Family getaways are an essential part of my summer planning. As a single mom working in the sports industry, my year is often packed with travel for work, leaving little time to unwind with my two boys. But when summer rolls around, I prioritize stress-free vacations that align with their school break.

Building memorable moments for my children to look back on is always top of mind for me. Planning family trips isn’t always easy, especially because our vacations often include our extended family. Coming from a big family that loves spending time together — including my oldest brother and his three kids — means accommodating a large group with individual interests. So how can group travel with kids — whether with extended family or your favorite friends — truly succeed? I spoke with parents and experts to uncover the best tips for planning your dream family vacation.

Not all travel budgets are equal

“Fundamentals are the building blocks of fun,” actor Mikhail Baryshnikov once said, and part of those fundamentals involve discussing finances — even if it is a touchy subject. Elizabeth Amezcua, who is a mom to three daughters and a part-time travel agent, says her job can get complicated when her traveling hopefuls haven’t discussed travel costs as a group.

“Don’t come to a travel agent if your entire group hasn’t agreed on a price range,” she shares. “It’s impossible to ask someone to plan a trip for [five] families and each family has their own budget but wants the same things. Don’t be inflexible unless you have the money to be so.”

A conversation surrounding budget-friendly group travel is especially crucial when it comes to lodging, and in her experience, there’s a better option than what people initially choose.

“They think they want houses — until they realize all the work [required]: shopping, cooking, cleaning,” Amezcua says. “I try to get families into suites in resorts. Much less work. Better activities and accommodations for everyone.” 

Consider the nuanced art of travel planning

When it comes to multifamily vacation planning, “multi” and “planning” are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Understanding those two elements for what they are and how they apply to every group that’s part of the vacation allows plans to flow as they need.

For Marilyn Lopez, mom of 4-year-old Mila, has gone on several multifamily vacations, and it’s helped to have someone else take initiative when it comes to laying out the game plan.

“We’re usually traveling every other month on short weekend getaways with close friends and almost always someone is the leader,” Lopez says. “We are heading out to Palm Springs soon with five adults and four kids, and one of the neighbors organized all of it. We all get along, so it’s good synergy.”

Lopez says these trips are typically planned close to when the trip is going to take place because the “multi” aspect of it is limited to a small number of children within the overall group.

This doesn’t work for bigger groups like Amezcua’s that require lots of prep beforehand. “In June 2024, we went to Portland for a family wedding and had to plan daily activities (zoo, river, children’s museum) for 10 kids and 12 adults,” she says. “We plan those pretty far in advance — maybe two to three months.”

And keep smaller logistical items in mind. Jennifer Silvers, a mom of three and a development psychology professor at UCLA, travels with her family throughout the country — New York, Florida and Portland — to go spend time with loved ones. She prepares by ordering essential items to be shipped to those locations.

“Sometimes, if we’re going someplace where we know we’re going to stay at someone’s house, we will order things like diapers to be delivered there ahead of time,” Silvers says. This eases their packing burdens.

Navigating boundaries and balance

“Building community is always a positive, but I think it’s important to sit down ahead of [time] and talk about what everyone’s limits are,” says Laura Dotson, a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Hermosa Beach.

The adults are running the show, and for Dotson, that means having a group understanding on everything from bedtime routines to eating habits and conflict resolution. Increasing the number of children means increasing the possibilities of conflicts to arise.

“When it’s just the adult relationships initiating it, it wouldn’t even come up. But now that children are involved, [conflict] needs to be talked about ahead of time,” she says.

This also applies to balancing activities for all ages. While some families mentioned older children helping with babysitting duties for adults to have date nights during these trips, Dotson advises that unless the older children have consented, pressing them to babysit can be manipulative.

Victoria Marin, a New York-based single co-parent of a daughter, says that during her trip to Connecticut with a close friend who has two daughters, they integrated adult time into their beach vacation, thanks to her friend’s family nanny.

“We were able to watch our children enjoy themselves from a distance, have the nanny help out and enjoy our alone time catching up with each other,” she says.

Still, mixing ages has its advantages on these types of trips because it allows for more creative collaborations — from playing together to older children teaching younger ones how to tie their shoes. “As we’re learning social skills and other skills as well, the best people to learn that from are those who recently mastered them,” Dotson says.

Adapt as necessary

This touch point feels particularly personal to me. My oldest son has autism, and many of the family trips we plan alongside my brother’s family and children require me to be aware of how the environment we are visiting will impact him.

When we planned a visit to Disneyland, I needed to call ahead of time to understand exactly how the disability access services (DAS) pass worked to explain to my nephews how we would handle going on rides as a group. Thankfully, it worked seamlessly, and we had a wonderful time. The kids were very happy to be able to go straight to the front of lines.

We’ll also typically add a trip to Dave & Buster’s to our itinerary because it’s a place my son tolerates quite well and the neurotypical children in our group equally enjoy.

Silvers’ eldest daughter, 7-year-old Eloise, is visually impaired, which causes her to have disruptive sleep patterns, so her family now travels with an inflatable tent that she sleeps in wherever they go.  

“It’s the best investment we’ve ever made, but it’s another thing we have to think about,” Silvers says. “It’s heavy; we have to bring it on the plane. [The tent] reduces the stress, but it means she can’t just sleep anywhere. But we’ve made it work.”

Whether it’s accommodating disabilities or ensuring everyone is comfortable with the itinerary, flexibility is key. Another critical aspect of this adaptability is food. Keeping everyone fueled and happy requires careful preparation, especially when traveling with multiple kids. Always have snacks ready. For the flights. During activities. Even for when you’re preparing meals or on your way out to eat.

Also, accept that you’re going to stop to eat and use the bathroom a lot.

 “If my husband and I are traveling by ourselves, we’ll see five things a day, but with the kids, we’re going to do one, maybe two,” Silvers says.

Trust the process and just have fun

That “dream vacation” I mentioned earlier? At the end of the day, parents and experts agree: Just let that fantasy go. Rather, strive for a flexible vacation. Planning and tips are nice, but the main goal is to lose yourself in the-more-the-merrier experience that is multifamily vacationing.

“Relax and let it all go. Let go of the schedule, the food, the bed and nap times. Everyone is here to have fun and let loose,” Amezcua says.

“There’s a joy we get in just being together,” Marin says.

Lopez, agrees, pushing it a bit further. Ditch the itinerary, she says. “As long as there’s good weather and a pool or beach nearby, you’re set.” 

Amelia Lopez is a Hawthorne-based communications and PR manager for TMJ and ThinkFuera. She’s been featured on Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and the Premier League for her knowledge and passion about soccer. She is also mother to two boys and an advocate for children and adults with autism.