Holidays with family

On holiday right now with DD, her partner, 4 GC ( 2 of whom are teenagers !!!!!) and hubby, absolutely fantastic loved every minute....

At the end of the holiday, whether family holidays work or not depends on the family.

I've done both, and the experience of one informed his I approached the other
Went with the inlaws and some of it was ok but they wanted to do everything tigether, to the point where I said id like to go to x town for the day we could go on the train nice and easy. But no where would we have dinner. Well we could have taken sandwiches or popped into a cafe but no, we all had to go together and we just drive round it was raining and I remember sitting in their van having dinner looking at the rain thinking we could be in a nice cafe or in the museum, why couldn't everyone do what they wanted on one day, they didnt' have to come, they could have driven round in the wet all day and we could ha had a nice day and could have had tea and had the evening together
So with my children, separate accomodation, sometimes we do things together, sometimes do our own thing, often meet up in the evening ca imagine forcing adults to do what I want, best way for them to say never agsin.

In 2002 me and my husband went to Cyprus with my DM , her DH and her niece.
None of them could make a decision to save their lives , I after breakfast I got my things together and said that I was off to the pool and they were welcome to join me , or not ?. My DH would accompany me and the rest we’d meet up with later . It worked ok .

I’ve done it many times with in-laws or with friends.
If it’s a hotel it’s fab. If it’s a big house it’s not a holiday.

We go away with 18- 20 of us, usually in big house/ villa / chateau with pool. Rota for cooking / clearing up. Lots of fun and games. Kitty for shopping / buying coffees/ ice creams etc. Works really well and the fact that they all want to do it again speaks volumes.

OMG. Doing it next week. 4 nights Porthmadog. Me,son 2 grandchildren. Grandad doesn't want to come. Neither does son's wife which I'm happy about. I had major surgery last october which I'm not, fully over (MVD for trigeminal neuralgia) . Just want to spend bit of time with son and kids. Who knows. Might be last time? Make the most of every day, it m9ght be your last.

We went on holiday with my mother and my sister plus her family. We only did 5 days and by the end of it, I was ready to marmalize my brother in law. He was so pedantic and rigid about the rota we had put in place. It didn't surprise me when a short while later my sister left him.

Serendipity22

Going on Monday.

8 of us in a static.

Yeahhhhhhh LOVE IT ... ❤

That would be my idea of hell on earth, lol!

We had a couple of nice holidays with my parents when DC were little. We had a nightmare holiday with DS and her family. Only once and never went on holiday with another family ever again.

Going on Monday.

8 of us in a static.

Yeahhhhhhh LOVE IT ... ❤

Yes, lovely - so far so good!

Dear Lord no I go on holiday to do my own thing

We did it for many years but usually only for a few days, a long weekend. We have taken a big house on one occasion which was wonderful. With grown up grandchildren now this is unlikely to happen again. Agree about the sense of humour.

Works for us - we rent 2 flats overlooking the beach in south Devon and a house in a road behind. Each family has its own accommodation. We also have a boat moored in the sea outside the flats. The Building with the flats has a swimming pool - small gym, sauna and a cafe. It all works well and it’s lovely to see the grandchildren every day. I agree that tolerance is needed and a sense of humour helps ??

Our DiL loves family holidays and goes away at least twice a year with our DS and their 2 children plus her parents (amicably divorced), and her brother plus his family. One year our DS, who is an only child, was keen for me and OH (as his only close relatives) to join them all at a big house in Cornwall which we did. Sadly, we didn't really enjoy it. We'd only met our DiL's family once before (at her wedding to our DS) and soon realised that we had absolutely nothing in common. The holiday became a test of being polite and trying to get along. Even our attempts to spend time with the GCs were thwarted by "No 1 Nanna" who sees them regularly but wanted them to herself. The only other time we have tried a family holiday was when we paid for a week in a lodge with DS, DiL and GCs. I made it clear beforehand that I didn't want to be lumbered with all the catering and guess what? I'm sure family holidays can be fun, but think carefully first.

Have done it in the past. We all really enjoyed it. Can't or maybe won't do it now for health and mobility reasons. I miss going away with them, but cherish the memories and - who knows - when I get my hip done I might be able to go again.
They are all coming to see me soon and will stay in places around or here, and I am going back with a daughter to her home up north.
Do try it, and as others have said, discuss first who is contributing what and share the good times.

Yes absolutely loved it. We have such lovely memories and would do it again in a heartbeat.

We did take my Mum on holiday with us when two of our sons were babies. All she wanted to do was cook an clean! Whatever I suggested doing or going to the answer was 'No'. Given that we were in Wales where she was brought up she had little interest in her home town.

Some years later we took my MIL with us to Cornwall. She didn't stop complaining the whole two weeks and spoiled the holiday for us and especially the children. I said then 'never again'.

I'm sure multigenerational holidays work well for many people but it doesn't appeal to me.

We pay for holidays for our 3 sons and their families and we have a marvellous time

Whether it works or not must surely depend on at least two things: how you get on with the relatives you go on holiday with, and what your expectations of a holiday are.

I have no experience of it - by the time I was old enough to travel on my own nothing would have induced me to travel anywhere with my parents, as they quarrelled incessantly.

My DIL made it clear from the start that they intended to travel on their holidays - any time spent with us, or by us with them is usually at Christmas or Easter and requires a fair amount of tact.

No we wouldn't do it. We like very different holidays and have different interests. We all get along very well perhaps because we don't spend too much time together!

11 of us + dog are off tomorrow to Southwold! It was a suggestion made by daughters to celebrate my 60th, 12 years ago and we’ve done it every year since, at various venues. It’s our treat to the family, usually at Easter. It’s certainly a treat for me to see them all together. Started with 2 babies and my parents. Now DH and I are the oldies and there are 5 DGC. Sometimes we do things together, sometimes not. Everyone appears to enjoy it and they are already asking when and where we are going next year, after I dropped a hint that maybe it was time to stop!

I’m with the minority on this. I love them all dearly so booked it on a wave of optimism and really wanted to enjoy us all being together but no, never again.

Lovely subject ?❤️