Multigenerational travel is a fast-growing trend. According to a 2014 AAA survey, some 36 percent of respondents planned to take a multigenerational trip in the next 12 months, up from 32 percent in 2013. More than a quarter of Americans planned to travel with three generations: children and their parents or in-laws plus grandparents.

With family members often living far apart from one another or otherwise estranged, multigenerational family travel offers a great way to put a family back together and create new memories.

Travel experts usually differentiate multigenerational travel from family travel by the presence of a grandparent in addition to parents and children. But often the group includes siblings, nephews/nieces and non-relative friends. For example, my family went on a multigenerational trip to Nayarit in Mexico in 2013. No grandparents in tow, but we certainly had a multigenerational, 50-year spread between the youngest in our party, my 15-year-old son, and the oldest, his 65-year-old uncle. As for making memories, the zipline expedition during which the boy’s aunt screamed, “I don’t want to go upside-down” became part of family lore.

That said, grandparents represent the fastest-growing U.S. demographic segment, with the U.S. Census predicting 80 million grandparents by 2020, or one in three adults. Many grandparents are happy to share their resources of time and money in planning multigenerational trips for their extended families.

But young people have a greater voice than many would expect in such travel planning. Almost half (49 percent) of multigenerational travelers say their grandchildren influence the choice of the hotel or resort. Some 40 percent of parents and grandparents say children and grandchildren actively participate in or influence vacation planning, according to a 2014 study by Preferred Hotel Group, particularly when it comes to daily activities (77 percent) and deciding which destinations to visit (62 percent). Top U.S. multigenerational destinations include beaches (35 percent) and, inevitably, theme park destinations (28 percent).

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The Preferred Hotel Group study claims the desire of multigenerational travelers to “spend more time with family on vacation” first emerged in the aftermath of 9/11. However the trend started, 66 percent of those surveyed who took a multigenerational leisure trip during the previous year agree, “Going on vacation together brings me and my family closer together.” And those who participated in multigenerational trips said they are “likely or very likely” to plan another domestic (86 percent) or international (48 percent) multigenerational vacation over the next two years.

The three biggest reasons multiple generations travel together? “To spend quality time with other members of my family” (71 percent), to “create lifelong memories for the family members” (51 percent) and “to help my family members enjoy a vacation they otherwise couldn’t afford” (only 20 percent of parents, but a prime motive for 35 percent of grandparents).

THERE ARE TWO magnetic poles of multigenerational travel: pre-packaged deals and do-it-yourself. For the do-it-yourselfer, planning needs to take into account the interests — and abilities — of everyone in the group. Sometimes too much togetherness can be a mixed blessing.

If the senior members of the group are up for jet skiing and ziplining, great. Otherwise, plan alternative activities, like shopping, tours, museums and cultural options — as well as down time. By the same token, some young people may have limited tolerance for museums, aquariums, historic sites, ancient churches and the like.

Also, parents and grandparents should understand consequences of their actions with the younger crowd; if you go on a wine tour or have wine with dinner while traveling with young people who are underage in the United States, understand they might expect to be allowed an occasional glass of wine at home.

Here’s another sobering tip for grandparents who travel solo with their grandchildren, from Have Grandchildren Will Travel by Virginia Smith Spurlock: Make sure to have a notarized statement from the parents giving the grandparent the authority to get medical treatment for a child.

If you’d rather go with an established provider, the acknowledged leader in multigenerational trips is Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel before changing its name in 2010. A not-for-profit company, Road Scholar, which calls itself the “world leader in lifelong learning,” organizes educational adventures across the United States, Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific, Canada, Europe, the Americas and Antarctica.

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The name change reflects the new world of multigenerational travel and learning. “Baby boomers, even when they’re in their 60s, don’t like to think of themselves as ‘elders,’ ” James Moses, CEO, told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2012. And baby boomers are apparently fonder of their creature comforts than earlier generations. Moses said the “hostel” part of the old name made people think of spartan school dormitories and down-the-hall bathrooms, which the program has largely abandoned.

Road Scholar’s current offerings include Intergenerational African Wildlife Encounters – South Africa/Zambia/Botswana. You and your young companion will search for the Big Five (elephant, lion, rhino, Cape buffalo and leopard) and “discover the heart of Africa, stand in awe of Victoria Falls and learn about wildlife, culture and human history.” Pricing starts at $6,000 per person, including accommodations like the 4-star, teak-finished David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa.

If you and your grandchildren prefer the ocean, try Road Scholar’s Adventures Afloat: A South Seas Family Voyage: Hands-on Learning the Cousteau Way. Aimed at grandchildren 9 to 15 years old, the journey offers activities for young explorers including snorkeling, underwater exploration and Southern Hemisphere stargazing. On a hike with an archaeologist through Moorea’s tropical rainforest, participants learn about ancient Polynesia.

Many grandparents meet the physical requirements of the voyage. Participants must be able to climb a few flights of stairs and walk on uneven surfaces up to two miles per day. Prices start at $3,000 per person, with accommodations including one night at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa and seven nights on the luxurious small cruise ship MS Paul Gauguin.

Speaking of cruise ships, Norwegian Cruise Line also provides multigenerational experiences. “On average, between 15 and 20 percent of guests on each cruise are part of a multigenerational travel group,” says Vanessa Picariello, senior director of public relations, Norwegian Cruise Line. “At Norwegian, we offer the ultimate allaround family vacation and in recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of ‘junior cruisers.’ ”

Picariello says cruising is a cost-effective vacation that allows adults to relax and enjoy time together, “secure in the knowledge that their children are being entertained in a safe and fun environment.” In other words, they’re not in your hair all the time.

With Norwegian’s Freestyle Cruising, Picariello says every member of the family “can eat on their own schedule, select a stateroom that fits their needs, visit multiple destinations and enjoy the convenience of unpacking just once.” And as with many other aspects of multigenerational travel, children are the ones driving their parents’ decision to cruise, with attractions like Norwegian’s kids’ programs, Splash Academy and Aqua Parks.

Picariello says more than 40 percent of kids cruising on Norwegian are teenagers. To reach this easily bored crowd, Norwegian offers Entourage, the line’s high-energy teen zone for ages 13 through 17, with air hockey, foosball and an arcade center with five separate areas featuring large screens to play video games while lounging on comfy sofas. In the evening, Entourage transitions into a teens-only nightclub with a dance floor, big-screen television and music.

Whether it’s a kick-back cruise or an “aspirational adventure,” many other providers serve the multigenerational market, including many cruise lines and major hotel chains.

High-end adventure companies also realize family travel can be their bread and butter. Trusted Adventures offers a wide variety of options from Costa Rica to Colorado River rafting, while Smithsonian Journeys not only explores the Galapagos, Tanzania and Machu Picchu in Peru, it also offers air, land and sea options including private jet travel.

An Islands Around the World by Private Jet tour to Hawai’i, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, starting at $79,950 a person? Now that just might impress (and, yes, spoil) your grandchildren.