Planning A Successful Multigenerational Trip

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 467
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Cheap travel options, including cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, cheap vacation packages and cheap auto rentals can make it all the more appealing to plan vacations. However, remember it takes extra planning if you want to invite family members of wide age ranges along.

The following are tips from the website Family Vacation Critic to help ensure your extended family vacation is one that each person will enjoy:

• Get everyone involved with planning the trip. Encourage each person to identify at least one thing they want to do or see and then follow through to make certain they get to do it. Not only does this ensure that everyone will have a good time, it also prevents the responsibility for a whole family’s good time from being dependent on a single person. Remember even young kids enjoy contributing ideas towards planning a successful trip.

• Talk about accommodation preferences before you make reservations and respect requests for privacy. Sometimes families find one large suite or a vacation rental ideal while others prefer separate hotel rooms.

• Plan on plenty of ...
... different activities from which to choose. Do not expect everyone to participate in every activity. Be certain that there is something for those who do not want to participate in physically demanding activities. You don’t want some family members stuck back at the rental or hotel with nothing to do. Make certain to plan a few activities that everyone in your family can enjoy doing together such as a meal and a show.

• A week or two is usually plenty when it comes to a multigenerational trip. In fact, a week is ideal for most families unless they are used to traveling together frequently.

• To minimize packing more than is needed, make a list of items that people will be comfortable in sharing and decide who will bring what.

• Schedule some time apart so that you do not get on each others’ nerves. Multigenerational vacations tend to be fun but not relaxing. Getting back together at the end of a day and sharing stories about your day over dinner can be a fun way to reconnect.

• Discuss finances before finalizing your trip and take everyone’s budget into consideration. It is important to discuss who will be paying for what. Even when one party is paying for the entire group, invariably there will be additional and unexpected expenses. Everyone should know not only who is paying for airline tickets and hotel rooms, but also meals, drinks, activities and excursions.

• Don’t expect too much from the grandparents. They should not be left supervising the kids every night so that Mom and Dad can go out on the town.

• Take lots of pictures and videos. For most families multigenerational trips are infrequent. Ask strangers to take photos of your extended family. Once home again encourage your kids to help make a scrapbook.
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