Planning Family Reunions

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Are you planning a holiday getaway with the family or an extended family reunion vacation? Here is a list of helpful tips from the American Society of Travel Agents.

· Get started. Planning a family reunion can become complicated, especially a large reunion involving lots of people. Experienced reunion planners recommend that families begin planning up to two years in advance.
· Allow time for your guests to plan. Give them enough advance notice to adjust their own schedules in order to attend. If you are planning a reunion that involves traveling long distances, or an adventure like a cruise or a trip out of the country, many family members may need time to save money and make special arrangements for extended leave from work.
· Be prepared for guests who require special consideration. Everyone has different needs and it is important to the success of your event to be aware of those needs and have adequate time to plan accordingly. Disabled guests may need special equipment or accommodations. Others may need to arrange for pet care. Whatever the circumstances, leave yourself enough time to ensure suitable arrangements can be made to accommodate everyone.
· Pick a date and stick to it. Picking a date that works for everyone can be one of the most difficult, but one of the most important steps in planning a family reunion.
· Ask for suggestions and select a date that will work for everyone.
· Communicate plans far enough in advance that attendees will be able to avoid conflicting events.
· Avoid changing the date. Once you announce the date to family members, they immediately will begin planning other activities around it. Changing the date midstream, even once, will affect everyone and some guests may be forced to cancel.
· Communicate often. By communicating your plans to organize a family reunion early, your guests will have adequate time to plan to attend, and you can generate interest in catching up with family and creating new family memories at the reunion.
· Distribute a newsletter. A reunion newsletter is an excellent way to keep the family up-to-date on the planning process, who will be attending and what activities are planned.
· Use e-mail to keep guests informed and interested. E-mail is an inexpensive way to maintain communications with reunion guests and provides an easy way for guests to ask questions and provide feedback.
· Solicit ideas from guests. To keep everyone involved and excited about attending the reunion, allow family members the opportunity to submit ideas for planned activities, venues and menu options.
· Plan activities for everyone. Family reunions are unique in that they can involve people from all over the world, each with different interests. Your guests can span up to four generations and it is important to consider ages and physical limitations when planning activities. Grandparents may not want to participate in activities like scuba diving or water-skiing. Likewise, children may not enjoy ballroom dancing or a mahjong tournament.
· Consider holding the family reunion on a cruise ship or at an all-inclusive resort. Each offers entertainment options for every generation and can take much of the stress out of planning activities around varying interests.
· Because everyone likely will have different interests, you will be better able to plan activities if you know what they enjoy doing.
· Choose a venue that is large enough to accommodate activities for everyone and offers a variety of things to do.
· Enjoy the reunion. The best reward for organizing a large get-together is being able to enjoy the day when it arrives. Planning a family reunion can be a stressful endeavor. Ask for help so it does not become so burdensome that you are not able to spend time with your guests and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
· Recruit help. One way to ensure you have time to enjoy the reunion is to recruit willing family members to take care of last minute details. You will be surprised how much help is available if you just ask.

Source: American Society of Travel agents

 

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