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Post by lillielangtry on Oct 6, 2015 8:02:14 GMT -5
...going away with your extended family?
My cousin got married on Mallorca this year and all my family went (about 20 people). It was a beautiful wedding. As for the rest of it, partly I enjoyed seeing everyone and partly I found the expectation that we all had to hang out and eat together regardless of what any individual wanted pretty tiring.
Now my uncle has emailed everyone that he enjoyed himself so much he thinks we should get together next year and do it all again (minus wedding!).
I'm not asking for advice, just curious - is your reaction:
a) Family reunion - sounds fun!
b) Spending a week's leave trapped with the crazy people who share my DNA - are you crazy?
c) Something else?
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Post by elora on Oct 6, 2015 8:25:47 GMT -5
We done trips with my sisters, their partners, my nephew and dad (for my Dad's birthdays - 50th and 60th).
I enjoyed them - my husband hated them. Doing things as a group is not his thing.
Doing that with my extended family (add in cousins, aunts, uncles, children of cousins) would cause a divorce.
I think that it would even do in my head - so I'd say "b"
the only way it might be feasible would be to have two or three trips throughout the week as a group and the understanding that the rest of the time would be free. Of course, this would probably go over like a ton of bricks. Plus that type of vacation is usually done at a large resort which I try to avoid.
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Post by tortuga on Oct 6, 2015 14:32:33 GMT -5
For "once in a lifetime" things, fair enough.
Me and my siblings surprised our parents with a family holiday a few years back. My dad died two years later. I know that trip made him very happy and it's one of my favourite memories now. It was well worth it.
Would I do it every year - no way. I'd resent the cost, the annual leave, the commitment.
But that's probably also because I'm not extremely close to my family.
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Post by Bastet on Oct 6, 2015 15:59:43 GMT -5
Close family yes. Extended family - absolutely not.
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Post by crazycat on Oct 6, 2015 18:00:16 GMT -5
As a one off for a special occasion would be ok but not a regular thing.
I think there needs to be a balance of group activities and time to do your own thing and it probably needs to be agreed in advance so everyone has the same expectations.
Living so far away from my family means I would love a trip where I would get to see everyone at the same time but I would also need my own space during that week.
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Post by HalcyonDaze on Oct 6, 2015 19:09:43 GMT -5
Close family yes, as long as the place is large enough for everyone to have their own space and there isn't an expectation that you do everything together all the time.
Extended family - one lot of cousins fine, the other lot maybe not so much.
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Post by leela on Oct 11, 2015 13:26:38 GMT -5
We had a family trip before kids, with the in law extended family - and they generously included my parents. I think there was a dozen of us, and we rented three apartments, and travelled there in three cars. We went to Chamonix, and tended to split into smaller groups of people with different interests, so it worked out fine. But there were only two (little) kids involved, with super relaxed parents. I imagine that it could have been trickier under other circumstances.
I would absolutely need my own space very frequently if something similar crops up in the future.
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Post by sprite on Oct 11, 2015 16:18:59 GMT -5
a.
but yes, we'd all need our own space, and maybe just one organised thing per day.
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Post by lillielangtry on Oct 12, 2015 4:56:13 GMT -5
Well, so far I've said we can't commit to timing until next year. I think my uncle is going to book the holiday flat for his immediate family and if others can make it, that's good, and if not not. If we go I think we might make a sort of two-point trip and spend a few days with the others and a few on our own. But I've bought myself some time ;-)
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Post by mei on Oct 12, 2015 5:01:52 GMT -5
that seems like a pretty good solution, lillie.
I didn't answer before, but for me it would be a definite no way. enjoying just one day with my extended family is exhausting enough.
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Post by lillielangtry on Oct 12, 2015 5:08:31 GMT -5
Er, well that is kind of the issue for me too. It's like with family Christmas - because I live abroad and don't see people often, I look forward to it loads, but when it actually comes around, it's all a bit overwhelming and before the day is out I'd love to crawl away by myself and watch a DVD!
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Post by weeg on Oct 12, 2015 5:13:01 GMT -5
I don't really have an extended family - one set of cousins we haven't seen in a decade (they didn't come to my father's funeral, we didn't make it to my Aunts due to weather). The other set we are friendly with, but they all live in NZ.
I can imagine having a great holiday with the NZers, but it would be on the basis of apartments in the same complex, not 24/7 family time.
My immediate family - not so much. Mum and sister start to get on each other's nerves pretty fast, and I find it difficult to spend time with my brother.
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Post by riverhorse on Oct 12, 2015 10:54:04 GMT -5
Extended family - one lot of cousins fine, the other lot maybe not so much. more like "one lot of cousins fine, the other lot are-you-out-of-your-fecking-mind!?!??!? This reminds me how much I'm looking forward to our few days away at the beach after I arrive in Oz |
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Post by Oweena on Oct 13, 2015 7:57:18 GMT -5
It would only work for me under the following circumstances:
Access to a car of my own
Not be in the same house/hotel/resort as them
Group meals would only happen every few days. I can't stand the whole waste of time about where to go/what to order/how to pay/take 4 hours for a meal.
So realistically after listing my requirements I'm not really a good candidate for this kind of thing.
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