Have you toyed with the idea of bringing your parents along as a built in babysitter? Wondered how everyone would survive a week without personal space? You wouldn’t be the first or the last. Traveling with our parents, our children and sometimes our siblings and their crew is the new trend. This can create lasting memories for us and our children if done well. The trick is finding the balance between just enough time together and please get me out of here!!!

Whether it is your family, your spouse’s or both it can be stressful or so much fun. We have tried at different times with both of our families. For us, we have learned to think through all of the what if’s. It may seem a little silly to plan for something that may never happen, but it never fails, if we don’t ,it does. Here are a few tips that have served us well by either planning in advance or by failing to do so and suffering a consequence that leads to family fodder for years.