If you have dreams and aspirations of enjoying a couple of weeks of unbroken bliss with the whole family, you could be in for a rude awakening. That’s not to say it can’t be done, just that you need to plan it that little bit more than if it were just you, your partner, and the kids. To ensure you get the most of your time away from it all, we’ve put together the 7 top tips we think every family needs to know. Here they are.

Choose accommodation that’s right for everyone

When you have older members of the family joining you, it’s not going to be much fun for them if your home away from home has endless flights of stairs. Choose somewhere that offers all the mod cons and access you need, plus isn’t too far away from the heart of the action. That way you can still get a good night of sleep, but won’t have to trek too far when you want to go out for dinner.

Have at least one activity for everyone to enjoy

Everyone needs to feel like they’re special on holiday, which can make multigenerational jaunts rather tricky. The secret is to include at least one activity where everyone will be able to join in. Ideally you want far more than that, but if you make finding the first one your priority you’ll soon think of half a dozen others to present to the rest of the group.

Share your packing lists with one another

It’s not use travelling with 10 people and only a single phone charge, so make sure you share your packing lists with one another. It’ll ensure you never leave home without the essential bits and pieces you couldn’t do without. Plus you’ll probably find you save a whole host of luggage space by not caring so many duplicate items between you.

Get everyone’s input when you’re booking

The best way to ensure everyone is happy with what you book is to get them involved with as many steps of the process as you can. That way you can get everyone’s bright ideas and thoughts organised in one place, and you’ll find a whole host of other ideas you wouldn’t have ever thought of by yourself.

It’ll also help you to organise your thoughts and make sure nothing is being left to chance. Ideal if you want to make sure your holiday goes off without a hitch when you want to get away from it all with the people who mean the most to you.

Take a break from one another and get some alone time

You might not think that taking a break from your loved ones is what you should be doing on vacation, but think about it like this. These are the people you know better than anyone in the world, and they know all of your annoying habits and quirks. It doesn’t mean you won’t get on, or that you don’t mean the world to one another. It just means sometimes you won’t always want to feel like you’re living on top of one another.

The easiest way to solve this is to take the occasional walk or trip into town solo. It’ll give you that little bit of time and space you need, and you’ll no doubt return with all sorts of stories to share with the rest of the group.

Create a simple budget everyone understands

If there’s one thing that’s going to cause a little bit of tension on a group holiday, it’s budgeting. The key here is to make it simple and transparent so that everyone knows what they have to pay for.

You might allocate certain people to pay for the food, hotel, transport around town etc. Or you might decide to split things evenly. It’s not all that important how you decide to do it, but it does matter that everyone knows what’s expected of them. Otherwise you’re going to have a few of those grey areas which soon turn into arguments if they’re not addressed at the outset.

Remember why you mean so much to each other

Last but not least, it’s so important that you make sure to remember why you’re holidaying together in the first place. You’re a family that will always be there for one another, so make sure you take a moment to reflect on just how lucky you are.

By remembering why you’re together and what you mean to each other, you’ll find the whole process so much more restful and relaxing. Exactly what you need when you want to get away from the hustle and bustle back home without any of the stress everyone will tell you comes with a multigenerational holiday.

Now that you’ve heard our wise words, all you have to do is put them into action, start planning, and then get packing.

Sheri Gill