Want To Take A Meaningful Trip? Try 'Gramping' For Your Next Vacation.

Two summers ago, Ali Abouzalam invited his grandmother Martha Webb to vacation with him in Belize. Abouzalam, who is an MMA fighter based in St. Petersburg, Florida, said Webb, his “abuelita,” was his “number one biggest fan” growing up.

Taking her on a trip was always a goal in the back of his mind, but he was spurred to action after his grandmother’s health scare with a stroke.

“I was like, man, I need to stop talking about it and start being about it,” he said. Abouzalam “put some money aside and made it happen,” he said. The pair initially discussed Europe but decided on Belize because it was more accessible for Webb. Webb, who is from Mexico and lives in San Antonio, Texas, had never been to the Central American country and was curious.

“We had a lot of fun,” Webb said about the whole trip. “It was a dream of his to take me on a vacation.”

In Belize, they ate at good restaurants, saw wild monkeys and visited Caye Caulker island by boat. Abouzalam climbed pyramids while Webb, who uses a walker, watched from the ground. Abouzalam got a golf cart and a wheelchair to help her get around.

Webb said her favorite memories were the meals they shared, including ice cream and a delicious marrow soup that reminded her of Mexico. “He asked me about my childhood and my favorite memories. There were many things that he asked me, and I answered everything he asked.”

The pair relished this special trip ― a type of travel known as “gramping.” Also called “skip-generation travel,” gramping is a vacation that just includes grandparents and grandchildren. Without parents, significant others or other friends, the trip can be a rare time for two generations to bond.

And it’s on the rise. In the 2023 U.S. Family Travel Association