Everyone loves a good family reunion, but nobody really likes to plan one. At least not all alone. There’s a lot of work involved in organizing a family reunion, and as the family grows every year, it becomes even more of a logistical challenge.

If you lost out or even volunteered to help organize the next family reunion, you’re going to need all the support you can get. All your success begins in the planning phase. If you set out with a good plan, organizing and running a quality family reunion will not be a full-time job.

If you have no idea where to start, you wouldn’t be the first. This article aims to point you in the right direction so that family reunification planning doesn’t drive you crazy:

Consider all age groups

A family reunion brings people of all ages together, from the youngest to the oldest of grandparents. There are a range of activities that anyone can take part in, but interests vary greatly from age group to age group. This is something to keep in mind as you start planning your next family reunion.

Let’s say your next family vacation will be in California next to a renowned winery. The adults in your party would love to take part in a wine tasting as part of the celebrations. However, this excludes anyone under the age of 21 from participating. That’s fine as long as you also compensate with an equally exciting activity for the younger group. Perhaps the younger squad can be sent to a local theme park to while away the time during the wine tasting.

As a general rule, if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for things to do, just ask! Send a short survey to the family asking for suggestions for things to do. You’ll hear directly from the kids and adults what they’re interested in, and you can use these ideas to create a plan that works for everyone.

Delegate responsibilities

One person should not be responsible for every aspect of a family reunion, especially if you have a large extended family. All of this pressure and stress can be too much for one person, even if they hope to fully enjoy the reunion.

There are many people who would be happy to help with the planning and organization if you just ask them. An uncle might have a really fun game that he’s dying to teach everyone. Grandma might be thrilled to hear the family wants her to be in charge of the weekend desserts. You’ll be happy to contribute, and the designated organizer doesn’t have to do everything alone.

Even some of the little ones can be given responsibility. Smaller children can help set the table for any meals you prepare and eat together. They can also be tasked with picking up a certain number of toys and trash each night before bed so the need for cleaning doesn’t get out of hand.

Leave some time unplanned

Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all. Some family members haven’t seen each other for a long time and just want some time to get together. Children can come up with all sorts of games and activities without any guidance. These periods of unstructured time can create some of the fondest memories of a family reunion.

The best thing about this off-peak time is that it requires little to no work. You can focus your planning and organization on other activities without being too thinly spread. You can even consider planning one big activity each day and letting the family use the rest of the time as they please.

Don’t overdo it with the unstructured playtime. Organized activities and events bring the whole gathering together. In your final plans, try to find the perfect balance between the two.

Have a backup plan ready

No matter how well you plan and organize an event, things can always go wrong. It’s never a bad idea to have a backup plan for the various events and activities you have planned for a family reunion. In this way, a plan that fails never ends in complete chaos and can be quickly replaced by a suitable fallback plan.

For example, some of your planned activities may take place outdoors. If so, what happens to your itinerary if it rains? A rainy day backup plan ensures that unlucky weather doesn’t completely derail the reunion as a whole. Remember to stock up on some board games or all the ingredients for a game of charades while you wait for the rain to pass.

Pretty much anything can use a backup plan. Prepare for when meal plans fall through, shows get canceled or flights get delayed. On a journey this big, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Plan a budget

Family reunions can get expensive. Not all families at reunion have the same income to work with. You can’t properly plan a family reunion in Hawaii knowing you’re excluding certain people from attending. When planning, you should keep an eye on an overall budget that does justice to as many people as possible.

Every time you talk about food, travel, or an activity, attach a dollar sign to it. Make sure you know what everything costs before making any purchases or bookings. You can even consider getting certain things done by family members before making bookings, e.g. B. for hotel stays or excursions. Financial stress can quickly ruin an otherwise pleasant reunion.

Budgets can be flexible. You don’t have to stick to a hard limit if you don’t want to. However, it is sound financial practice to at least keep a running total of what the costs should be and what to expect. Perhaps make certain activities that can cost a lot of money optional, and provide adequate replacements for anyone who chooses not to.

Stick to traditions

Every family has their own unique traditions. Some are simple, like hosting an annual Fourth of July BBQ. Others are a little weirder, like hiding a pickle in the family Christmas tree. When the entire extended family comes together, there are more opportunities to create long-lasting traditions.

Think of family traditions that already exist. Incorporate these into your family reunification schedule. These traditions are an easy way to add some time when you’re trying to fill up on several days of excitement. It doesn’t matter if the tradition is a chilli cook-off or going to a movie together; Every tradition counts.

If you feel like it, try some new traditional ideas. These can become permanent additions for future family gatherings. It also gets you trying some new things that you might not have considered before, such as: B. a photo shoot from the old days or playing mini golf together.

Properly prepared, a family reunion can easily become the highlight of the year. Even if there is no set date for your next reunion, it is never too early to start making plans. The earlier you start, the less stressed you’ll feel when the scheduled appointments appear on the calendar.

Selected photo credits: Photo by Askar Abayev; Pixel; Thank you very much!

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