Growing up, family reunions were always at a pavilion in a city park or a church hall. Usually the latter. My generation has started to move away from where we grew up though, so a couple years ago, we had a destination family reunion. I highly recommend it.
Ours kind of came on by accident. My grandma died in 2013. After her estate was cleared, my dad and my aunt had left one bank account open, just in case anything else happened to come up. Nothing did and it was discussed what should be done with the money. I don’t know the exact amount, but it was maybe $5K that was left. We decided instead of splitting the money up, to instead use it towards a vacation. One that all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would attend. We used the money towards lodging and it was agreed that it would also be used for transportation if anyone should need help in that area. Afterwards, we each put money towards lodging on the next trip.
We have done a destination family reunion twice now. I really feel like we got all the headaches ironed out after the first year and the second trip went off without any issues. We could have probably used some help that first year, so I’m sharing what we learned and what worked for us.
Pick a Destination
For this side of the family, we are in 4 different states – Missouri, Washington, California, and Texas. We try to pick places that aren’t too inconvenient for anyone. For example, we would never go to Florida, since that just doesn’t make sense. The first year, we went to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri and rented a house on the lake. Almost half of the family were within easy driving distance, so it made sense. The second trip, we went to Winter Park, Colorado. We had planned on Colorado, but it took us some time to narrow down the location. Make sure it’s a location that is affordable for everyone and everyone can take enough time off work. While Hawaii would be great, it’s not affordable for everyone.
Put Someone in Charge
Someone needs to be in charge. Decisions should be made as a group, but someone needs to be the one making reservations and possibly nudging everyone to actually make the decisions. They also need to collect and keep track of all the money. This person can change from year to year, but they need to be responsible, trustworthy, and organized.
Starting Planning Way in Advance
We started planning this last trip a year out. Most of it was discussion and searching for houses, but it needed to be done. We had to find dates that would work for everyone, give everyone enough time to take off work, and book lodgings. The first trip we did in 2016, we all put $120 per adult towards lodging for the next trip. For the trip this summer, we put $282 per adult towards the house. We’ve basically run out of grandma’s money now. It was talked about how the next trip will cost more per person, but it’s 3 years away and everyone is aware of it.
Choose and Book Accommodations
Since the point was to spend time together, we choose to book a house large enough for all of us. 22 people. 8 bedrooms are needed for adults and then bunkbeds or something similar for the kids. Another possibility is renting cabins near each other at a resort or even multiple campgrounds. It’s all what works best for your family.
We look at houses that have enough to keep everyone busy though. Multiple living areas, a game room, possibly a pool. The first trip in Missouri, we rented a house on the lake, which also had a pool, so we had no reason to leave the house the entire trip.
Try not to pick a location that is heavy on tourist destinations, like Washington DC or NYC. It’s hard to do things together and it can get pricey fast.
Meal Plan
We planned to sit down and eat together every night. We only worried about breakfast and dinner, since most days we were out and about and did lunch either out somewhere or ate leftovers. Each family took a meal, shopping for and then cooking a meal large enough to feed everyone (think pasta, tacos, casseroles). This worked out perfect for us. Check before hand to see if anyone has allergies, but it’s pretty easy to plan meals that just about anyone will eat.
Make an Itinerary
And plan for it to constantly change. I like to get out and do stuff while on vacation, so I research and plan ahead. For the last trip in Colorado, we knew there wasn’t much to do at the house. We researched (shared Google Docs!) and found things that could easily be done with whoever wanted to go, including kids. All 22 of us went to the Winter Park Resort one day. The next day, some people went fishing, others mountain biking, and others to a hot springs. The last day, we went for an easy hike, managed to get all of us in a restaurant for lunch, then split up again for afternoon activities.
Be Flexible with Kids
We had 8 kids, ranging from 3 to 13. There was never any issue on who had what kid. If one kid wanted to go with another family to do something, no one minded. We all said that as long as we knew where they were and who they were with, it was fine. This gave parents a break here and there and let the kids spend all the time they wanted with cousins. If there is a night you want adult time, make it known in advance so arrangements can be made for the kids. I know that my parents will almost always watch the kids, but I still make sure it’s fine.
Talk About the Next Trip
After the first trip, we had said every 2 years was good. 2 years came on too quick though and we moved it to every 3. We had also decided on Colorado for the next trip. On the Colorado trip, we started discussing locations for the next trip in 3 years. There are 2 families in Washington and 1 in California, so Washington and the Oregon coast were both brought up.
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