Vacations with Extended Family

I am just curios - how many of you take vacations with your extended family and how often do you do this? When I say extended family I mean if you are married with children of your own and you travel with your siblings, their spouses and children, as well as your parents.

My side of the family tries to do something together every few years although now that most of us our married with kids it's become harder - we also travel with all of my cousins because we are all super close.

My MIL thinks that we should take a vacation with them every year. Now that we have children we talked them into one trip every other year - however our schedule and my sister in law's schedules are very different. So now we went to Disney last October, we just got back from the Catskills, and now she wants to plan a trip to the Dominican Republic for next July. I really, really don't want to go to the DR in July and it is not convenient for my husband to take vacation at that time. I feel like we are going to get strong armed into taking a trip that we don't want to go on.

I talk to friends about this and none of them go on vacations this often with their extended family, if at all. I just want to get an idea of what is the norm.

TIA

Vacations with Extended Family

I never have, just with my family and took grandparents, the worst vacation ever.
my friend always took family based vacations, all her SIL/BIL and IL, but once she started it was very hard to stop.

I think going away with family can be nice, but crappy at the same time unless everyone really gets along.

Vacations with Extended Family

nope. we sometimes do weekend trips to VT with my siblings and parents because they own a house there, but Dh doesn't want to to waste vacation time on extended family vacations. He saves his days for trips with just us

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We do what I call a rotation schedule.
Year one my in laws, bil, my parents, my siblings, my grandma.

Year two my in laws and bil

Year three my parents

Year four our immediate family.

We have done this schedule for eight years now. I am not sure if we will repeat the entire family one again. My last brother just got married and I don't see his wife being as keen as the rest of us to get together. The two of them travel all of the time for weekend get away because my brother racks up so much mileage from his job.

Vacations with Extended Family

I would never go on vacation with my inlaws or my own family. If you're not close it sounds like a nightmare.

My SIL was trying to talk us into a Disney trip not too long ago. I literally (and I'm using it correctly here) cannot think of anything worse than Florida heat, crowds, people dressed as giant rodents and my flucking SIL and her army of attention seeking, whiny children.

Vacations with Extended Family

Never. My MIL would love to do this, but it's just not our thing. We prefer to pick our own vacations and do what we want to do. I have done a couple overnight trips with my SIL and the kids, but that's really it.

Vacations with Extended Family

Never have. I'm debating on planning a cruise with both sides of grandparents but wondering if it's a good idea or not. I figure at least with a cruise you can go your separate ways then meet up here and there. I don't do well with too much together time. Would never rent one of those big houses on the beach with extended family, I think I'd lose my mind! Will never understand why/how people do that.

Vacations with Extended Family

We go every year with my family. We don't always go for a full week - my but we do go for at least a few days.

We've been going to the same place with some family friends since I was 6 - and now everyone still goes - for as long as they can.

We have gone a few times with my ILs. They tend to take really long trips though and since we have kids we can't really do their style of travel.

Message edited 7/9/2017 1:59:24 PM.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

I don't and really don't want to. It's been discussed by both his side and mine. And I'm always changing the subject.

Honestly too many people with differences in opinion. It's vacation and should be enjoyed by all.

We either vacation alone or with one other couple. We all like the same stuff so it's always a good time.

We don't have kids, so it's a different scenerio. But I think it would even worse because then you have to accommodate their needs as well (your own kids and families kids) almost each time, someone won't be happy.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Yes. We have done this for years, with both my family and DH's family. We go with parents, siblings and their kids. It is a ton of fun for the kids to be with their cousins and for the adults to hang out. Of course it gets tricky with such a large group (like when it comes to meals).

Vacations with Extended Family

I don't know if this counts, but we go camping with my brother and his family and SILs sister and her family every year. We have a blast. ILs are have been trying to coordinate a Disney trip with us for years, but not as an annual thing because they like to go just the two of them. But we do vacations just our family the rest of the time.

Vacations with Extended Family

We take a trip with my parents and brother with his family every year

Vacations with Extended Family

We've done it occasionally. We went to the DR with my family for my parents' 45th wedding anniversary and then on a cruise for their 50th. We also went to the DR with my husband's side of the family. I think it only works at an all inclusive type place. That way everyone can do what they want during the day and then meet up for dinner. Your choices are limited and there's no arguing over what things cost.

Vacations with Extended Family

You couldn't pay me to travel with my inlaws. I don't care if they bought out all of Disney world.

We've taken weekend trips with my sister and her family which is nice, but also my dad comes. Him and I end up butting heads and wanting to kill each other. So that's a no go.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

My dh and I have done but not regularly. We do not mesh well with other people's schedules on vacation. Also budgets for some families are outrageous.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

never have and never will. 4 hours together is more than enough some days. It would never work. However, I wish we had relationships with our families that it would be an enjoyable trip. So wish we had that.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

If I am taking the little time off from work I can take with the little money I have you bet I'm doing exactly what I want, how I want for my precious vacation. Hell no, I would not vacation with family unless there was some sort of financial benefit.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We go on vacation to get away from the shitstorm drama that is both sides of our families.

Vacations with Extended Family

I occasionally do vacations with my extended family--the most recent trip was a cruise four years ago and before that I rented a house in VT for a week and my parents and my sister and her family spent part of the week with me and DH.
We visit my in laws a few times a year and we try to coordinate with Dh's siblings at least a couple of times a year but those trips are usually long weekends.

Vacations with Extended Family

My in laws have a vacation home so we go there with dh's family whenever we get the chance. Also, my sister tends to bounce around living in different resort towns so a lot of our vacations involve staying with her or sometimes my parents will rent a place near them for all of us to share. Works for us bc we get along well with both of our families and we don't have much of a budget for traveling.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Spending a week upstate with my in laws and all dhs siblings in two weeks for fils 70th. Actually looking forward to it. Unfortunately the house they picked is right next to a lake and even though DH got me a Mosquito suit (picture bee keeper outfit ), if there's a ton of Mosquitos, I'm just going to drive home. They recently volunteered in Ecuador so I'm not about to get Zika.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We do, every year.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Yes. My parents have a beach house and we go out every summer for a week.

We've also cruised with them. Actually not my SO and his son, but my son and I have

My exDH's family takes a trip every year, I've been invited the past few years but I haven't been able to swing it. But maybe one day

Vacations with Extended Family

Last year, my ILs rented a house in RI and we all went - didn't really cost us anything. We also went to Dutch Wonderland with my sister and got a suite together.

This year we are going to Dutch Wonderland with my sister and brother. We have our own room. It works out well since we all have kids between 0-3 years old. Plus my DS is an only child so it's nice for him to have other kids to play with.

Next year, we'd like to do a bigger vacation so we'll probably do that alone.