Stumped with a decision for your next extended family reunion? Maybe you’ve hosted at your house in the past, but the family has grown and you’re just out of extra bedroom and couch space? Or, you’re looking for something that is going to keep everyone (grandma, grown kids, little ones) happy?
A popular and growing solution is the all-inclusive resort gathering in Mexico or the Caribbean. An all-inclusive resort makes things so much easier. Food and drinks are covered, there are lots of ways to stay busy at the resort, and there are optional excursions for the more adventurous in the group.
This is especially good for extended families spread across the US. Everyone can arrive on flights from their departure cities, meeting at the resort for time to spend together. The toughest part, then, is deciding upfront the best travel dates and a budget that works for all.
If you are the family coordinator, here is how you get started in the process for planning your all-inclusive resort family gathering:
- Talk with each family to get a consensus on travel dates. If one party has limited time, they can always join the group for a portion of the stay (say, the first 3 nights), while everyone else enjoys a longer stay (say, 5 to 7 nights).
- Get an honest assessment of budget. Make sure everyone participating has given their input on budget — the lowest budget will generally determine the budget of the group as a whole.
- Get a headcount of family, by departure city, along with ages of children at time of travel.
- Does everyone have passports, or will be able to get passports in time for travel?
- Are their any limited mobility issues in your family? If so, a smaller resort might be a better fit.
- Discuss destinations. Playa del Carmen (south of Cancun) is a favorite, along with Jamaica and Punta Cana. Some of the other Caribbean islands can be a bit tricky to coordinate flight schedules, but it doesn’t mean they are impossible to coordinate.
- With this information, contact me by email [email protected] or call at 972-625-6200. I can then put together package ideas to work with your family’s travel requirements.
- Review the options with your family members to pick your favorite resort option.
- Each “head of family” would then contact me directly with final details and to process payment.
- It’s that easy!
~Happy travels! Cindy Grant, Expert Family Travel. 972-625-6200. Located in The Colony/Frisco Texas in the Dallas metro area. We are located near Plano, Little Elm, Lewisville, and Irving.