Vacations with Extended Family

Growing up we always went away with our cousins. Every vacation. As kids we loved it. I really wanted to do that with my child and my sisters but my sister refuses. She is more interested in doing things she finds fun rather that what the kids find fun so we differ on that. I am sad that our children will not get to experience that fun with their cousins but that's her choice. We have offered short trips, sesame place, Hershey, water parks as well as larger ones, Disney and cruises but no. We do travel about once a year with my parents though.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

With my DH's side of the family, we go on a vacation with them every year and have been going for the past 8 years. The amount of people going has varied from 20 something to 40 something people. It's siblings, cousins, etc. It's a low key beach vacation and I really look forward to it every year as do my children. I know it's unusual for such a big group to go every year but it has worked out and there has been little to no drama.

My side of the family, I have a much smaller family but I travel with my family every 2-4 years.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Nope. Nope nope nope. I'm not a good traveler so I don't need the stress of other family members on top of that. We be been to Disney once with my bil and his gf (now wife) and once with my mom. I refuse to go anywhere with my mil. She the worst.

Vacations with Extended Family

Yes, we've gone on vacation with my in laws several times. Usually we pick the vacation and invite them (they are retired and have a pretty flexible schedule, unlike us). For the most part, everyone gets along and we all have a good time. We definitely don't go on a set schedule, and I would never agree to a vacation that wouldn't be enjoyable to me. It's a vacation, you should be having fun. I would politely decline and say you can't go this time but would really like to plan something else with them another time.

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We often take 1 trip either in the summer or winter with one of our families. When we go with DH's family, we usually rent a house with FIL and DH's siblings for the week. Sometimes, we'll also coordinate trips with DH's siblings and their kids to go to MIL's house in Cape Cod. We plan at least 1 long weekend to drive to visit SIL and their kids each year. We've gone out to CA a few times to visit BIL and although we usually stay with him for at least part of the trip, we tend to do a bunch of stuff on our own while he's working.

When we go with my family, we usually just go with my parents. My brother and his family have joined us for a few days, but never for a whole trip. They tend to do their own thing, with or without their kids, or with SIL's family.

I don't mind vacationing with family. We tend to get along well and my kids enjoy spending time with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

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We go to Myrtle Beach each year and stay at my parent's place there. Since having my daughter though my parents have gone the same week as us so the past two years we were there with them. Which drives my DH crazy. lol.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We usually do vacations with my extended family- mom, sisters nieces and nephew.

We always have a good time and the kids love being together

Vacations with Extended Family

I recently did two vacations with extended family and now I feel it's going to hard to go back to just the 4 of us without hurting feelings. Seems everyone had a great time except me.

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We've vacationed before with my family. It's always hectic with a large group of people and not my idea of a stress-free vacation.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We've done a variety:

Cruise with 40+ of DH's family members for his grandma's 85th birthday - really fun, since everyone can kind of do their own thing and then come together in various groups throughout the trip

MIL's family has a standing week every summer that at least some of her siblings will rent houses in the same beach town in NJ. Some people go every year for 2 weeks, some go for one week, and some only go for part or only some years but not others. People rent separate houses, and it's nice to be able to meet up at the beach, for dinner, etc. but still have your own space.

My brother lives in CA so we did a family trip to the Berkshires earlier this summer - just someplace that wasn't Long Island to get together. My parents do the timeshare thing so we had 3 1 BR units, one for parents, one for brother and his wife, and one for me, DH and DD. They were all adjacent, and it was really nice. Just relaxing, but also we could go to the pool, go do some limited sightseeing, but really just hang out.

I think it really depends on if you live close to your family or not, and how much stress you add into the vacation. It can be lovely, it could be exhausting!

Vacations with Extended Family

We are currently booking a trip to Jamaica in December with my extended family. It will be me and dh and our kids, my sis and bill and their baby, my mom and my sister's mil and bil. I'm really looking forward to it and we are all really close. This will be the first extended family vacation we have done since both my sister and I have had children.

I'm sure once my mil finds out about this trip she will be planning something with Dh's side of the family, which would be fine depending on where and what the accommodations are.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We don't vacation with extended family and I honestly don't want to. Our kids are very young right now, three under the age of four, so we're not going away that much to begin with. My parents don't really go away. When the kids are older, I do want to go to my parent's birth land with my family and parents.

I have zero desire to vacation with DH's family. We're not close with his dad and stepmom. His mother lives a few hours away but we see her often. His sister just moved to FL so we may go once a year, again, when the kids are older. But even that won't be a full week, maybe a few nights and then we'll do something on our own as a family. I'm sure his mom will come down for that too.

Vacations with Extended Family

We just got back from a 2 night stay at Sesame Place - me, DH, DD, my parents, my brother, SIL, and their 3 children. We had a great time but it was not relaxing at all. There were 4 kids under the age of 6 and I felt like we were constantly on the go. When driving home, DH said that traveling with kids is called a trip. Traveling without kids is called a vacation. So true. My favorite part was seeing the cousins together -- hugging, holding hands while waiting on the lines for the rides, etc. We are going to try to do a family trip every summer as many of us are teachers and have the time off to do so. Next year we are going to look into Rocking Horse Ranch or Woodloch Pines for a more "relaxed" family trip.

I have absolutely no desire to go on vacation with DH's family. MIL actually offered last year to pay to take the entire family on a cruise around Christmas and we declined. I didn't want to be away from my family during the holidays and the thought of being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean with his family is enough to make me want to throw myself overboard.

Vacations with Extended Family

Just got back from a week on the Jersey Shore with my sis her family and my parents. Never again. My parents are fine. SIs makes very different life and parenting choices and I realized I don't want to deal with them on vacation.

We have also been away with DH's family and I can only do that every now and then.

What saves me when I am away with anyone is that I do my own thing. Don't expect me to be together 24/7

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

It depends. Usually once a year, sometimes more if there are little getaways thrown in, like Montauk for a few days. But, I get along really well with my IL and same for my husband with my family.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Vacations with Extended Family

every year.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

We don't really go away with family (maybe once every few years with one or the other, but we all have our own spaces and do our own things), but we have a big group of friends that like to travel together...last year we did Disney together (11 of us, 3 families) and my husband said never again...they are already trying to plan another Disney trip for next summer and it is now 4 families and 16 people...my husband did adamantly against it...he said we can overlap our trips by a few days, but he refuses to spend a week with them again...we camp with two other families for 4-5 days at a time a few times a year and we enjoy that...it is sometimes just the dynamics of groups that make it hard.

Re: Vacations with Extended Family

Yes , have done a cruise with my entire side , traveled with my dad, sister, nephews, and mom on many occasions. Even travelled with my BIL's. I have not and hope to never travel with my inlaws. They can be loud, pushy, and scream (or talk loudly)in their own language. I wouldn't even know what was going on the whole vacation.

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I would love to do this every year if possible. We are in the process of planning our first one for next Summer. We are planning with my brother, SIL and their three kids (7 yr old twin boys, 9 yr old girl), Me, DH and our 2 yr old twins and my parents. I would love for my MIL, BIL, his wife and their 1 yr old to come. We may plan a separate vacation with them though. I've waited a really long time to have kids and be able to make memories with them and my nieces and nephews. I really can't wait!

We are going overnight Sesame Place with our girls and my brother and his family in a few weeks. That will be our first little getaway with extended family.