States and Canada, and travel as a group to these heritage destinations. The wellness activities may be a brisk walk on the beach together, or a spa day for the adults and swim days for the youngsters, while the elders relax in lounge chairs with a book and chatting with each other in the fresh air with classic tropical cuisines and memories of treats that were once a family tradition.
The key to success in planning these multigenerational wellness travel journeys is to keep the flights under 3 hours. All-inclusive resorts attract multigen travelers by their “the value offerings.” One hassle free budget covers everything: meals, alcohol, entertainment, most activities, food and beverages in the mini bar each day, and even airport transfers. Some resorts offer off season promotions that bring prices even lower. A few offer a buy 6 get 7 days for the same price. Todd says that "Sometimes the clinics in our network will also offer promotions for a large group - such as pay for 5 dental checkups and get two more at no additional charge."
Todd explains, "we often remind our group clients to plan a little individual time where each member of the group can pursue some activity that the others may not share in interest in such as, relaxing at the beach or pool, a romantic evening alone for a couple, watersports that may be too strenuous for others, golf and tennis, playground time for younger children, hands-on cooking demonstration classes, and other activities hosted by the property, talent shows and entertainment. Some resorts have movie theaters playing first run movies, while others show classics - some with subtitles. Spa services are also a popular independent activity.
How we can help you
Medical Tourism Journeys planners customize the all-inclusive experience for groups by selecting different levels of luxury and service to meet our clients' requirements. Those with a modest budget opt for basic packages at a lower cost, while luxury-seekers can book bigger suites and pay for added services and amenities. We tour each one before adding them as Approved Providers in our Network. They must pass our rigorous standards and criteria. our Approved Spas and Resorts include both upscale adults-only properties and family properties where travelers with children are staying.
Our clients tell us that they don't want to or don't have time to deal with the logistics of organizing a mass-scale trip or figuring out what to do if something goes wrong. Our specially-trained travel planners share their personal experiences and their resort knowledge. They leverage resort destination contacts and stay three steps ahead using experience to sidestep avoidable problems. It takes an experienced travel planner to coordinate travel logistics for health and wellness journeys, especially when the group is traveling from different locations and airports on different airlines, using frequent flyer reward miles, and need special planning for wheelchairs, strollers, and other necessities. They trust our Approved Provider choices rather than take a chance with their own research on the Internet. Our clients know that someone is on duty around the clock if there's a problem, and if they need anything, they call us. We also make arrangements with the hotel so that risks of reservations not being honored because a previous guest didn't check out don't happen. That's not something an individual traveler can do on their own. But the main thing we do at Medical Tourism Journeys is listen to what our clients want and do everything in our power to make it happen. That pays off in repeat business and excellent referrals to friends and families. Over the past 35 years, that's how we've grown our business to what it is now.
Medical Tourism Journeys offers care coordination and complete travel planning to medical, wellness, dental and pharmacy tourism destinations all over the world.
We leverage our long established history and high volumes of travel arrangements to get your discounts that aren't available at other medical tourism websites. Approved healthcare and wellness providers are coupled with Approved Hotels in our network at various destinations around the world. When you call, you can inquire about our upcoming group and private tour packages for surgery, consultations, dialysis, spa and wellness programs to appealing destinations. Then let your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® advise all your options. We never just tell you to "get your own tickets" online or through a local travel agency. We have this policy for your safety, comfort and convenience. We don't make money on air travel reservations. What you pay goes directly to the airline. But we do it because it's the right thing to do.
Medical tourism travel planning and patient movement takes specialized training.
We choose the appropriate seating, meals and make arrangements throughout your entire flight itinerary for wheelchairs, oxygen access, storage of crutches or walkers inside the cabin, avoiding stairs, and connecting from flight to flight at huge international airport hubs that may require more than a mile walk to the next gate.
Your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® briefs you on what to expect, if you should have tip money ready for assistants, and if so, how much. They also make sure you have enough time to connect to your next flight if the wheelchair assistant is late arriving to collect you when the flight arrives without expecting you do sprint to the next flight if you are temporarily incapable of that kind of activity during your post-operative period.
Contact us any time, 24 hours per day to learn more about the tours we offer throughout the world several times each year for health and wellness and pharmacy tourism.
We arrange medical tourism journeys for your convenience wither you choose to travel with a group or alone, as a couple or as a family. Your companion travelers are always welcome to join the group whether plan to visit with the doctor or just to participate on the tourist activities. Your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® will organize everything for you in advance - appointments, tours, hotels, transfers, and medical visits to the doctor and the pharmacy and an interpreter, if needed. Ask about the kinds of tour packages we offer - from sedentary to active. Many of the activities on our tours are outdoors and may include hiking, biking, riding and climbing. At seasonal destinations, skiing is also available. Please advise your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® of your preferences when you call.
Your Medical Tourism Destination Coordinator will always be nearby and accessible from the time you land until the time you are ready to board your return flight home. While in flight, our travel coordinators keep an eye on your journey itinerary to take action if you miss a flight, are delayed or something else happens that may require rebooking or re-accommodation on a different flight and a hotel booking for a long layover.
Every Approved Hotel stay includes free Wi-Fi and strong internet connections. For smaller groups and family tours, we organize luxurious, private chauffeur-driven black sedans to carry you from place to place at your destination. We also choose properties and tourism suppliers who will make you feel comfortable when you want to fall back on authentic comfort foods, native language TV and culturally aware staff to give you a break from the spectacular sights and sounds of the selected destination of your visit.
Payment for your Procedure and Medical Travel
Your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® also helps with payment arrangements. We would be pleased to verify with your insurance plan to determine in advance if your consultation with the doctor and your prescription costs (and possibly your related travel costs) will be covered by your insurance or employer. If the response is positive, your Medical Tourism Journey Manager® will obtain pre-authorization and pre-certification as may be required by your insurer. If your insurer will not cover the procedure, Approved Providers and the Approved Pharmacies accept cash, check or credit card at the time of service or purchase. Some of our US providers also participate in various financing programs - so please ask us what is available if special medical travel financing for your trip and medical procedure expenses would be helpful.
Learn more about how we can help you arrange your next medical tourism journey package. Just complete the simple form below and one of our Medical Tourism Journey Managers® will follow up with you or your loved ones to get everything arranged in short order.