Planning is Key

What could be better than getting away for a holiday and having your friends or extended family with you? Sharing a vacation with others can be a convenient and fun way to spend time together and you can save money by sharing the costs.

Before you embark on a multi-family vacation there are a number of things you should discuss in the planning phase that will help to avoid misunderstandings and conflicting expectations:

Identify the goals of the trip

Depending on personal preferences, vacations can be a time to sit back and relax or a time to explore and participate in many new activities. When planning a group vacation, be sure to consider what each person wants to get out of their vacation and try to include opportunities for everyone to do at least some things that they want to do.

Agree on a budget

Discussing money can be uncomfortable, but it is important to be sure everyone understands the limitations and responsibilities around paying for the trip. Make sure both parties agree on the budget before hand. If you will be sharing accommodations, be sure everyone knows how the costs will be divided and how much they are personally responsible for.

Decide on accommodations

If you are sharing a suite or house, decide on how the space will be divided. Try to include some private areas for each person or family and identify which areas will be common areas.Depending on the needs of your families and the number of bathrooms available, it might also be a good idea to have a basic schedule and limits for bathroom use. If private areas are not of equal size, determine who gets the larger area. Are they required to pay extra for that luxury?

Arrange for food and chores

Discuss food options and set basic rules for sharing a space. If you choose vacation accommodations with a kitchen, you can reduce your overall costs by preparing some meals yourselves. Determine what foods you will bring or buy and who will do the cooking.You might want to share those responsibilities or assign one person as the cook and give the others different duties. However you divide the tasks, make sure that no one person is doing more than their fair share. Also set some ground rules for keeping the common areas tidy. Everyone should be responsible to put away their own belongings and you may want to divide other cleaning tasks so everyone takes a turn.

Discuss the activities

Determine what activities you will each participate in, as well as which ones you want to do together as a group. Having a joint vacation does not necessarily mean spending all of your time with each other.Each family or individual may want to participate in some activities on their own. To avoid hurt feelings, be sure to set the expectation in advance for having some alone time and also schedule times that you will be together.

Phones and social media or no?

Many families have different values so have a conversation about expectations for using mobile phones and accessing social media such as Facebook and Twitter. It can make some families uncomfortable as they may be trying to get away from the digital world while you continue your habits.

You could have a box that all phones are put in for the day or the night. Or just lock them in a car’s compartment. Either way, try disconnecting. You never know, you might like it.

Sharing a vacation with friends or extended family can be an enjoyable way to spend time together, but it does require compromise and understanding. Set the expectations before you leave to avoid disappointments. Don’t let hurt feelings stop you from enjoying vacation time with your friends and family.