Seven Tips on Planning
A Family Reunion
They can be the most heartwarming—or the most chilling—words in the English language: Family Reunion. If the thought of organizing your extended family for a long weekend away sends a shiver down your spine, relax. If you start early, do your homework, and take advantage of new digital tools, you can pull off a multigenerational outing that will delight everyone from one to 100. Here is our all-you-need-to-get-started guide to planning the party of the year!
1. Start the conversation. At least a year in advance, start talking to your extended family's "idea leaders"—the ones who typically make the decisions and can get people on board. The earlier the better when coordinating the schedules of many families. People like to know 'Next September we're all getting together'. They like to plan ahead because there are so many work/vacation schedules for adults, seasonal jobs, and sports programs for teens, etc. At least a year ahead is advisable, if your family intends to plan something ambitious, like an overseas trip, a popular resort, or a cruise. The leaders will need to make decisions about accommodations, travel insurance, flight times, or types of rental cars, who you want to honor, acknowledge, and encourage.
2. Pick the perfect destination. Depending on who is paying for the trip, will make a difference in who picks the destination. If each family is paying their own way, input is needed from everyone, but if grandma and grandpa decide to pay, then they should make the decision. The idea people need to get some feedback from family on what is most affordable and fits family members’ schedules. If you're planning to include a lot of people in your family reunion, consider sending out a survey (by postal mail and/or email) to let people know that a reunion is in the works. This will help you gauge interest and preferences, and ask for help with the planning. Include possible dates, proposed reunion type, and a general location (discussing possible costs early on can discourage a positive response).
There are several different types of destinations:
4. Delegate. As with any family get-together, a reunion may require a lot of work. It is best if there are one or two coordinators who can delegate activities. They can include responsibilities for communications, reservations, meals, and activities. It is like a well-run business with staff that works independently and reports back to the group regularly.
5. Plan Details:
7. Keep the fun going. Designate a volunteer or volunteers to create and send out a post-reunion newsletter with stories, photos and news items from the reunion. If you collected family information, send along an updated genealogy chart as well. This is a great way to get p ple excited about the next reunion, as well as include less fortunate family members who were not able to attend.
They can be the most heartwarming—or the most chilling—words in the English language: Family Reunion. If the thought of organizing your extended family for a long weekend away sends a shiver down your spine, relax. If you start early, do your homework, and take advantage of new digital tools, you can pull off a multigenerational outing that will delight everyone from one to 100. Here is our all-you-need-to-get-started guide to planning the party of the year!
1. Start the conversation. At least a year in advance, start talking to your extended family's "idea leaders"—the ones who typically make the decisions and can get people on board. The earlier the better when coordinating the schedules of many families. People like to know 'Next September we're all getting together'. They like to plan ahead because there are so many work/vacation schedules for adults, seasonal jobs, and sports programs for teens, etc. At least a year ahead is advisable, if your family intends to plan something ambitious, like an overseas trip, a popular resort, or a cruise. The leaders will need to make decisions about accommodations, travel insurance, flight times, or types of rental cars, who you want to honor, acknowledge, and encourage.
2. Pick the perfect destination. Depending on who is paying for the trip, will make a difference in who picks the destination. If each family is paying their own way, input is needed from everyone, but if grandma and grandpa decide to pay, then they should make the decision. The idea people need to get some feedback from family on what is most affordable and fits family members’ schedules. If you're planning to include a lot of people in your family reunion, consider sending out a survey (by postal mail and/or email) to let people know that a reunion is in the works. This will help you gauge interest and preferences, and ask for help with the planning. Include possible dates, proposed reunion type, and a general location (discussing possible costs early on can discourage a positive response).
There are several different types of destinations:
- All Inclusives: All-inclusive
resorts offer plenty of activities during the day, plus kids' programs. Families
can decide to do some activities together and split up for other things and
re-group at dinner. Whether you're a
partier or just a fan of fine dining, swimming pools, and white-sand beaches,
one of the most appealing aspects of the all-inclusive is that you can go for
days without ever reaching for your wallet.
- Cruises: Cruise are
like floating all-inclusive resorts with the same potential to be together or
easily break off for separate activities. A cruise might just be the easiest reunion
from a planner's point of view, with ample opportunities for age-appropriate
activities, easy seating for meals, and special events such as private cocktail
parties, photo sessions, and a fairly standard discount of one free passenger
for every eight cabins. But because most cruises are not strictly
all-inclusive, do keep an eye on extra costs—that glass of wine you raise to
toast your grandparents may set you back $10. Also, there are several travel
planners that will coordinate the whole event for you for little cost. http://www.petersontravelpros.com/cruise-the-world-for-free.html
Disney World: If your family doesn’t mind spending top dollar, then Disney World is a wonderful vacation.
Rental Homes: Ideal for large families who get along great together and want to save on costs.
Family Adventure: If your family likes to hop out of bed every morning itching to climb, hike, bike, and explore, escorted tours with all details handled and excellent lodgings can be a good idea.
4. Delegate. As with any family get-together, a reunion may require a lot of work. It is best if there are one or two coordinators who can delegate activities. They can include responsibilities for communications, reservations, meals, and activities. It is like a well-run business with staff that works independently and reports back to the group regularly.
5. Plan Details:
- Make
reservations. Reservations can all be made online,
but a bunch of paperless reservations (flights, hotels, rental cars, and
restaurants) made by a team of far-flung relatives can sometimes spell
confusion. Use a reliable app such as TripIt or
Google
docs to store and share all your
important dates, times, and ticket info. In general, you should get a head
count and make lodging reservations six to nine months prior to your reunion;
buy plane tickets four to six months in advance; book activities at your destination
about six months in advance; double-check your head count when final payments
are due (usually 60 to 45 days prior to travel); and re-confirm all your
reservations and any airport transportation and car rentals one week in
advance.
- Plans to record the overall event. Whether you designate a specific relative as the
official reunion photographer, or hire a professional photographer to take
photos or videos, you should prepare a list of the people and events that you
want recorded. For spontaneous "moments," purchase a dozen disposable
cameras and hand them out to volunteer guests. Don't forget to collect them at
the end of the day!
- Print
up a program Create a program that
outlines the lineup of scheduled reunion events to provide to family members as
they arrive for the reunion. You may also want to send this out via email or
your reunion Web site in advance of the reunion as well. This will help serve
as a reminder to people of activities which may require they bring something
with them, such as a photo wall or family tree chart. Or set up a private
Facebook page for family members to communicate with each other.
- Plan to take a group photo
- Plan what souvenirs to provide
- Bring Photo Albums to Share
- Have kids create music or family skit night
7. Keep the fun going. Designate a volunteer or volunteers to create and send out a post-reunion newsletter with stories, photos and news items from the reunion. If you collected family information, send along an updated genealogy chart as well. This is a great way to get p ple excited about the next reunion, as well as include less fortunate family members who were not able to attend.
