Low-cost family vacations, the Grimats: ‘For us, traveling is like going grocery shopping’

If in the search bar of TikTok type ‘family’ the first result is the account of the GriMat Family, over 230 thousand followers. Luca Grizzanti, his wife Francesca Mattuzzi and daughter Nicole, 10 years old, want to visit 100 countries by the child’s 18th birthday. They have been traveling for 8 years and to date have touched 41 countries in the world. They opened the profiles social only in 2024 and within a short time they depopulated. Their target audience, families traveling with children e families traveling low cost, and their followers are growing in number.

TFC went to interview Luca, the dad, to get their story, the secret of their success, and most importantly, how they manage to balance work, school, sports, and commitments with all the travel and activity social.

Who is the Grimat family?

We are a very simple family, living in Peschiera del Garda. My wife and I are two workers, a warehouse worker and a waitress. In 2015 our daughter Nicole was born and we decided that we would let her see the world. In our opinion, a child who sees the world grows up with an extra gear. We took our first plane trip, to Paris, when she reached the age of two. From there we never stopped.

How did the idea of social media come about?

Our project social was born in February 2024 to tell how to travel as a family at low and sustainable prices and especially how to travel with a child. Things are going very well and now the social have become another source of our income. We show not only the cities we visit but also how to get homework done on the road, how to balance school, commitments and travel, how to save money. Our main channel is Tik Tok, with over 230 thousand followers, then Instagram with over 30 thousand, and finally You Tube, which we are investing in in the last period, and where we post one video a week.

What is the secret of your success?

Basically, the fact that we have never considered the activity social a game. We went in with total seriousness. We had a logo from the beginning, a website. Then there is a lot of study behind it. Before we officially started I studied for about a year the world of the social, to understand its dynamics and potential. We did not improvise influencer.

Not a time pass so…

Absolutely not, the social Today I get 5-6 hours a day, after 7-8 working as a warehouse worker. Often at the social I work at night, early in the morning or on my lunch break. Because in all of this, my wife and I, we promised ourselves not to take time away from our daughter. Nicole must not be burdened by this travel project of ours.

The best, most viewed videos?

Those who show how to travel low cost. We stayed in the Maldives, three of us, with 1,000 euros. Many people don’t believe it. But I with only 1000 euros spent the best vacation of my life.

Are you enrolled in airline loyalty programs that allow concessions and discounts on tickets?

Yes, but only by accident. We often fly with airlines under StarAlliance, but we hardly ever use the points because we don’t travel so much that we accumulate enough to spend on time. They often expire without us even having used it.

How much do you travel?

Basically one week in October, one week in November, 15-20 days in January. Then there are a series of weekends, several, spread throughout the year. Instead of staying on the couch, I prefer to go away for 4 days to Jordan and show my daughter a new city. For us, traveling is like going grocery shopping. We enjoy it and have fun, zero stress.

Upcoming trips planned?

Some Italian cities in the coming weeks and Kenya in September, where we will do 12 days of safari without sea.

100 countries by your daughter’s 18th birthday, ambitious goal?

Yes, it is our media goal, but the real reason is to let Nicole know the world, the priority is her happiness.

How do you choose the countries to visit?

We obviously choose those yet to be seen and that are cheap. The economic research starts directly from the flight. To date we don’t care about convenience, we care about cost.

How many countries have you visited to date?

41, in eight years of travel.

What is the most exciting journey?

The one in Australia this winter, in January. An endless amount of excitement.

What are your strategies for saving money on flights?

Our number one strategy, which I always recommend to everyone, is to monitor flight prices consistently. When I choose a time to go, before I book the flight, I usually monitor that flight for three weeks before I buy it. Then we purchase well in advance. For example, today we already have the Kenya flights we are going to in September. But the big trick is flexible dates. That is the real savings.

As you tell in your videos, do you always travel with carry-on luggage?

Yes, never packed a suitcase even when we had the chance. We aim for the essentials. Over time we have realized that we often bring unnecessary things. So we bring only what we really need. With only carry-on luggage we have the opportunity to experience the directly the country we arrive in. We almost never spend time at the hotel dropping our luggage off, but immerse ourselves in the city right away. In Australia we did 21 days with backpacks. For always clean changes, we also often use the laundry service.

What do you think about travel agencies?

It is a war between me and the travel agencies. Not all of them but most of them. They have to change, they have to understand that the time has come. If they want to move forward they must necessarily sell “tailor made,” a tailor made trip, where I come in and say, “I have 3 thousand euros. Will you send me to Mexico with my family?” But as long as the answer is, “No, with packages on the tour operator site you’re not in it,” then I don’t see the value added. Why pay a percentage to the travel agent for something I could do myself at home? If I go to the agency it is to arrange a trip that I would not be able to arrange on my own.

How do you balance work life, baby’s school, travel and social activities?

For school we use the classic absences allowed by law. But the secret is to be well organized and leave nothing behind. Nicole on trips leaves with her school notebook for homework, always catch up on all the lessons and leaves nothing behind. When we are on vacation in the hotel Nicole always takes an hour to study. It sounds absurd to many, but she is good and has all good grades. We will only slow down our trips if Nicole has problems in school or there are any gaps. So far everything is fine and the teachers are very happy. We, on the other hand, have the classic 34-day vacation provided by the national labor contract. We have flexible shifts, so we can make arrangements.

How to travel with a child, what are the special needs?

The children adapt very well. Nicole walks a lot, she eats everything, in the plane she sleeps. When I hear, “I don’t travel anymore because I have children now,” I feel very sorry, for the children. Because I was one of those children who never traveled with their parents. I have this great regret. I have no memories with my parents.

How much do you think this personal experience influenced your decision to travel today with your family?

A lot, at 100%. My wife and I have no memories with our parents, because we did not travel or have exciting experiences. Memories are created from emotions not from routines. If one lives from routines, as happened to us as children, then memories are not created. Instead, we want Nicole to create memories through emotions.

A phrase that represents you?

“Travel is never about money but about courage.”, by Paulo Coelho.