Gyles Brandreth says the best thing about being a grandparent is the freedom to break the rules, and he is using that message to back Hilton’s new Gran-ual Leave campaign.
The 78-year-old writer, broadcaster and regular face on Channel 4’s Countdown and ’s The One Show said being away with his grandchildren leaves him feeling younger, more alive and more optimistic about the future. Brandreth has seven grandchildren, aged 10 to 21, and said he and his wife Michèle try to holiday as often as they can with their children and grandchildren.
“I’m a very experienced grandfather – I don’t claim to be the best, but I do claim to be one of the most enthusiastic,” he said, adding that the real pleasure comes from the licence grandparents get on holiday. “Being with your grandchildren on holiday makes you feel younger and more alive,” he said. “But the great joy of being a grandparent is that you can break the rules, because then the children can say ‘Oh, Grandpa’s allowed to do that because he’s Grandpa’. I think it’s fun that we’re allowed to break the rules.”
The remarks come as Hilton released research suggesting that rule-bending is a near-universal part of grandparent-led trips. The study found 77% of grandparents bend the rules and make allowances for their grandchildren on holiday, while 69% say they spoil them more than usual and 40% say holidays are their favourite time to do it. Around two-thirds said they let grandchildren stay up later than bedtime, give extra treats, play more games and relax rules around meal times.
For many families, that loosened approach is precisely the appeal. Hilton found that grandparents spend an average of four hours a day entertaining grandchildren on holiday, while parents gain an extra 24 hours of child-free downtime on a week-long trip. Children get nearly two-and-a-half additional hours of playtime and bonding with their grandparents each day, adding up to almost 14 extra hours a week.
Brandreth said the point is not simply indulgence, but memory-making. “What I’m talking about is creating magic for your grandchildren – the memories you make in childhood are key to the rest of your life,” he said. “It works for everybody. It works for the grandparents because it’s fun, and to be honest that’s the main thing – we need more fun in life, and it’s fun with my grandchildren.”
There is, however, a reason the issue lands differently inside some families. Hilton’s research found that 30% of grandparents say rule-breaking can cause tension with their adult children, even as a quarter say they are holidaying more with their children and grandchildren than five years ago. Hilton also said 69% of grandparents have gone on holiday with their grandchildren in the past year, suggesting multi-generational trips have become a regular feature of family life rather than an occasional treat.
Brandreth’s pitch is simple: take the grandparents along, accept a little bending of the rules and let the parents have a break. “If you go away with your children and grandchildren, you’re giving the parents kid-free time,” he said. “What’s lovely about being a grandparent is you’re happy to have grandchildren – when you’re a parent, you’re not necessarily always happy to have children – parenthood is an exhausting experience.”
Hilton’s campaign is aimed at encouraging more families to make that arrangement normal. Brandreth is a natural fit for it: a public figure who speaks like a cheerleader for family holidays and who says the whole point is to bring a little more delight, and a little less discipline, into the trip. The message, backed by the numbers, is that the grandparents are already doing it; the question now is how many families will choose to join them.
