How do you vacation? Immediate family only, or extended & friends?

[runwad]

I just got back for New Years Day dinner with my family, brothers, sisters and their families. Anywho, DS49 says she has to put in her vacation for this coming year sometime in January. She says they want to go on vacation but haven't planned anything (and she has no clue what they want to do or how to plan it) so she doesn't know when to put her week in for. Then she kinda asks if anyone wants to do something because they don't like to go on vacation by themselves (they have 3 kids, DD18, DD15, DS12) because it's NO FUN just them. I'm like what??? I think that is kinda sad we always just go ourselves w/kids dd11, dd8 & ds6 and we have a blast. They said that is only because we always go alone and our kids don't know what it's like to have their cousins or friends with them. Well I for one couldn't stand going on vacation with anyone else besides our family and would feel they were intruding on our time together. So how about you how do you vacation, does your family not have any fun on vacation unless there are others around??

 

[mlraabe]

We have done both and each way has its benefits. We enjoy going to the beach with friends or family. It makes it really nice that there is always someone else besides siblings for the kids to play with. We have never done the beach ourselves. We usually go with friends of ours who also have 4 kids and whoever else we can convince to come along. Both trips to Disney were also with friends and famliy.

We have gone on vacations just us too - Washington DC, Maine, New York, Florida. These were also great trips - probably more relaxed than the trips with groups. Definately more family time than the other trips which is a big plus.

We will continue to do both. I think a mix is good. If I asked the kids though, I bet they would say the ones with friends and extended family were there favs. I don't think that we don't have any fun with just us - but I think DH and I along with our kids are very outgoing and social and we enjoy a pool full of kids, or cooking big dinners in a beach house, playing games in our vacation home with 12 other people, and just the "craziness" ( for lack of a better word) of it all.

 

[DawnMarie]

We have always vacationed by ourselves, DH and children. We have a blast all by ourselves. This year we are vacationing with dh's family and we have a cruise planned in 2008 with my family. I anticpate we'll have a good time on both trips. But I would never give up our "family" trips. I just love spending time with my family.

 

[runwad]

Well we asked the kids on the way home tonight, "do you have fun when we go on vacation?" They said YES, I said well your Aunts say their families don't have any fun alone, and my DD11 said that's because they aren't fun people like us mom! Yep she's right, they're the kind that sit and wait for the fun to come to them instead of going out and finding it or making it. I just thought it was sad for them to say it's no fun for just their families to go on vacations alone without others when I enjoy my family so much that I don't want to share them with others.

 

[momofthreegamers]

We usually vacation with just the family, which is my DM53, DH, DS10, DS8 and DS5. This Thanksgiving, we did something very different. Ever since we've been doing Dis, my two older sons have been coming home and bragging to their Dad and Step-Mom about how much fun they have. We got them wanting to go! We decided over a year ago, that we should all go and enjoy a vacation together. My ex-DH told his mother about our vacation plans and she decided she wanted to come over from California and go...she has a sister in FL. So, this Thanksgiving, we all rented a pool home and spent a week in FL. The kids loved it. On the way home, we always talk about what they liked the most about their trip. Having their Dad's family there was on the top of everyone's list.

They were willing to let us do most of the planning; intineraries, renting the house, ADR's. We would put together proposals and present the information we had found, so we all agreed on parks to tour, where to eat, etc. We found that touring the parks was quite challenging with 13 people. We split into groups and that made it much easier.

I can see us vacationing together again, but not for every vacation. We're a pretty tight family. We've discussed letting friends come along some day in the future, but right now my kids aren't interested, probably too young.

 

[Twinsmomma]

We always start making plans for just our family, but everytime other family and friends plan their vacations with us. So, we have never gone alone! I guess we are fun to vacation with??!! We always make sure that we have our own family time though. I LOVE having no "life" responsibilities for the week or whatever and just being able to relax and enjoy my husband and children (DS 4, DS 4, and DD 1). We have a blast from start to finish regardless of who is there, so additional family and friends just add to the excitement for us! Our trip in February includes our family, my MIL,FIL, brother and SIL! My MIL, FIL, brother, and SIL have never been so it should be pretty exciting!

