'NonnaMaxxing': Tourists are paying to travel like grandmothers

Whether it's making pasta with an Italian nonna or sightseeing with a gran in Japan, Gen-Zers and millennials are increasingly seeking out granny-led travel experiences.

My cheek presses into a cool mat and a forceful, yet reassuring, pressure travels down my right shoulder blade. Rose, a petite septuagenarian in a loose white tunic, crouches over me, digging her thumbs into my back and speaking in rapid Thai.

"She is telling you that this is the line you need to follow," explains a younger woman nearby. Face down, I clumsily attempt to nod, which makes Rose laugh loudly.

This is my beginner Thai massage course in Bangkok's Watpo Massage School, where the majority of staff are old enough to be my grandmother.

I find that being taught by grandmothers is supremely comforting. They're strict when they need to be, tease us when we make mistakes and encourage us when we doubt ourselves. When I get flustered in the final exam and start to cry, Rose envelops me in a hug. Suddenly, everything feels like it is going to be alright.

The rise of 'Grandma tourism'

I'm not the only traveller seeking out the comforting embrace of a granny. #Grandmacore, which promotes the benefits of activities like crafting and baking, has almost 800 million views on TikTok. Now, it appears to be influencing "grandma tourism", in which travellers seek out tours and classes led specifically by older women.

With more than one-third of Gen-Zers and millennials worldwide saying they often feel stressed, many of us are choosing to spend time with older generations. I've found that their calming presence helps to reduce my own anxiety, and I'm not alone. A report by tour guide company GetYourGuide showed that 76% of Gen-Z travellers from France, Germany, the UK and the US would book a "grandma-inspired" holiday activity, like learning to make pasta with a nonna (grandmother) in Italy and hiring Japanese grannies as their tour guide.        

For 32-year-old Los Angeles-based fashion stylist Brittany Diego, the maternal warmth she experienced in her nonna-led pasta class was the highlight of her trip to Italy. "There were plenty of pasta-making classes [on offer]," she says. "But learning from an Italian nonna felt like the most authentic option, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations." 

Diego found that the course, which took place in the nonna's home at the foothills of Rome, felt less like taking a class and more like being welcomed into a grandmother's house.

With more than one-third of Gen Zers and Millennials worldwide saying they often feel stressed, many of us are choosing to spend time with older generations. I've found that their calming presence helps to reduce my own anxiety, and I'm not alone. A report by tour guide company GetYourGuide showed that 76% of Gen Z travellers from France, Germany, the UK and the US would book a "grandma-inspired" holiday activity, like learning to make pasta with a nonna (grandmother) in Italy and hiring Japanese grannies as their tour guide.

For 32-year-old Los Angeles-based fashion stylist Brittany Diego, the maternal warmth she experienced in her nonna-led pasta class was........

© BBC