Everyone remembers the show Full House. Nine people and one dog living in the same house. The past week that I spent at Cape Cod felt just like that. By the Wednesday, there were 14 of us and a dog under one roof.
This is the second year that my family has rented this house, and this year both our friends and family joined in for the fun. As fun as it was, it can also be a bit overwhelming in the planning process.
When planning a huge family and friend vacation you have to keep in mind the following:
Sleeping arrangements: Where is everyone going to sleep? Making sure that you have enough space for people to sleep is a must in the planning process. This year we had people sleeping on air mattresses all over the finished basement. It was like a week long slumber party.
Food: When we stay in a rental cottage, we buy food for all our meals and cook there in the evening instead of paying to go out to eat for seven nights in a row. We bought $100 worth of snacks and drinks before we left; another $300 on more snacks, drinks and dinner items and $200 in lobster and steamers for our seafood night. Six hundred dollars later, is it really worth it to buy food or go out to eat? It all depends on who you're vacationing with. We broke up our amounts by the three family's so in the end it was quite reasonable.
Dinner plans: If you have a large group going out to eat, call and make reservations before hand. This works out well at the popular restaurants, your party can go in and be seated even if there is a wait line out the door.
Beach days: Everyone has to go to the beach while on vacation, but everyone may have a favorite beach in mind. Compromise and hit as many different beaches as you can before your vacation ends, even if it means going to one beach in the morning and another in the evening.
Include everyone: Sometimes this can be hard, but try your overall best to do things that everyone can enjoy. Of course people can go off and do their own thing sometimes, but it is also nice to spend time as a whole. Compromising is good when it comes to doing things as well and everyone should be happy.
Planning ahead: Planning ahead is exciting, but once you are there things may change. Whether it be the weather forecast being wrong or deciding to take a day to just rest, being flexible is key. You don't want anyone getting too upset if something that they really wanted to do didn't happen.
Including four-legged friends: Dogs are a part of the family too and I personally try to include mine in whatever we do. This can be hard when it comes to beaches though, not all beaches allow dogs or will allow them during certain times of the year. This year we found out that the shops on Main Street in Chatham allow dogs to come in as well as those on Commercial Street in Provincetown.
Privacy: This can be really difficult depending on the size of the house. Luckily our rental home has three bathrooms, but with 14 people staying there at once, there was still a wait to use them. It will also increase the chances of being walked- in on while in the bathroom or changing in a room that you didn't know was occupied. And as much as we all love our friends and families, it is hard to just spend some time by yourself if you're in a bad mood and just need to get away for a while.
As every other vacation, the time goes by too quickly. Enjoy the time you get to spend with friends and family while you can. After you come home, your vacation feels like it was only a few days instead of a week, keep those memories you made in your mind and dream about next years vacation!
