Big Family…Bigger Fun!

TOO BUSY TO PLAN YOUR NEXT BIG FAMILY TRIP?

Join the club! 

Family travel can be challenging to say the least – and I speak from experience! I come from a big family. We’re loud, and at times we’re crazy, but we love to spend time with each other. So big family trips are something we try to do regularly – but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Dealing with different personalities, travel preferences and budgets requires a SWAT team negotiator at times. Then you add on traveling with children and the task of trying to plan a family trip becomes too overwhelming and falls by the wayside. 

But bigger families and even extended families CAN travel together, and it will create experiences and memories that you all will hold near and dear to your hearts. 

From my experiences in planning both domestic and international travel for bigger families, multi-generational families and groups (both leisure & corporate), I have found the following 4 key decisions that need to be made when planning a group/family vacation:

 

1. LEADER – It is important to designate one leader for the group that knows everyone’s personalities and can best represent the group. This helps organize the decision-making process and streamlines the communication.

2. TOP PRIORITIES – Come prepared with your group’s top priorities for the trip. Do you want the destination to be drive-able or are you willing to fly? How many people are interested in going? What type of travel is the group/family interested in: more adventurous and lots of activities or more relaxing and low-key? Timeframe of your travel?

3. ROOM SITUATION – Do you all want to stay in one big place with shared common areas like a home or individual accommodations but within close proximity of each other?

4. BUDGET – This is probably the most important factor when planning a trip as you want to make sure everyone feels welcome, however, it can be the most difficult for people to discuss. Get a ballpark to get started and then nail down the exact nuances further along in the planning session.

Once you have the above decisions made, the rest is the fun part…planning where to go!

 

Some clients come with very specific destinations in mind, however, I find that sometimes being open-minded and flexible is the key to finding the perfect match for your family or group.

 

Here are some of our top picks for family or group travel:

 

• US NATIONAL PARKS – Need a digital detox for the entire family? Getting outside and exploring all of the natural wonders that our very own country has to offer can make for a fantastic and educational (shhh…don’t tell the kids) group/family adventure.

• SKI RESORTS – Have an active group? Ski destinations offer so much more than downhill skiing. From ice skating to cross-country skiing to shopping and enjoying the spas, there is no shortage of fun to be had by all. Traveling in the summer is also a great budget-friendly option for those more interested in hiking and warmer weather.

• ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORTS – What better way for the adults to truly relax when you eliminate the burden of feeding your large group or family? Add on all the included activities for adults and kids alike and you and your party can truly unwind and have fun!