Family vacations tend to conjure up images of a mom, dad and younger children enjoying each other's company in a faraway city, campground or beach: However, adult children can still vacation with Mom and Dad. Being together --- away from normal daily routines -- can give a family the opportunity to relax and get to know each other on a deeper level, even after the children become adults. Take a family vacation with your adult children to recapture the closeness you felt when they were younger, or to start a new tradition and enjoy the adults they've become. Vacationing together is a possibility, no matter how far you live from each of your children.
Step 1
Discuss vacation options as a group, with all parties involved. Have a webcam conference or a conference phone call, so everyone can have a say in the destination -- if you can't meet in person. Vote on the vacation and go where everyone -- or the majority -- want to go. The family can rent a large cabin in the mountains, take a cruise, stay at a bed-and-breakfast along the coast or stop by the nation's capital for an educational visit.
Step 2
Plan a location or destination that offers activities for young children, if grandchildren are involved. Multi-generational vacations provide an opportunity for the entire family to bond, especially if you don't live near one another.
Step 3
Lay out who is paying for what. Some adult children may expect Mom and Dad to foot the bill, which could create a family feud instead of a bonding, relaxing vacation.
Step 4
Make specific travel plans, such as who will rent the car and drive, or if the family will meet at a central airport -- or the final destination. For example, the entire family could fly into a central airport, then catch the same connecting flight to the final destination, so you all arrive together.
Step 5
Leave some free time in the vacation schedule to allow the parents and adult children to participate in activities they enjoy, but the others might not. Having together- and separate-time planned out, allows everyone to fully enjoy their vacation; as well as time with the family.