Benefits Of Group And Family Getaways

Family getaways are an excellent opportunity to disconnect and bond with your children and spouse. However, here’s a little insight: embarking on a family trip when your kids are young is actually not a true vacation—it’s parenting in a different place. The scenery might be beautiful, even picturesque, but the accommodation you stay in won’t be childproof. Your kids will still rise at the crack of dawn, and while you might attempt to extend past their naptime, it probably won’t be pleasant (or beneficial) for anyone concerned. These family outings can still be incredibly enjoyable and a fantastic way to create lasting memories, but they are undeniably tiring and quite labor-intensive.

Earlier this year, when my husband and I were planning our vacation with our 3 1/2 and 1 1/2-year-olds, we received an invitation to join two other families in renting a house by the beach for a week. We eagerly accepted the chance to partner with friends who also have young children, and it proved to be the best choice we could have made. Six adults and four kids under the age of five resulted in a nearly constant mild pandemonium, yet it genuinely felt like a vacation (for the most part), and it’s an experience we will certainly repeat. Here’s why:

Everyone managed to have a genuine break throughout the week

Before kids, taking a vacation is leisurely and usually requires minimal effort. Traveling with young children is quite the contrary. Since we planned a week at the beach, our days revolved around aquatic activities. If you’re at a resort, they might offer amenities such as beach chairs or towels for the pool, but in a rental home, you have to arrange everything on your own.

Bringing children to the beach or pool when you have a rental house necessitates packing a significant amount of gear and figuring out how to transport it all to your destination. None of our kids can swim yet, so being near the water demands constant vigilance.

However, having six adults with “just” four children meant there were always extra hands available to assist. Ultimately, this allowed everyone a chance for some personal time without the kids. Individual time is essential for recharging and isn’t always feasible when you’re solely with your partner and young children on a trip.

The fathers played golf, the mothers enjoyed long walks; I had the chance to read a book in complete silence for several hours one day. Some mornings, a few adults would take the kids to the beach earlier, providing the rest of us a moment to savor our coffee in tranquility. My husband and I could likely have managed to give each other a little personal time if we were alone, but it would have been a significant effort for the other partner. We would have felt drained rather than somewhat relaxed, as we did after this trip, thanks to the extra support.

There were more adults to share the mental and physical responsibilities

Unfortunately, I must inform you that the same mental burden exists during a vacation as it does at home. Dinner still needs to be planned and prepared, laundry still awaits, and schedules still have to be managed, but having six adults meant that no one had to bear as much as they typically do at home.

The greatest relief, by far, was dividing up grocery shopping and dinner tasks. One couple might handle cooking while the rest of us cleaned up. If one person was preparing dinner for their child, it was simple to make a few additional plates for everyone else. If we required something from the store, there were multiple individuals available to fetch it.

Activities like cramming all the kids into the bathtub together or organizing a group storytime before bed also distributed the workload among all the adults, and the children found it to be great fun.

If my husband and I had been on our own, we would have faced all of this alone. It would have been no different from our usual routine and might have tarnished the vacation slightly.

Entertainment was readily available for everyone

We had two “big kids” on our trip (4 1/2 and 3 1/2) and two “little kids” (21 months and 18 months), which meant that all the kids had instant playmates. Each family packed a selection of their favorite toys from home and stocked up on mess-free markers, so when the kids weren’t splashing in the water, they had plenty to keep themselves entertained at our rental property.

It felt like a week-long playdate, which made the children significantly happier than they would have been if it were just our company and meant the adults didn’t have to entertain constantly. Certainly, there were instances where parents had to intervene in squabbles or assist, but there was ample independent play that did not involve adults.

And when the children retired for the night, the adults had the chance to socialize and enjoy themselves. We played cards, our resident cocktail aficionado concocted delightful drinks, and we spent time conversing. During a typical vacation with kids, it can be tough to have fun after they sleep since you feel confined to the house or hotel room, but this situation allowed the adults to have their own enjoyment as well.

Our budget extended further

From an organizational standpoint, having three couples contributing to the expenses for accommodation, food, and supplies meant that our budget stretched considerably. My husband and I wouldn’t have been able to afford the house we stayed in if it had only been our family, yet combining resources resulted in a better rental property.

If all the families had chosen a resort or hotel, we wouldn’t have shared rooms with friends, which means we would have missed the budget-sharing benefits we enjoyed from renting a house, and we likely would have dined out far more often, raising our food expenses.

Your budget can reach further if you begin your search for a rental well ahead of your intended travel date. The closer you get to the trip, the less availability there will be, often resulting in higher prices and fewer options suitable for everyone. Most Airbnbs or VRBOs allow you to reserve a year or more in advance, so considering where to go for the following summer isn’t a bad idea now.

Our grocery budget felt substantial since three families were contributing. If you’re driving to your destination, try to bring kitchen essentials like aluminum foil, olive oil, and your go-to spices, as most rentals aren’t well-equipped for cooking. You want to avoid spending money on items you already have in your pantry.

Our group coordinated what we would each be bringing from home for the rental, and because of our large number, we truly maximized bulk purchasing opportunities from Costco, which left a fair amount of budget for indulging in items like fresh seafood and steaks for dinner.

We’re already planning our next getaway

Staying at a resort or hotel would have still offered some of the same advantages we experienced in a house, such as having extra adults around to supervise and kids being able to play together. However, we wouldn’t have been able to share the mental load as effectively or pool resources for groceries like we did.

I’m incredibly grateful we took a group vacation this year—it felt like less burden for all the adults, the children adored having peers to play with, and everyone had the opportunity to unwind a bit. I still desire to embark on a few trips exclusively with our immediate family unit, but traveling with other families is certainly an experience I will repeat in the future.