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We've done it every two years since we were married (35 years ago). We don't try and do it in one house though, there are too many of us. Nobody should have to pay an equal share and not end up in a bed.
Some of the locations have been Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge (also VA), Maine, Clearwater and San Diego. It was begun as a way for the cousins, our kids, to spend time with each other since we are spread across the country.
Now, I will admit, these days, 3-4 days is plenty for me, and we didn't attend the last one as we had too much going on.
We share housing costs, and everybody contributes to the kitty for groceries.
Of course it depends on your family. If it was my side of the family (as opposed to my in-laws) it would probably be a blast. Even then though, I think a week is too long. I think 3 to 5 nights would be my limit for anyone, no matter how well we got along.
We've done as many as 12-13 but we had 5 bedrooms so that each adult couple could at least have some measure of privacy. We put all the kids in a pile in the 5th bedroom. It was also good to just duck away as a couple, or take 1-2 kids for a walk instead of all, afternoon at the movies, everyone at the zoo, so that we all had some down time. Some of us stayed up late, some of us got up early. We took turns being in charge of dinner. Breakfast and lunch were 'every man for himself'. I don't think it was a whole week, though.
I would say don't skimp on the number of bedrooms. If Ocean City is too expensive, find somewhere else to go. Ocean City is not all that.
No matter how much you love your family, when people are dehydrated and sunburnt and have sand in their butt crack, crankiness happens.
I spend a lot of vacations with my wife's family and we have a great time. Much of it depends on the people and the relationships among them, but not all.
This house is too small. You need to get a house where every couple gets their own bedroom and all the kids and singles also get to sleep in bedrooms. You also need enough public space so people don't have to be right on top of each other all the time.
If you can't do that the vacation has the potential to be really bad.
No. Wouldn't do it. Just because they are *family* doesn't mean we would enjoy enough of the same things (food/accommodations/activities) to make it worthwhile. We may have spent 10-15 years growing up together many years ago, but we have spent much more time apart, growing into people with very different interests.
The house in question sounds much too small for 8 adults and 6 kids. (4 bedrooms, 10 beds, and some unknown number of sofas?). Sounds like there will be no privacy, the folks who wind up having to sleep on the floor or share a bed (with someone other than a spouse/romantic partner) are likely to be very cranky and irritable, and I also suspect the bathroom situation will also be inadequate.
I would make sure I wasn't there. Fighting for you life in an ICU would be better. Yecch!
I had a cottage for 15 years and made sure none of my relatives (except my parents) even knew about it, and then not even my parents knew where it was.
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