During the past two spring breaks, we have had to spend spring breaks with family due to travel restrictions. I unknowingly conducted an experiment years ago: a comprehensive comparison of what it’s like to travel with my family vs. with my friends. I was fortunate enough to go on two great beach vacations, but the two trips could not have been two more opposite experiences.
The plane ride.
Family: My family travels exclusively pre-dawn, so although we avoid lines at the airport, our 5 a.m. wake up doesn’t usually make us bright-eyed or bushy-tailed travelers. Our plane rides are spent fighting for legroom as we all try to find some semblance of a comfortable sleeping position for the next few hours.
Friends: When I flew with my friends, everyone was revved up — it was one of those flights where everyone cheered at takeoff and landing. Even though our flight was super early in the morning (my parents booked the tickets, so naturally it was dark out when the plane took off), but everyone was so excited that it didn’t matter. Our plane was coincidentally populated with a series of other spring breakers, so the aisle was bustling with people trying to switch seats to sit with their friends and talking about what they were first going to do when they got off the plane.
Check-in.
Family: In my experience, check-in is usually a delight. You’re usually so happy that the bulk of your travel is over that you get to sink into a chair in the hotel lobby and wait while your parents deal with the particulars. Room insurance? What’s that? My siblings and I usually snack on something from my mom’s bag (now that we’re actually hungry because the sun has finally risen) as we try to suss out the vibes and connect to the hotel Wi-Fi.
Friends: When my friends and I tried to check into our room for spring break, it was an actual nightmare. Several of the spring breakers from the plane were going to the same resort, and the lines were atrocious. Our early morning energy wavered as my over-tired, over-heated and over-hungry friends and I struggled to communicate with the hotel administration and get access to our room key.
Getting settled.
Family: Wherever my family’s staying, we like to get the lay of the land. Every closet door is opened, my siblings and I assess and subsequently fight over choosing the best beds, and we make sure we have a plan for the rest of the day. Once everyone has claimed his or her respective territory, I like to make myself at home. I always fold and unpack my clothes, put my toiletries in the bathroom, get out the extra pillows from the closet and change out of my plane clothes as soon as I can.
Friends: After the aforementioned check-in exasperation, my friends and I proceeded to go to the completely wrong room on the 15th floor of the West tower until we realized we were actually staying in the East. Once we got there, we dropped our bags (which remained unpacked for the duration of the trip) and fled the room to meet up with everyone else and get something to eat.
Beach/pool time.
Family: This is really a time when you get to do what you want. Whether your preferred beach activity is reading, sleeping or throwing around a football, it doesn’t matter because everyone’s in a good mood on the beach. Even if you’re someone like me who doesn’t love being hot, you can sit under an umbrella and do your own thing. Given that your family vacation necessitates a lot of family time, the days are a nice time to relax and recharge your own way.
Friends: It doesn’t matter whether you’re at the beach or at the pool because it’s the same drill no matter where you go. Regardless of how hot it is, people are rarely actually in the water because they’re too busy taking pictures of how much fun they’re having. The days become a blur as you bounce around the different groups of people camped out by beach and pool; you tan, dance and don’t go back to shower until the music stops playing.
Shower hour.
Family: This is another relaxing moment in the day; you take your time as you wash the sand off your feet and assess your sunburns. You sit and chat with your family, often enjoying some light snacks as you watch the sunset and get ready for dinner.
Friends: Even though at first you and your friends all get back to the room and want to pass out, you realize you only have a finite window for rest before you have to start angling for shower order and outlet access. Your supposed “nap time” quickly devolves into a frenzy of straightening irons and outfit changes and before you know it, it’s time for dinner.
Dinners.
Family: Dinners with your family on vacation are pretty similar to dinners at home. Although the cuisine varies depending on your destination, my siblings pretty much eat the same things wherever we are. It’s always nice, you usually get dessert because “calories don’t count on vacation” (which is ironic given that this is the time you actually have to be in a bathing suit), and you usually leave feeling sated and ready for bed.
Friends: Dinners are major powwows; usually it’s hard to keep track of everyone throughout the day, so dinner is the perfect time to regroup and discuss what’s already happened before you start planning what’s going to happen next. Sometimes it can be hard to coordinate everyone, particularly if the waiter thinks he can take advantage of a group of teenagers (my friends and I were talked into over-ordering and had to work to convince our waiter we really didn’t need a jumbo-shrimp scampi for the group), but it’s a nice opportunity to sit down and carbo-load in the midst of an otherwise hectic day.
After dinner.
Family: You guys might hang out together, watch a movie or stroll around if you’re feeling ambitious, but (at least with my family), there really isn’t much of a night scene. You take this time to unwind after an exhausting day of doing nothing and go to sleep early so you can do the same thing again tomorrow.
Friends: In some sense, dinner is more like lunch because chances are you’re not going to sleep for another seven hours. Post-dinner you run back to your room to change your shoes and fix your hair, even though you already spent hours before dinner getting ready. You and all of your friends then meet up to figure out your plans for the night, which often change, but usually don’t include you coming back to your room until at least 3 a.m.
Waking up.
Family: As our travel plans would suggest, with the exception of my sister, my family is typically a group of early risers. Our mornings usually include a leisurely breakfast, some form of workout (really just for my parents) and lots of sun block, as we get ready for the day.
Friends: You wake up at various hours, so you have to wait for everyone to get up, so you can recap the night. You usually stride into breakfast circa 10 or 11, and then spend the next hour or so groggily going through pictures and debating which are acceptable to be shared on social media.
The recap.
Family: Given that most days are a lather-rinse-repeat of the steps listed above, going on a beach vacation with your family is typically (and hopefully) relaxing. It’s a really nice time to both hang out with your family and take some time for yourself.
Friends: These vacations don’t happen that often, so even though they’re crazy, suck up the sleep deprivation and savor the memories (that you have).
