Knowing you have a big holiday booked with relatives can create a bittersweet feeling of excitement but also anxious anticipation. Not all relatives are the easiest to get on with, and some come with special dietary and health requirements, which can make people-pleasing pretty tricky.
Make mealtimes a priority
Mealtimes are the best time to catch up with relatives, so it’s a great idea to make these the focus as the end of the day. Visiting museums, attractions and shows with family members are all great for keeping everyone entertained, but time spent at the table is where stories are shared. If you’re visiting a country that you’ve never been to before as a family, then booking a table at a well-reviewed local restaurant is a great way to not only sample the local cuisine, but treat everyone to an exciting meal out. While it might sound basic, finding somewhere with an English menu is recommended to keep confusion and ordering delays to a minimum, particularly with a large group.
Book group experiences
There are bound to be some days where you all split off as a group and go to enjoy your own activities. If you’re a family with a wide variety of age groups, this may happen on more than one occasion. If you’re keen to spend at least a few days in each other’s company, then booking unique and exciting group activities are a great way to enjoy a vacation as a group. If you’re traveling abroad, then finding group days out online can ensure that the itinerary is created for you, meaning that most of the legwork has already been done.
Self-cater if possible
Staying in individual hotel rooms can be incredibly costly if you’re traveling with a larger family. Settling down into just one set of accommodation means that you can split the cost of utilities and rent, and also self-cater on the odd occasion. Meals out with a family should always be cherished, but so should the odd occasion when you cook for each other. If you’ve never self-catered before then there are a few things to bear in mind:
- Bring a few essentials first: if you have a full tub of butter, a large carton of orange juice and semi-full fruit bowl back at home, it’s worth bringing some of these with you to cut down on the grocery run when you arrive.
- Take a grocery list: Don’t just guess what your aunt loves and what your nieces and nephews won’t like – take an order before you head off.
- Cook easy-to-make food: it can be tempting to wow your relatives with a delicately prepared display of gastronomic cuisine. However, batch-cooking large meals mean that everyone’s satisfied with as little fuss as possible.
Don’t choose exhausting activities
If you’re the avid hiker in your family or could spend all day exploring historical monuments, you may want to take into consideration if everyone is prepared to join in with you. If your extended family have small children, they may wish to go and do their own thing for a while as trekking around with the adults all day can be incredibly tiring on small kids. Pacing your week with engaging and relaxing activities means that everyone will still have enough energy to chat around the dinner table at the end of each day.
While the idea of traveling with family might be daunting for some, for those with a big, close-knit family, it can be an incredibly exciting and rewarding occasion. Taking the time to explore a new location or country with those who are closest to you can make for unique, sentimental memories, until the next time.
To read more on topics like this, check out the lifestyle category.
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