Family reunions are a great way to catch up with everyone and spend some quality time together. Because so many families don’t live near one another, family reunions have become a necessity for in-person familial bonding that people wouldn’t get otherwise. Perhaps that’s why this event has been gaining in popularity in the past several decades. According to an Ipsos survey, around 63% of people have attended a reunion, and around 29% has attended a reunion in the last two years.
While family reunions can be incredibly fun, it takes a lot of planning for this to happen. Thanks to the rise in networking technology, organizing a reunion event has never been easier. All it takes now is communication and some planning ahead. Here are 8 tips on how to successfully organize a family reunion.
1. Decide on who to invite.
Do you want to invite intermediate family like siblings and parents? Or do you want the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents to be there? What side of the family will you invite? Are boyfriends and girlfriends acceptable to bring? Figure out who you want to spend time with during this reunion.
2. Contact the family.
In order to begin reunion plans, you will have to open the lines of communication with the family. Ask for help in the planning process, so that it isn’t just you doing all the heavy lifting. Call up family members or send them messages through email and social media. Ask them what their thoughts are on a potential family reunion.
It’s also a good idea to give family members plenty of notice. Many people plan their vacations a year ahead of time, in order to give more time for preparation. If the planning process becomes too hectic, you can assign each family member a task for them to tackle. For instance, one person can look up vacation spots while another person tries to find a time period that everyone is available. You can also delegate tasks to decide who will bring what. If the family is planning a camping trip, one person can bring the food while another person brings tents.
3. Look at potential hosting spots.
There are a number of vacation spots to choose from. Cruise lines, outdoor camping sites, hotels, and house rentals are just some of the options your family has. Nowadays, vacation rentals tend to be more popular than hotels because they are cheaper and offer more living space.
You can also host a family reunion at someone’s house. This option tends to be the cheapest and easiest to arrange. If a family member has a house with plenty of room and beds, ask whether they would be willing to host.
4. Set a date.
Setting a date will be one of the more complicated tasks in organizing a reunion. Inviting a lot of people may be difficult because there will be a lot of conflicting schedules to appease. Try your best to find a weekend or week that everyone will be available to vacation. Summer is a popular time to take a holiday, and for good reason. School is out and people prefer to spend time outdoors when it’s warm.
Another question to consider will be how long the reunion should last. Reunions typically go from one weekend to an entire week. Once you’ve figured out the date and time period that everyone is comfortable with, set the date and stick to it.
5. Decide on a location.
The location should be decided on factors like budget and availability. Entertainment and activities should also be considered when picking a location. The ideal reunion spot would have plenty of activities, like sports, theaters, restaurants, amusement parks, museums and other attractions.
6. Consider your budget.
Make sure that the reunion is affordable for everybody involved. If a family member is struggling financially, it may not be a good idea to host a reunion at an expensive hotel. When it comes to money, you should also save up enough for potential spending during the event. It would be embarrassing if you came up short while spending money on lodging or entertainment.
7. Organize activities and meals.
Find different ways to spend time with the family through various activities. Once the location is booked, it’s a good idea to plan out what sort of activities you’ll be having. Think about what kind of interests and passions your family has, and try to apply that knowledge to activity planning. Also be sure to think about meal planning. Are there any local restaurants that you’ll want to visit? What kind of food will you want to bring?
8. Pack up and go.
The most effective way to pack up everything you need is by creating a packing checklist. Try to remember to bring necessary things like toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, soap, food coolers, and laptops. If you happen to forget to bring a necessity, you’ll have to purchase it while you are at the reunion.
