Dozens of grandparents and grandkids went camping together for free

Dozens of kids and their grandparents set up camp at Southern California's Dos Picos County Park late last month for a free weekend of s'mores and arts and crafts. The event is run annually by San Diego County, where roughly 18,000 grandparents are raising their grandchildren. The word is "gramping," which means camping with your grandparents, or camping with your grandkids, depending on who you ask. The trend has spread well past tents. A 2025 Family Travel Association survey found 28% of respondents had taken a "skip-gen" trip in the past three years. Research links grandparent care to better emotional well-being for kids and even a longer lifespan for the elders. Trevor Parry, who caravans with his grandson Elliot, told the BBC last summer what it gave him. "It's put a new lease of life back into me that I wouldn't have had if I'd have been spending the time back home on my own," he said. "It makes you feel younger."