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Vacation Sharing
The Reasons and Benefits of Vacationing with Other Families
By Sue Poremba
- Entertainment Equality: Find out how many televisions are in the home. You'll need at least two to keep everyone happy. The same goes for DVD players.
- Fun on the Cheap: Find out about the region's activities. Many vacation home companies offer resort amenities from discounted tee times to lift tickets.
- Just in Case: Ensure that the property has the ability to help take care of urgent needs from getting an extra toothbrush to assisting with medical emergency and caring for an ill child.
Of course, vacationing together does not dictate that the two families must share housing. "We rent separate cottages in the same area," Janes says. "If you need alone time, you have your sanctuary."
When the vacation gets closer, the two families should discuss the game plan for the trip, particularly child-related issues. Before the trip is the time to hash out issues such as appropriate television time, what activities are appropriate (and depending on the age of the children, whether or not they can have any unsupervised times), how to divide cooking and clean-up chores and whatever else is appropriate.
Ideally, all of the children will have a built-in playmate between the two families, but that isn't always the case. If one child will be left out – for example, only girl in a group of boys or one child is several years older than the others – parents should consider allowing the child to invite a friend if possible. One bored or lonely child can ruin a vacation for everyone.
Sharing a vacation with good friends or extended family can be a rewarding experience. Done right, it can turn into an annual event.