How Introverts and Extroverts Can Travel Together (Without Drama)

Communication is key to aligning the needs of all travelers

an illustration of people sitting on a fallen tree and talking

A three-generation weekend trip needed to balance the needs of a chatty grandmother, a semi-introverted granddaughter and a quiet daughter. We share tips to make the most of traveling with a personality-diverse group.

Liam Eisenberg

Patricia King

AARP

Published July 22, 2025

It can be tricky to plan a trip that works for a Gen Z granddaughter, a quiet adult daughter and a curious, chatty 74-year-old grandmother. But I found a way for three generations to travel in harmony — and the secret wasn’t what I’d expected.

We took a long weekend girls trip from Atlanta and stopped at The Mercantile in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a local café and craft studio. While my daughter and granddaughter focused on mixing essential oils into candle wax with calm precision, I peppered our instructor with questions about scent blends and how she got started. My granddaughter gave me a side-eye. My daughter gently said, “Mom ... maybe let her finish the demo first.”

Later, we each picked solo projects. I focused on making myself a beaded bracelet, and they picked personalized patches to decorate their baseball caps. Those three hours turned out to be quietly magical. We were three women across three generations, traveling together, learning how to make space for each other.

AARP’s 2025 Travel Trends report shows adults over 50 are returning to travel in higher numbers than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with multigenerational trips leading the way domestically. Cost concerns remain, but many people are still prioritizing travel, and doing it creatively.

In addition, a 2023 survey by the Family Travel Association found that more than half of families had planned a multigenerational trip in the coming year. Among grandparents, 76 percent said a top reason was bonding across generations.

Indeed, travel can be a joyful bonding experience, but also a clash of energy styles, especially between introverts and extroverts.

Lisa Pittman, a licensed psychologist and certified travel coach who works with women over 45, says knowing your family dynamics is essential.

“Families are systems, and each system has its own unique dynamic,” she says, adding that understanding how those systems work will help you travel together more successfully.

three women smiling into the camera while outside

(From left) Lisa Williams, Patricia King, the story’s writer, and Sierra Young traveled from Georgia to South Carolina for a weekend trip.

Courtesy Patricia King

Pittman also emphasizes the importance of considering generational and cultural influences. “A baby boomer grandparent and a Gen Z grandchild will have different communication styles and needs. That’s natural — and manageable,” she says.

Of course, understanding each other is only half the battle. The real magic happens in the planning and pacing. Here are five travel tips that made all the difference on our trip. I recommend this for any personality-diverse group getaway:

1. Build in solo time

Everyone benefits from space. Whether it’s a morning walk or an afternoon nap, it lets introverts recharge and extroverts explore.

“What I need to feel recharged and comfortable when traveling with a group is to steal some alone time,” says my daughter, Lisa Williams, who will turn 50 in November. “Just let me be for a minute so I can just enjoy my space myself. Being around a lot of people takes a lot of energy, and I just need some downtime for myself.”

Schedule “alone together” time as part of the itinerary. Maybe it’s an hour before dinner, or an afternoon free for self-guided wandering. Everyone wins.

2. Align expectations early

Discuss goals ahead of time. Consider must-see attractions, energy levels and preferred start times. Setting expectations early avoids conflict later and helps you plan more thoughtfully.

Sheryl Hurt-White, 73, from Memphis, Tennessee, is a talker, pure and simple. She has lots of anecdotes, observations and opinions, in a good way. This is how she navigates around quieter fellow travelers.

“Since we’re traveling together, I’ll start a conversation … on what they [are] looking forward to when we arrive at [our] destination,” she says. She’ll ask whether they’ve been to the destination before.

Hurt-White also asks “what sights or activities they have set up or plan to see.” She’ll share her own desires, and “I’ll then suggest that we pair up on joint interests.”

3. Use communication tools

Communication doesn’t have to mean confrontation. Use group communication apps or a shared document for the itinerary. Both are great for clarity without constant check-ins.

My daughter is definitely task-oriented and the group organizer. She took charge of the itinerary and kept us on track.

“If members of the travel group know what the itinerary will entail, they can identify opportunities for downtime [introvert] or group time [extrovert] ahead of time, and can communicate that within the group,” says Pittman.

