Posted on 08/30/2017
While planning a vacation for your entire gang – the kids, grandparents, and you – might seem like an impossible task when it comes to pleasing everyone, we certainly know a thing or two about how to make everyone in your brood downright happy on your next multi-generational trip.
To maximize the fun – and your hard-earned vacation dollars – the overall value of an all-inclusive resort is tough to beat. With oodles of properties located throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, you can virtually customize the kind of getaway everyone in your family wants and deserves. Most resorts provide a seemingly endless list of activities and accommodations to meet every family’s needs.
Photo credit: TourismPEI via Visual hunt / CC BY
First, before you contact your local travel professional, make sure to get everyone in the family involved in the planning process. While that may seem like a no-brainer, it’s important to know what each person is interested in doing and allow them the opportunity to experience it. Kids, especially the young ones, will love feeling like they are a part of making the trip a success.
Once you have a good idea of what everyone wants, contact your local travel professional. They can help you find the perfect all-inclusive resort that will fit your family’s interests – and budget. Not all resorts are created equal and it takes a knowledgeable travel pro to find just the right all-inclusive property to meet all your needs and wants. And be realistic on the amount of time you plan to be away. Seven to ten days usually allows everyone enough time to experience everything they want.
Photo credit: Kirt Edblom via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA
Do make it a priority to plan activities for everyone – including you! Don’t expect everyone to participate in every activity, but give them the opportunity to do so if they’d like. Also, be sure to plan a few activities that you know everyone in your family will enjoy doing together. Perhaps it’s dinner and a show. The wider the age range in your extended family, the more options you'll want to consider.
To help you discover and experience an unforgettable family vacation, our travel professionals have teamed up with Travel Impressions and Delta Vacations to help get you started on planning your dream getaway. Together, our hand-selected group of properties has something for everyone in your gang.
Beach Palace, Cancun photo credit: corsi photo via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
We recommend checking out Palace Resorts which prides itself on setting the highest standards for all-inclusive vacations in the Mexican Caribbean. For families, that means unparalleled service and signature amenities, luxurious accommodations, 24-hour room service, world-class dining, in-room dining, wireless Internet, in-room double whirlpool tubs, and much more. Your crew can enjoy a snorkeling adventure, sailing the sea on a yacht, or go on a relaxing boat ride. Palace Resorts offers you the option to enjoy non-motorized water sports with the family.
For those families looking to have their every wish and desire met with attentive service, Karisma Hotels & Resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean will attend your brood with their private butlers, personal concierges, and culinary masters who never cease to amaze. Karisma’s beachfront boutique hotels, private villas, and lavish resorts are impeccable and offer swim-up suites and cars, canopied beach beds, and beachfront Sky Massages that will make your family beg you to stay one more day thanks to their Gourmet Inclusive® Experience. And Karisma’s clubs for teens and kids are designed to keep everyone happily engaged.
Photo credit: www.adamshomestaycochin.com via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
When it comes to experiencing an indulgent all-inclusive getaway, Dreams Resorts & Spas offer a high level of luxury for families, in ideal beachfront settings with their Unlimited-Luxury®. Spacious rooms and suites, graciously appointed and luxuriously equipped, provide a picture-perfect vacation experience with welcoming service and romantic inclusions. The Explorer’s Club for Kids with Red Cross certified staff and Core Zone Teens Club provide supervised day and evening activities. Beautiful and exciting destinations provide a lovely setting for a wedding, honeymoon, romantic getaway or family vacation. Unlimited-Luxury® includes many amenities including limitless access to gourmet à la carte dining options without reservations required.
Photo credit: donnierayjones via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
With so much to do and see at an all-inclusive resort it’s also important to make it a point to take plenty of breaks – after all this is your vacation and you should have time to relax. Maybe the grandparents can enjoy an afternoon by themselves while others hit the beach with the kids. If you have more than one child, divide them up amongst the grownups, so each feels like the center of the universe for a day. Just don’t overtax the grandparents. While it's great to have grandma and grandpa around to play babysitter, their idea of a vacation might not involve staying in with the kids every night while mom and dad go out on the town. Have this discussion beforehand. Even if they insist, be sure to fit in time for them to get out alone for dinner one night, too. Regrouping sometime towards the end of the day and sharing your stories over dinner or late night snacks is great fun.
Remember, no matter where you travel or stay, be sure to capture all the special moments you have while together. It’s ok to take a million pictures! And then some more. When you return home you’ll be thrilled you did!
Hero image: Kansas Poetry (Patrick) via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-ND