For families traveling across generations, making a trip work for everyone can come with added costs and more accessibility considerations.
In fact, the Fora Focus: Family Travel and the Access Economy 2026 research report shows that 55% of consumers planning or considering a multigenerational trip in the next three years expect someone in their group to have an accessibility challenge. Of those travelers, 78% say they would be willing to pay more for a trip that properly caters to everyone’s needs.
Fora surveyed 2,592 U.S. consumers and 1,359 Fora travel advisors to better understand this market. Here’s what else is revealed in the data.
Multigenerational Trips With Accessibility Considerations Are On the Rise
According to the report, 62% of consumers have taken a multigenerational trip at some point; 30% say they take one at least every few years; and 35% are planning or considering a multigenerational trip in the next three years.Among households earning $150,000 or more annually, the latter figure rises to 52%.
Accessibility needs figure prominently into these trips, too — 67% of Fora advisors surveyed have booked a trip for a client with an accessibility need. Of those advisors, 34% said these trips make up more than 10% of their bookings, and 18% said they account for more than a quarter of their business. Nearly half of advisors report that demand for multigenerational trips with accessibility needs has grown compared with last year.
Multigenerational groups are also the most common type of group for which advisors book accessible travel, according to the report.
The Most Common Accessibility Considerations
From gluten-free dishes to wheelchair-friendly hotel rooms, advisors must plan for a range of accessibility needs. According to the Fora report, the most common accessibility considerations for clients are limited walking endurance or stamina (48%); food allergies or dietary needs (37%); and medical equipment and medication requirements (36%).
And it’s not just senior travelers who need accommodations. Among advisors surveyed in the report, 55% say that less than half of their accessible bookings involve a traveler 65 or older.
Consumer data shows similar numbers. While older adults make up the majority of travelers who need accommodations, 36% of accessible travel needs are for adults aged 18 to 64 and 23% are for a child or teenager.
These needs can also span multiple generations, with 20% of families saying that more than one generation in their group travels with an accessibility need.
The Cost of Accessible Travel
Clients are also willing to spend more to accommodate accessibility needs, according to the report. While 42% of consumers planning or considering a multigenerational trip say they would pay more per person than they would for a typical vacation, that figure rises to 78% when someone in the group requires an accommodation.
Advisors are seeing that spending translate into high-value bookings, with 44% reporting that their largest accessible booking in the past year topped $10,000. Fifty-two percent have booked an accessible cruise, 48% have booked an accessible luxury hotel and 78% say accessible trips generate the same or higher spend than their average booking.
The Advisor’s Challenge
While the majority of consumers considering a multigenerational trip with accessibility needs report feeling excited about the opportunity, 31% say they feel stressed about whether a hotel or other lodging will meet their needs and 29% are anxious about finding accurate information beforehand. This is where advisors might shine.
Confirming accessibility details before booking lodging or activities is paramount for clients, with 86% saying it is an important factor. Advisors can call ahead to confirm details and double-check online research. And consumers who have booked these types of trips through an advisor give the experience high marks — 90% say they would use that advisor again.
Confirming details beforehand can pose a challenge, even for professionals. Ninety percent of Fora advisors say online information about accessibility can be incomplete, outdated or contradictory, and 46% say online information is often or always off base. Despite attempts to confirm details, 31% have had a client show up at a property to find a promised accessibility feature missing or unusable.
When it comes to finding reliable accessibility-related information across the travel market, things are varied. Advisors name excursions and activities as one of the hardest topics to find clear, trustworthy information on (47%), and 48% report that suppliers are the least prepared to support accessible travelers. Additionally, 44% say that even crucial details, such as hotel room and bathroom accessibility facts, are difficult to secure.
This problem doesn’t change with a bigger budget or more experience. Among advisors who work with luxury clients, 41% say it’s difficult to source luxury options that meet accessibility needs. Even for advisors where accessibility bookings make up more than half their business, 73% say that finding accommodations for their clients’ needs is difficult.
All of the above suggests a larger problem with the travel industry’s infrastructure and transparency around accessibility. That said, 47% of advisors say the industry’s accessibility efforts have improved over the past two years, with hotels receiving the most recognition.
Cruising is the most recommended travel option when accessibility is a priority, accounting for 40% of advisor recommendations (compared to 31% for hotel and resort brands). Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises received the most mentions among cruise lines, while Disney led hotel and resort recommendations.
As accessible multigenerational travel continues to grow, Fora’s findings point to an industry-wide need for better information for travelers with accessibility needs.
