I’d love to arrange a big family getaway one year. It would be particularly fun to do it with my family who live in Iran. We don’t get to meet up as often as we’d like. Luckily we spend a lot of time catching up with each other over Facetime and Skype each week.
We have a large family so we’d be looking for big party houses in a beautiful and relaxing location. Planning a big event like this would take a lot of work but with enough time and some strong organisational skills it can be done.
When it comes to planning a big family event there’s a lot to think about. It can be quite a stressful process so it helps to be very organised. For a basic start you need to be aware of everyone’s budget, have a keen eye for finding cosy cottages for large groups and ensure everyone agrees on the location.
I may not have arranged a family getaway before but I have done similar trips with friends. There’s a lot to think about so I’ve made a list of everything I think you need to remember. If you have anything to add then please leave it in the comment section below.
7 Things To Remember When Planning a Big Family Getaway
Organistion
Let the most organised person take the lead with planning. Try to avoid everyone pitching in and trying to help. It will only slow the whole process down and could even mean that the trip never happens.
Start early
Start planning and organising the trip as early as possible. A year in advance would be ideal and would give you enough time to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.
Budget
When you’re arranging an event for a big number of people you need to take everyone’s budget into account. You could do this by asking everyone to fill in an anonymous form (Google forms would work for this) and ask for everyone’s budget, date, location preferences etc.
Set the date
If you decide to use a form, as suggested above, you’ll be able to see which date availability everyone has and work out the best option from there. This is much easier than asking everyone to throw their availability into a WhatsApp group, you’ll only make your job a lot harder.
Location
Once again, the good old Google Form should have helped with this. You can then narrow down the location choices and start your accommodation research.
It’s important to take into account that the accommodation you pick is accessible for everyone.
Food
Food brings everyone together. If you’re having a family reunion it might be a good idea to opt for catered accommodation. Having the luxury of a chef on site will make your family getaway that extra bit special. It will also allow you and your family to take the extra time to relax and catch up.
Alternatively you might prefer to go self-catering and have everyone chip in with the cooking. If you’re opting for this then I’d suggest planning a big Ocado order in advance and booking for it to arrive on the same day that you do.
Drinks and snacks
Stock up on your favourite snacks and drinks for the weekend. Give everyone a specific task to ensure nothing is forgotten. Have different people in charge of bringing fresh fruit, crisps, chocolate, dips and anything else you love to snack on.
Plan the drinks bar in advance, especially if you like to make cocktails. I think it’s best to pick out a few cocktails everyone will like and ensure you have all the ingredients ready to go. This is much easier than buying a bunch of random things and then trying to make cocktails out of them. I think Aperol Spritz and Espresso Martinis always go down well.