 

[MinnieGi]

The more the merrier for us! We love sharing our vacations with family and friends espcially at Disney. We still spend plenty of time with just our immediate family of four but share lots of great moments with family and friends during the week. Last year we had at one point a total of 22! We always have our own accomadations so there is plenty of privacy. We split up in smaller groups during the day and evening depending on what ages, activities everyone is interested in.

Now we have also taken many trips to Disney, the beach and other places with just our family of four and have had fabulous times. We are going to Disney at the end of this month with just our family of four and I know we will have a fun and fantastic time. We'll also be going to HHI this summer by ourselves. But we are also looking forward to Thanksgiving '07 when family and friends will once again join us.

Don't knock going with friends and family until you've tried it, you may really enjoy it! It is so fun planning together beforehand and sharing pictures and memories after. Just last night we were celebrating NYE at a party hosted by our good friends who have accompanied us about four times to Disney and we were sharing some of our funny and cute Disney stories with other party goers. Soon the whole room was talking Disney and swapping tips and stories and asking when we were all going again - Thanksgiving '07! We peaked the excitement of several other friends who are now seriously thinking of joining the fun! It is special to go with friends and family.

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

Well.. I have always gone on vacation with my side of the family. Both times to WDW they have gone, during our wedding, we were at another hotel and spent 95% of the time ourselves, ocassionally having dinner with them. My husband and I just traveled alone to Guatemala to visit our daughter (we're in the adoption process) and we were able to go without any "guests." My mother would have pitched a fit to go if she was in better health. We are taking our daughter to Disney in December '07.. and the family is coming then as well. Eventually, we'll get a vacation alone!

 

[mjantz]

We seem to alternate between just us & going with my parents. We've invited my in-laws to go with us a few times to various locations but they have absolutely no interest. My DD really, really wants her Nana & Papa to go on a Disney cruise with us since we went with the other grandparents (my parents) last year. The only way I can ever see this happening is if we pay for the trip ourselves & just tell them they're going with us. They have absolutely no travel drive & I just don't understand that. My MIL actually said to me 'I've been everywhere I want to go' & she's only been to a few countries in Europe & about 50% or so of the US. They honestly don't see the point in travel unless you're going to visit family.
So, we may be able to get them to go somewhere with us, but it won't be a fun trip & it will be on our dime.

 

[becca011906]

Me and my dh are so so looking forward to this vacation... we are taking my mom and new step dad (they've been together for 12 years but just got married this summer) and they are the kinda people that will go off and do thier own, and won't want to get up at 7am to be in the parks at opening, ect. they just don't want to, but how ever they will be happy to keep the kids for us one night so we can see disney w/o kids (something we haven't done since '01) or go out to dinner alone, ect.
before in '04 we had my grandparents, my dad, my sister, and my sisters friend, we were alone some but not much at all, then in '05 we took friends of me and dh's they wanted to tag along with us the whole time and didn't understand that our kids ages 5,3,1 would want to do differant stuff then thier kids ages 10 and 8... they had never been... NEVER AGAIN! LOL

 

[lclark0621]

We have vacationed alone, with family & with friends.

We have had a nice time when we go with others. But we prefer vacationing alone. That way we can do what we want, when we want, and we get some good family time.

After our last 2 trips to WDW, with friends, I can honestly say, we cant WAIT to do this next trip just DH, DS & myself!!! We are so excited about being on vacation just the 3 of us.

 

[graygables]

DH and I went with my parents to Williamsburg once. We had our own vehicles and rooms, so we just met up for the big stuff and meals. DH said never again, though, b/c he didn't like trying to mesh w/ their schedule.

I've gone to WDW on "girls only" trips w/ my mom and that, too, is a never-again-unless-I-have-to. She's difficult to travel with, to put it nicely.

When I was a kid, we had a camping trailer (this was in Germany) and we would sometimes go camping with my best friend's family, but the fun wore off on that for the kids REAL fast. We were usually fighting by the middle of the second day (if that long). For that reason, we would never travel WITH friends, but certainly don't mind meeting up with them to hang out here and there if it happens to work out that way.

