Traveling with your parents, does that sound to you like a fun family vacation or your worst nightmare? It really depends on your stage of life. When you are a child, traveling with parents is kind of your only option. As a teenager, traveling with parents has the perk of having them pay for everything, even though you may roll your eyes at their old-fashioned ways. It is once you enter adulthood that traveling with parents or in-laws can become a trying experience. We all have different preferred methods of traveling, and different destinations that we want to see.
The best time to travel with your parents. Image source: pixabay.com
The best way to do traveling with in-laws is to plan your itinerary ahead of time, and make sure everyone has a say and contributes one thing that they want to do. Think about you and your parents’ favourite activities and see what you want to do together and apart. For example, if your mother-in-law really loves shopping but you’d rather browse a museum, see if there is a day you can separate for a few hours to do your respective preferred activities. All the rules of good itinerary planning also apply: if anyone wants to see a show or go to a museum, try to book the tickets ahead of time to avoid any unnecessary stress while on your trip.
The British Museum. Image source: Wikipedia
Try to schedule in some time where you and your parents or in-laws can be apart. Traveling together can be a trying experience for both of you, so arrange some time where you can be alone and maybe vent about your parents/children to your significant other.
It’s also important to plan activities together! A lot of this article has been discussing how best to avoid each other while on holiday together, but let’s not forget why we are traveling with our parents/in-laws in the first place; to spend time with them. Find something that everyone will like, even if it’s just a day at the beach or a city walking tour. Think of activities that are best in a group and won’t have anyone get lost in the crowd.
Group hiking tour. Image source: Wikipedia
Remember, your parents are people too and people just want to have a good time when they are on vacation. Sometimes, that makes people stressed and cranky because there are few things more stressful than the demand that you must have a good time when you are in an unfamiliar environment. The key is communication. Make sure that everyone is saying whether they are having a good time and what they want to change. Check up on everyone regularly, but make sure someone is also checking on you. You don’t want to be like the party host that is trying so hard to please people that they don’t enjoy the party. The most important thing is to enjoy yourself!
