Grandchildren validate traveling near and far.

It would be a shame to pass up a wedding or a graduation, a birthday or a lost tooth. Family occasions are meant to be shared.

Mary Ellen Sliment of Glendale decided last winter to observe special times in the lives of two of her grandchildren, who also live in Glendale, with a trip for just the three of them.

"I started planning a 10-day land cruise back in February or March," she said.

Mary Kathryn O'Leary, who had graduated from eighth grade at Villa Duchesne, and her brother, Bryan O'Leary, who turned 16 this spring, eagerly endorsed her Alaskan itinerary.

Mary Ellen and her husband, Ken, did "more laid-back things" on a tour when he was living.

That was then, this was now with teenage grandchildren along on the Island Princess.

"I kept this trip more adventuresome. We had such a good time. In Ketchikan, we went whale watching on a jet boat, where we spotted a lot of seals and eagles and deer — no whales. We all zip-lined at an adventure park in Skagway. It was all on my bucket list to do," she said.

A fluke opportunity turned into a highlight for all them all.

After a five-hour trip in a jet boat to the edge of the heavy rapids of the Talkeetna River in a jet boat, they heard about openings on a 10-passenger airplane which would land on a glacier at Mt. McKinley.

"We flew through these fabulous granite mountains with the bush pilot, Jeff, who was on Sarah Palin's recent tour of Alaska series. He took off on wheels, then manually put the skis down to land. Mary Kathryn was doing cartwheels on the glacier," said her grandmother.

She sees many educational facets to the teens' adventures.

"It exposed them to a lot of other people and showed them there are other jobs that you can do, even during college. They met people from Australia, Germany and Korea," Mary Ellen said. They also took advantage of healthy food and opportunities onboard to stay in shape.

Meet at ‘your' place

Other families with multiple generations do not have the luxury of living, literally, next door.

Memory Elvin-Lewis was "about as close as one can get" to the balcony at Buckingham Palace when Prince William kissed Princess Catherine - twice.

"Being there was something that we really wanted to do," she said of the trip to London with her husband, Walter Lewis, for the royal wedding on April 29. Memory is professor in the department of biology in a long association at Washington University, while Walter is professor emeritus of biology at the university and senior botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Both of their children — Walter Lewis Jr. and Memoria Lewis — grew up in St. Louis and now live in England with their families. Watching it together multiplied the fun.

"My granddaughter gave me a knockoff engagement ring like Kate's," said Memory. The joy was contagious as the crowd watched the elegant and happy wedding party appear.

Noting differences in English and American styles of anticipation, they found it easy to book a hotel in the suburb of Chiswick just a few months in advance.

"Unlike Americans, who plan for months, they just began to rev up for it the week before," she said.

Memory was in a crowd much closer to the balcony than her husband and their son. Walter was near a television interviewer in the crowd.

"When the granddaughters, who were there with their mother, saw him on the big screening in Hyde Park, they were very excited," she said. "Many grandparents are younger than we are, but when you do things like that together, the kids remember it."

Of course, while in London, they enjoyed the usual events families do when they are together — including the first Easter egg hunt of their youngest grandson, Leander Lewis.

Opportunities to take

Marilyn Dunn of Damar Travel, who arranged the Alaskan trip for Mary Ellen and her grandchildren, sees multi-generational trips increasing.

"We are modern-day grandparents," she said. "I took my grandson on a cruise when he was 11. Grandparents like to spend money on their families and see them enjoy it, particularly when their children may not be able to finance a big occasion. No one wants to miss that family wedding, wherever it is."

Last week she booked a family cruise for Christmastime, a warm destination at a time of year when the group would gather anyway. Ireland and Cancun are favorites outside the United States.

"In the summertime, families take smaller tours. Disney World is always an obvious family place, but there are many adult resorts and beaches which also provide all-inclusive sites with fun for kids of all ages," Dunn said. Kids' clubs, rock climbing and snorkeling appeal to youthful travelers, whose parents may engage a babysitter during dinner-for-two.

"It's simply a way to get away and forget everything at home," she said.