by Debra Cornelius

Created on: March 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 15, 2007

It's true, sometimes too much of a 'good thing' is just too much! When it comes to family vacations this can be especially true!

If somehow you have all decided to vacation in the first place, congratulations!

I'm willing to bet it won't be many hours into this together time before bickering or at least tensions start to mount.

There are perfectly logical reasons for this tension. Even for a vacation, changes have been made to the daily routine and that places stress on everyone! Even good things stress our emotions and physical bodies so it is wise to consider allowing for individual down time while on vacation with family.

Just because everyone arrived at the selected vacation spot at the same time does not mean it is all or nothing when it comes to activities! Go as a group when you all agree, it will form precious memories for years to come, however, individuals may wish to strike out on their own at times as well. In doing so, don't get all huffy about it, rather set a time and place to meet for an evening meal and look forward to hearing about each other's great adventures.

Individual exploration can even be encouraged by making a game of it. Why not send each family member on a scavenger hunt? Provide a list of information to collect, souveniers to be gathered or photos to be taken and see who came closest to completing everything on their list when they return to the pre-arranged meeting place.

If real tensions arise to the point whee there is just no way to get along, there is always the option of scouting for a private motel room and making next year's vacation a solo trip!

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