It’s official: hanging out with the grandparents is the height of cool this summer… Grandparents looking after grandchildren is a fact of modern life, with Age UK reporting that 40% of the nation’s grandads and grannies provide regular care for their grandkids*. It should therefore come as no surprise that ‘skip-gen’ holidays are becoming popular with Brits. In fact, boat hire website Click&Boat estimates a 30% increase in summer bookings related to the trend.
Skip-gen breaks are when grandparents spend quality time with their grandchildren on holiday, allowing parents to enjoy a well-deserved break. For families looking to trial an adventurous skip-gen break during their family getaway this summer, Click&Boat has pulled together their top five most popular sailing destinations for grandparents and grandchildren who are keen to enjoy some time offshore experiencing the excitement of sailing.
Both experienced and novice sailors, or those with no previous experience at all, can hire boats for the day or even longer via Click&Boat as many boats on the platform can be rented with an on-board crew or skipper.
There are a multitude of boats available for hire on the Click&Boat website, from motorboats to catamarans to luxury yachts. Seasoned grandparent silver-surfer sailors can also book old-school and glamorous classic wooden yachts that offer a sense of tradition.
- Underwater Exploration and Game of Thrones Adventures in Malta
Malta is a small island paradise and visitors lucky enough to visit can enjoy swimming in the clear, turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon, which is located at Malta’s smallest inhabited island of Comino. For impressing older teenagers, Malta also happens to be home to seven Game of Thrones filming locations, including the fortress city of Mdnia, which was used to depict parts of King’s Landing. - For the Cultured Crew: Follow in the Footsteps of Mythical Legends and Mamma Mia! in Greece
For children with curious minds or an interest in Greek mythology, boats can be hired from the port at Volos, which is home to Iolcus, where Jason sailed on his quest to find the Golden Fleece. For cinematic and musical fans, the islands of Skiathos and Skopelos in Greece were also used as filming locations for the first Mamma Mia! film starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. - Island-Hopping Adventures in Croatia – Croatia is home to no less than 1,000 islands and is therefore the ideal destination for adventurous island-hopping trips. The country offers families 19 national parks to explore, including the marine park and natural paradise of Kornati Archipelago.
- Get Onboard for Beaches and Landmarks in Barcelona – The city of Barcelona has continued to prove popular with families by offering fabulous food and a multitude of historic landmarks to explore, but the energetic city is also home to Port Vell, which has become a major boating destination.
- Relax with Loved Ones on the French Riviera – Not so keen on skippering? Nice is home to some 1,268 boats that can be hired with a captain, so grandparents can lie back and enjoy the beautiful vistas of the French Riviera with their younger loved ones.
The innovative Click&Boat platform has radically changed the world of sailing by allowing boat owners to hire out yachts when not in use quickly and conveniently, which means it is often up to 30% cheaper to hire a boat on the boat hire platform versus a traditional yacht charter company. There are over 30,000 boats available for hire in over 50 countries on Click&Boat’s easy-to-navigate website and these can be hired from as little as £50 a day.
Sailing together is a great bonding experience for families, particularly for grandparents and grandchildren who may not take part in similar daring activities together in their normal day-to-day lives. Skip-gen sailing trips not only provide excitement away from the shore (and parents) but can also allow families to create special memories that will last a lifetime.
Click&Boat’s Co-Founder, Edouard Gorioux, adds: “We are seeing that an increasing number of British users hire a boat to live a unique experience with their family. In many in cases it’s for what you would call a ‘skip-gen break’, which makes sense because boating is a great way for baby boomers to spend some time with their grandchildren and share with them their valuable skills and wisdom.”
ENDS
For further information about Click&Boat, please visit www.clickandboat.com/uk/
For case studies or media opportunities, please contact Fiona and the team at GEC PR: Click&[email protected]
Notes To Editors:
Image Captions:
Image 1: A motorboat available to hire via Click&Boat in Halkidiki.
Image 2: Grandparents can treat their grandchildren to a ‘skip-gen’ sailing break this summer.
Image 3: A classic wooden yacht available to hire via Click&Boat from Volos Marina.
*According to Age UK in September 2017, available at: www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/articles/2017/september/five-million-grandparents-take-on-childcare-responsibilities/
About Click&Boat
Click&Boat is a boat rental site created in 2013 by two young French entrepreneurs: Edouard Gorioux and Jérémy Bismuth. This start-up was born from a simple observation: that there are millions of boats just sitting in the harbour for most of the year, and that is expensive for boat owners. Click&Boat allows owners to safely and intelligently cushion their boat expenses by renting it to other individuals.
In 2017, the “Airbnb of the seas” opened its platform up to professional boat rental companies and aims to become the world reference for boat rental.