Dear Savvy Senior: My husband and I are interested in taking our two grandkids on a big trip this summer and are looking for some good ideas. Can you recommend some travel companies that offer special travel packages for grandparents and grandkids? — Doting Grandmother

Dear Doting: Grandparents traveling with just their grandchildren have become a growing segment of the multigenerational travel industry. Not only is this type of travel fun, it’s also a terrific way to strengthen bonds and create lasting memories.

To help you with your travel aspirations, there are a number of travel companies today that offer specialized grandparent-grandchildren and multigenerational trip packages. This is a nice way to go because they plan everything for you; most activities are to do together with the children, but some are just for adults so you can get an occasional breather.

Available in various time frames and price ranges, these tours are designed for children, typically between the ages of 6 or 7 up to 18, and are usually scheduled in the summer or during winter breaks.

Here are some top companies that will take you and your grandkids on a fun, well-planned vacation.

>> Road Scholar (Road Scholar.org): This well- established, not-for-profit organization has offered educational travel to older adults since 1975. It currently offers 83 programs geared to grandparents and grandchildren. About 75% of the grandparent trips are domestic; 25% are international.

Some of the many popular destinations include the U.S. National Parks; Washington, D.C.; Canada; France; Italy; Iceland; Costa Rica; and the Galapagos Islands. The average cost per per- son per night is about $265 for domestic trips, $365 international.

>> Intrepid (Intrepid Travel.com): This adventure travel tour operator offers “grandparent holiday” tours that cater to the young and young at heart. It offers 35 one- and two-week tours in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as in Alaska and Wyoming. To read up on these trips, go to 808ne.ws/Intrepid.

>> Tauck (Tauck.com): This is a large tour operator that offers 19 foreign and domestic multigenerational trips called Tauck Bridges Family Travel. Some of their most popular trips: Costa Rica, European riverboat cruises and Cowboy Country, which tours you through Wyoming and South Dakota.

>> Smithsonian Journeys (SmithsonianJourneys.org): It offers 10 different family trips to Iceland, New Zealand, Italy, Greece, Japan, Ireland, Costa Rica, South Africa, Yellowstone and a Rhine River cruise.

>> Journeys International (JourneysInternational.com): It offers customized multigenerational trips primarily to Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

Travel documents

Depending on where you go and your mode of transportation, you’ll need to gather documents for your grandchildren to make sure everything goes smoothly. In general, most travel experts recommend you bring a notarized travel consent form (letter of permission from the parents), and a medical consent form in case any emergencies or problems arise. Also, bring copies of insurance cards.

If you’re traveling domestically, you should know that airlines and trains don’t require any form of ID for children under 18. But if you’re traveling to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or other areas of the Caribbean by land or sea, grandchildren 15 and under will need certified copies of their birth certificates. And if your grandkids are 16 or older, or you’re traveling to these locations via air, passports will be required.

If you’re traveling overseas, all children, even infants, must have a passport. Some countries also require a visa for entry, and vaccinations may be required in some cases. Before booking a trip, check the U.S. State Department’s website at Travel.State.gov for country-specific information.

Jim Miller is a contributor to NBC-TV’s “Today” program and author of “The Savvy Senior.” Send your questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070; or visit savvysenior.org.