4. Alternate activity styles

Don’t overload the schedule. Balance high-energy days with low-key ones to respect everyone’s pace. In our case, a lively dinner and conversation were balanced with viewing the Friendship 9 exhibit in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and reflecting on the significance of the event in the history of the civil rights movement.

Brenda Smith-Amir, 72, of Albany, New York, who often travels with her 12-year-old grandson, has a similar perspective.

“Traveling, for me, can be difficult due to my age and energy level, but having a strong young travel partner is most beneficial,” she says. “He recognizes my age and energy and doesn’t have any expectations of doing high-energy activities unless it’s something we both are interested in. He has other relatives he can do those things with.”

Smith-Amir recognizes what’s important about traveling with a different generation. “Since the goal is to provide new experiences for [my grandchildren], the interests are compatible. I want to spend my golden years having fun and hanging out with my grandchildren, because they are quite entertaining.”

5. Create quiet rituals

Evening journaling, photo sharing, or tech-free meals foster bonding without overstimulation. Not every connection has to come through conversation. We shared photo swaps at the end of each day. Sometimes the most meaningful bonds happen in silence.

Traveling with my daughter and semi-introverted granddaughter required some adjustments. Here’s how we made it work.

Thursday: My daughter and I picked up my granddaughter from college in Athens, Georgia, and made the three-hour drive to York County, South Carolina. We checked into the hotel in Fort Mill, South Carolina, a quiet base that gave us all a breather.

Friday: A start at Glencairn Garden in Rock Hill offered a peaceful setting with azaleas and aquatic life, ideal for photos and reflection. I was recovering from knee replacement surgery, so having a rollator for long walks really came in handy.

That afternoon, we had our crafting sessions at The Mercantile. My daughter and granddaughter were calm and focused; I was chatty. But when we did our individual projects, something clicked: Quiet parallel creativity helped us connect without words.

three women smiling while sitting at a table in a restaurant

(From left) Sierra Young, Lisa Williams and Patricia King dined at Kounter, a restaurant that was the site of a 1961 sit-in by nine Black college students in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Courtesy Patricia King

Later, we visited the Friendship 9 exhibit, learning about the 1961 sit-in by nine Black South Carolina college students that launched the “Jail, No Bail” civil rights movement. Dinner followed at Kounter, the modern restaurant in that historic space: elevated food with deep context.

Saturday: After breakfast at Humble Cup Coffee Co. in Fort Mill, we intended to spend the day at the annual South Carolina Strawberry Festival. I thought it might be overstimulating for my family, so we split up for a while. I took photos, enjoyed the music and visited vendors solo. They strolled the midway at their own pace. A rainstorm ended things early, so we detoured to Charlotte, North Carolina.

There, my granddaughter, an avid crocheter, found The Fibre Studio and joined a yarn-dyeing class — her idea of heaven. My daughter browsed the handmade items while I chatted with the shop’s manager, an energetic woman who told me a fascinating story about how she’d left a nonstop tech life in Seattle for Charlotte and low-key fiber arts. That spontaneous conversation was my recharge.

Sunday: We closed out our weekend at Anne Springs Close Greenway, a 2,100-acre nature preserve in Fort Mill that offers visitors a range of outdoor recreational opportunities such as hiking, biking, horseback riding and fishing. We had lunch together and participated in the grounded and peaceful art of forest bathing, a Japanese-inspired practice of immersive silent time in nature, among the trees and the lake.

For 50-plus travelers, our experience becomes an asset. We can accommodate differences, help bridge gaps, and lead with curiosity instead of control. It’s not about doing everything together; it’s about doing what matters most in a way that works for everyone.

“Enjoy each moment of the trip, and stay present with the people with whom you are traveling,” says Pittman. “Look at each situation within the trip as one where you can learn about yourself and the people you are with.”

Multigenerational travel shines when we respect one another’s rhythms, whether it’s a conversation or reaching for a journal.

Understanding the people you love — and giving them space to be themselves — can turn a simple trip with extroverts and introverts into a shared journey of growth and connection.

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Patricia King is a travel writer and blogger based in Atlanta. Her work has appeared in AAA Traveler Worldwise magazine, TravelAwaits.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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