I much prefer me, DH, and DDs. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving, peaceful and quiet!

 

[java]

Only time with everyone was for a wedding= and that was fun because we were all scheduled to do stuff anyway so it worked smoothly(mostly anyway_my sister did get into a fight with my cousin's wife....but I digress) We did go to Disney once with my Mom and the fighting sister... And we said never again to that one. Disney is a hard place to gel. People have different expectations. So to avoid conflict - we go just our family and have a blast!
I might try a beach trip with friends but I would want my own place and alone time with my family....budgets ect..are tough to blend.

 

[bkaz]

Our kids are 8 and 5 and we like vacationing both ways. We LOVE to go to the beach with our good friends who have kids the same age. The kids have a blast playing with their friends and the moms and dads get to sit, talk, relax, eat, and have fun watching the kids. But when we go to Disney I prefer to go just our family so that we can do things on our own schedule. I am a planner when it comes to WDW and I guess I'm not flexible enough to just wander or take nap breaks now that our kids are old enough to know which rides and shows they want to fit in.

 

[tkhkroberts]

We always seem to go with family or friends. Both trips to DW were either with DH's boss or my parents. Next up is August on our own. We actually had planned on DH's family all coming with us, but they have backed out now. This will actually be the first vacation with just the 4 of us. I am actually looking forward to this a little bit more.

 

[Pixiedust34]

We do vacations with immediate family only, with the exception of a 3 day weekend we do at the beach every year with my parents.

 

[runwad]

Well it doesn't sound like anyone who travels with friends or families does it because they need someone else with them to have fun, as my family seems to think. I mean if they don't have anyone to go on vacation with then they just won't go. And honestly my neices and nephews are just brats, two of my sisters that want to do this family trip are just real laid back and hardly discipline their kids. My DN3 is such a terror, she is forever hitting the kids or taking stuff away from them and my sister just says,"oh she's just a baby" well she needs smacked to put it bluntly, just no way I could spend a week with them!

 

[martyshoney]

For any other vacation destination besides Disney World we will go with others, whether that is friends or family. When it comes to the World I want my kids to be center of attention and we do what they want, I paid too much money to go there to have to please others. My parents will be joining us on our trip in a few days but my kids will still be the only ones that is fine. A few years back we passed on a trip that would have been half paid b/c we did not want to go there with other kids, call us selfish, we call it being a very close knit family who treasures our alone family time!!!!

 

[mom2aredhead]

martyshoney said " I paid too much money to go there to have to please others"
I totally feel that way about all vacations. We are very fortunate to live close to the beach (within 45 minutes) so we go there often for day trips, and anyone is welcome to join us there for a DAY of fun. Other than that, when it comes to real vacations, we're on our own.
I've tried vacationing with others, and it just doesn't work for me. I don't like having to check with others about times/schedules, eating somewhere I don't want to go, or have to wait for or work around someone else during the very short time we are away. If I change my plans based on the weather, mood, DS's mood, or for any reason, I don't want to have to worry about messing up 12 other people's schedule.
I know it sounds selfish, but if we're LUCKY, we're on a "real" vacation (not day trips) maybe 10 days/year. I want that time with my husband and son to have fun as a family, not with his mother (whom I love by the way, it's not a MIL thing), my sister, and random nieces and nephews tagging along.
We're not planning on having any more children, so maybe I'll feel different when my DS is older and is looking for company other than his dorky parents. But he's only 3, so I have, what, at least 5 more years??

 

[kribit]

For any other vacation destination besides Disney World we will go with others, whether that is friends or family. When it comes to the World I want my kids to be center of attention and we do what they want, I paid too much money to go there to have to please others. My parents will be joining us on our trip in a few days but my kids will still be the only ones that is fine. A few years back we passed on a trip that would have been half paid b/c we did not want to go there with other kids, call us selfish, we call it being a very close knit family who treasures our alone family time!!!!

__________________

Ditto...Disney is a special place for us. A weekend with extended family perhaps, but that is it.