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I am so excited to have another guest author today – Divya from Eat, Teach, Blog! I “met” Divya through a Facebook Social Media group and her site caught my eye because she often writes about travel, lives in a teeny tiny town (which I found interesting) and is like me, a former teacher. When I saw her series on a recent European River Cruise, I actually invited her to submit her story for the Momma To Go readers.
I know for me, family travel does not always mean me and my kids. As you know I went to Italy last March with a few of my favorite family members – my aunt, uncle and sister. And for some folks, friends mean family (kinda like #thegirlfriends). So whoever you hold near and dear, plan a trip, but here are some awesome tips for traveling with extended family:
Traveling with Extended Family
Traveling with extended families can be a lot of fun but it can also be overwhelming and stressful. I recently got back from traveling on a river cruise with my family in Austria and Germany! We spent seven days on the Danube River and we all had a great time.
Here are a few tips I picked up along the way on how to make the most of your time with family while also making sure you’re not driving each other up the wall!
Choose Your Own Adventure
With a cruise trip, it’s much easier for everyone to branch off and do their own thing. If you have someone who is interested in laying out at the pool all day, they’re able to do it. On the contrary, if you have someone who wants to take part in the off-ship excursions, they’re able to do it. And we all come back together in the evening for dinner. Everyone is able to vacation the way they like to vacation.
Set Expectations
My family can be a little picture-happy. While it’s fun to take pictures and document all the great memories, it can also take away from the present moment. I made it very clear that it would really make me happy if we could limit picture-taking to 2-5 minutes at each event. (Yes, they CAN and DO spend a good 15 minutes taking different pictures with all the different combinations of families. “Okay, now let’s take a picture of the ______ family! Now let’s take one with the _____ family and the _____ family together!”). I love them and I want to take part in the things that make them happy, but I think if we can communicate our expectations, they’re more likely to be met.
Be Flexible
The thing about traveling with other people is that you’re not always going to enjoy every single second of it. Recognize that it is a family trip, not a solo adventure. And be open-minded! You may find out that you really DO enjoy jet-skiing like your dad, even though you swore you wouldn’t.
Be Grateful
And, when all else fails, just be grateful. You are fortunate to have a family that wants to come together to travel. They may drive you crazy. And they may embarrass you with their selfie sticks and their rambunctious personalities. But you are part of a select group of people that is able to travel with people you love oh-so-much.
About the Author:
Divya Mathur is the blogger behind Eat Teach Blog. She’s a special education teacher, a lifestyle blogger, an avid hiker, and a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur.
Follow Divya on Instagram , Twitter and  Facebook
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Please share:
All great ideas! We have been on several trips with extended family. I think flexibility and setting expectations are key. I love that you included being grateful. Yes! Always be grateful!
The last tip was the best one – be grateful – for ALL of it!
My husband and I went on a cruise last month with our two little girls, and his parents, sister, and grandmother. You’re right about cruises being ideal for people of all ages and tastes being able to split off and do whatever pleases them. And I’m with you on the excessive picture thing too!
Flexibility is really the key to still having a great time! I couldn’t agree more! Great tips!
Wow! This sounds like my family. Especially with the picture taking! haha These are great ideas for traveling with family. Boundaries and expectations are so important when you are in close quarters with family (I’ve experienced this having both my parents and mother in law live with us) I’ve always wanted to take a European river cruise, now I need to plan for one, and if my family decides they need to come I will read this post again so I can have some sanity lol
All of these are such great tips especially be flexible. This is huge since things change and traffic, etc.
I love traveling with my family. It’s something I look forward to and these are great tips to use. 🙂
These are great tips! It can definitely be challenging to travel with family. I like the idea of everyone doing their own thing and coming back together in the evening.
Great tips!! I love traveling with my family, but like you I always plan our own little adventures so we can get little alone time. And being flexible and grateful is always a must.
Great ideas! We plan to take a trip with our extended family within the next couple years and it’s a little intimidating to think about! Now I’m leaning towards a cruise lol
I love Divya! Great tips! Being flexible is key for us. Having various ages within our family can get hard!
A cruise is a great idea for family travel! Love this! It’s so important to be open to different experiences and be grateful that your family wants to travel when everyone travels together.
I love your tip on setting your own adventure! We like to get out and go see things but when we travel with my in laws, they’re more of a laid back and relaxed type of family who doesn’t like to sightsee. It’s easy to feel resentful when you forget to take time for your own family!
Mariah
http://www.likehoneyblog.com
Awe I love this post! It’s always so fun to go on family trips!
I think choosing your own adventures and having clear expectations is key!
These are awesome tips. I have a family trip for a wedding coming up soon so I can use these for sure!
I love that you incorporated “being grateful”. There is so much to gain from travel and yet it can be taken for granted. When we turn our focus on “making the experience perfect’—whatever those self-expectations are, we open the door to learning, growing, enjoying, relaxing (add in experiencing new culture, and it can revamp our perspective) xo~ D Be You and Thrive
These are some great tips. Patience and flexibility is key when traveling with family.
❥ tanvii.com
My son is 15 and he has ALWAYS been a good traveler. I am grateful for that. I don’t think I could travel with my in-laws.
These are great tips! The older generation in my family has been taking cruises together a lot the last few years for the reasons you mentioned. For a group that can be so different, it gives them an opportunity to be together, but also to go off and do the things that they enjoy doing on vacation.