Three Generations, One Slow Week in Querétaro
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you're living in the middle. Your kids still need you. Your parents need you too. Your calendar is a puzzle of school pickups, doctor's appointments, work deadlines and the weekly regroup sessions to make sure you’ve set up Mom and Dad’s doctor appointments, refill meds, and order and pick up refills.
I know that place well, because I was in it.
Let's go back to February 2024 when I decided to step out of it for a week. I took my 15-year-old daughter and my father to Querétaro, in central Mexico. Dad celebrated his 79th birthday at the end of the trip. I didn't know then how much that week would come to mean to me. I do now.
This is the story of that trip, and why I believe every family in the middle should take one like it.
Why Querétaro?
When you plan for three generations, the destination has to work for everyone. Mine had to tick four boxes:
Weather. February in Querétaro means sunny, mild days and cool evenings. No beach-level heat for Dad, and no winter coats to pack.
Plenty to do. Colonial streets, small towns, wine country and museums meant my teenager wouldn't be bored and Dad wouldn't be worn out.
Affordability. Our money went a long way on hotels, meals and day trips.
Safety. This mattered most when traveling with an elderly parent and a teenager. Their safety and my peace of mind were at ease.
The road trip was part of the gift
We flew into Mexico City and drove to Querétaro, about three hours north. For some families, that drive would be a chore. For mine, it was a bonus.
Dad loves road trips. Always has. Give him a steering wheel, a map, some music, a highway and some new scenery, and he was happy. Those hours in the car turned into some of our best conversations, three generations in one small space with nowhere to be but together. I got to drive this one, so he actually sat back and enjoyed it.
If your parent has a travel love like this, build the trip around it. It costs you a few hours and gives them something that's entirely theirs.
Home base: Hotel Criol
We stayed at Hotel Criol in the historic center, and I'd book it again tomorrow. I chose it for three reasons.
Location. Walk five minutes in any direction and you reach a plaza, a main avenue or a good restaurant. With a parent who tires easily, that matters. Nobody needs a taxi to get dinner, and anyone can head back to rest whenever they want.
Design. The hotel has won architectural awards, and you feel it. The courtyard is beautiful, the rooms are lovely, and the amenities are modern. It's small, which made it feel calm and personal rather than busy.
Price. It was a great value, which left more in the budget for experiences.
The pace is the point
If I had to pick one thing that stayed with me, it's the pace. You feel the change almost the moment you arrive. Nobody rushes you. Meals stretch out, and you actually taste them. The coffee is delicious. The food is phenomenal. The people are friendly. Everything just felt easy.
That ease is what made the trip work for all three of us. Because everything was walkable, we could wander, stumble onto something new and slow down whenever we needed to.
Here's what we did:
Peña de Bernal. This giant rock towers over a charming little pueblo. The walk up the hill was hard for Dad, I won't pretend otherwise. But he still ate every bit of the food at the bottom. Food is his love language.
Tequisquiapan. A very cute town with colorful streets and a relaxed main square. Easy to enjoy at any age.
A winery visit. Querétaro has its own wine country, and an afternoon of tasting was a hit with the adults.
The plazas. Our favorite free entertainment. Sit, people-watch, grab a snack, repeat.
Museums. The ones we visited were free, which made them an easy yes whenever someone needed a break from the sun.
The honest part: everyone needs something different
Multigenerational travel isn't always easy, and I don't want to pretend it is. You're catering to very different needs at the same time.
My 15-year-old wanted more action. Dad needed us to go slower. Their tastes in food and activities didn't always line up, and mine sat somewhere in between.
So we made one simple agreement before we left: everyone gets a say. If someone wanted to do something, we did it. Why not? We weren't in a rush. The whole point was to enjoy what each of us enjoys and share it with each other.
That agreement changed everything. My daughter got her adventures, Dad got his long lunches, and we all got to see each other light up about different things.
A reunion 30 years in the making
We drove back to Mexico City to catch our flight back home. Before we left, we made one more stop: a visit with Dad's sister. My cousin had reached out and asked if we’d want to have breakfast when we arrived. We never say no to food.
My dad is not one to show too much emotion, but his smile ear to ear gave him away. He was happy to see her. They hadn't seen each other in 30 years.
Their warm embrace and their vivid conversation seemed like it was just yesterday they’d seen each other.
It wasn't on any sightseeing list, but it was a gift for my dad to see his sister, one day before his 79th birthday.
Why these trips matter
My dad passed away in September 2025, at 80, a year and a half after Querétaro.
I think about that trip often. Not the sights so much as the small things. Dad in the passenger seat watching the highway roll by as we listened to music. Long lunches with nowhere to be. Him finishing his plate at Peña de Bernal after that climb. My daughter and her grandfather sharing a laugh, a moment, a stroll, a memory.
Those moments don't happen at home. At home, we're busy. We love each other in the gaps between errands and appointments. Travel takes the gaps away and leaves just the three of you, somewhere new, paying attention.
That's what I want for you if you're in the middle like I was. Step out of the routine. Go somewhere new. Let it remind you why you love your parents and your kids. And let your kids see their grandparents as more than the people they visit on Sundays, or in my case, people that live across the hallway from her room.
You don't get unlimited chances. Take the trip.
Tips for planning your own multigenerational trip
Choose a walkable home base. Staying central lets slower walkers rest and faster ones explore, without anyone waiting on a ride.
Pick a destination with a gentle pace. Places like Querétaro reward lingering. You don't need a packed itinerary to have a full trip.
Give everyone a say. Agree before you leave that each person picks a few things, and the group does them, no debate.
Plan around the hardest day. Know which activity will challenge your parent (for us, the hill at Peña de Bernal) and give them an easy way to opt out or take it slow.
Build in the thing your parent loves. For Dad it was the road trip and food. Find their version and make room for it.
Leave space for people, not just places. A visit to family or old friends can end up being the highlight.
Handle the logistics early. Check that everyone's passport is valid well past your return date, and look at travel insurance with flexible cancellation, especially when traveling with an older parent.
If you're ready to plan a trip like this but don't know where to start, that's exactly what we do at Be Happy Nomad Travel. We'll help you find the destination, the pace and the home base that work for every generation in your family. Visit https://www.behappynomadtravel.com/ or reach out to me at Maricela@behappynomadtravel.com. Don’t wait.
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