Travel with extended family?

caybeh

My family (DH and I) have only traveled with my side of the family twice in the six years we've been married. I see and hear some of my friends talk about vacationing every summer with both sides of their family. This got me curious. Do others travel with extended family? Who and how often? Are there still siblings left at home? 

DH's family does not like to travel. For his parents, coming down to our house (a three hour trip) is enough for them and they only stay 24 hours. My parents take a trip once a summer, and is usually to visit family of some sort. 

Spin313

Not really vacationing, but DH's step family rents a cabin for Thanksgiving and we go down to visit with that side of family.

caybeh

Yeah, I should clarify. I would have no problem vacationing with either side. We just don't, I guess. Maybe next summer for a cousin's graduation out of state, if we go, that is.

I would have gone with my parents this year on their vacation, but I was rather pregnant, and DH wanted to save vacation time for when DD was born.

Mustardseed2007

My H and I have traveled 3x with my family and 1x on a full vacation with his family, though several trips to his dad's home town or to their cabin in the country-just weekend trips.

We are going to WDW in December with my mom and cousins and next year my hope is to take a trip without any inlaws at all for our next big trip.

I do like having them along and helping with the kids, but I think it would be fun to go alone as well so that's why I have that goal.

I am never ever EVER going to go on a trip with DH's brother and sil ever EVER again. We have now been on TWO trips where they ended up screaming and fighting with each other (both trips with their 2 children there). The last incident was when my DS was a baby and there is just no way we are ever doing that again.

Keeptruckin

We are doing a Disneyland trip this February with my folks and 3 of my sisters. I am so excited! We have done lots of little road trips with my parents. Mostly, I am looking forward to built in babysitters so DH and I can have some time together alone.

mandymack

We are more of a "travel to visit family" family, too.

We go spend about 3 weeks every summer with the grandparents (my parents and the kid's only grandparents) and my only sibling and they come visit us for each of my kid's birthdays and for Christmas. They have flown in to spend some time with us when we've been to Disneyland and SoCal beach and that was really fun!

DaisyZH

We just went on our first vacation with my parents and brother over the summer.  We have plans to travel with MIL in the next 1-2 years depending on finances.

jag101

I love vacations where we go to visit family. I get along great with my ILS, but I don't know if I could spend an extended amount of time with them and it end well.

id012

We always get a beach cottage every year and everyone comes down for how every long as they want. More often then not my ILs dont come so its more my family and our friends and such.
We dont like go to mexico with my parents, tho I would love to go to Europe with them.

Ilumine

Yes. 

When we lived in Germany, my parents and sister came to visit us (parents 3 times, sis once) and we did some major travel.  

And just two weeks ago, DH, DD and I went to WDW and my parents came midway and finished out our week. 

Finally, my aunt sells cruises.  Each year there is one cruise that the various extended families participate in, if they are able.  

Vacationing with family all depends on expectation and boundaries - though the expectations can and should be fluid to match the individual trip.  

Europe would have just been harder, though not difficult to cordite had my family not come to our house first then onto our destinations.  Therefore the expectations of how we would function on the trip were different than WDW.  

There, when we invited them to join us, we explicitly told them that we would be doing X, Y, and Z without them, but as a core family AND that we would not be staying together.  Knowing that, they choose to only come for a few days, where we could do things together.  

 When it comes to the cruise, we very much split the difference.  We all eat dinner at the same time at the same tables.  But during the day, who we hang with all depends on how we feel.  And the understanding is that it is not personal.  

The reason why we have been able to be so successful at extended family vacations is that we tell each other what our plans are UP FRONT.  And that we stand firm with our decisions.