Tips for a Successful Family Vacation

Not everyone is in a position to do this, but nothing gives me more pleasure than treating my daughter Daphne, her husband Etan, my grandson Jack (14) and my granddaughter Lucy (11) to one special spring break trip each year. With me living in Boston and them residing in Philly, I enjoy visiting them few times a year, but I know that they're working my visit into a very tight schedule. In addition to working, they are invariably shlepping my grandchildren from one activity to another.

So a vacation together, especially like the one we just had in Rome and Florence, means nobody has to assume responsibity for cooking, cleaning or emptying the dishwasher. 

Here are my tips:

(1) Make one family member the point person for activities and transportation. My son-in-law is a genius at finding fun things to do, such as a private gelato crawl in Florence with a local food expert. Of course he also lined up a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Coliseum, and a visit to the Accademia. In addition, he made arrangements for our train trip from Rome to Florence..

(2) Allow those who don't want to see every single point of interest to opt out. For example, on the day Etan, Jack, and Lucy went to see the Leaning Tour of Pisa (been there, done that), Daphne and I went out for a delightful breakfast in Florence, and then we went on our mission, finding the right lambskin jackets for purchase.

(3) Make one family member responsible for advance restaurant reservations. Again, my son-in-law is brilliant at identifying the go to spots for delicious family meals. In Florence we went to Tratoria Del Gobbi, and also to Coquinarius, famous for its pear ravioli. 

(4) Do not assume everybody has to stay in the same place. My son-in-law identified 3 bedroom, 3 bath Air rental apartments, just two blocks from the lovely hotels I preferred for myself. This gave me the opportunity to have sumptuous, leisurely, two cappucccino breakfasts at both the Hotel Raphael in Rome, where a harpist played each morning, and at the Hotel Spadai in Florence.

(5) Allow family members the flexibility to arrive and depart as needed. I chose to arrive in Rome three days before the rest of the family to allow myself time to get over jet lag. I assumed everybody would want to get on a plane the minute Philly's spring break started, but as it happened, Lucy had a cheer competition in Maryland, so the rest of the family flew out on Saturday night and I met them the next day.

(6) If family members are really excited about extending their itinerary and you're not, let them do it. Initially I felt upset about their slashing one night from their stay in Florence to visit Venice. I'd done that years before, and besides, my tolerance for packing and unpacking is limited. After talking it through with one of my grandma friends, I realized their leaving me on my own for a day in Florence had no downside.

Bon Voyage!