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Family Reunions
Thinking Beyond the Summer Season for Your Family Get-together
Did summer sneak up on you again? Here it is, already the end of summer, and your good intentions of planning a family reunion leave you realizing that everything is booked and it will cost the entire family a small fortune for airfare on such short notice.
Most family reunion experts agree that planning a successful family reunion can take six months to a year. So if you're too late for this summer, don't despair. There are three more seasons left, each with something unique to offer. Who knows, after congregating in Vermont when the leaves are falling, or hitting the slopes during a Colorado winter, you may never plan a family reunion for summer again.
There are several reasons to consider planning your family fiesta for another season. Here are just a few:
- Avoid the crowds. There are already enough people together in one place when an entire family unites – why add tourists and other family vacationers to the mix?
- Take advantage of activities unique to each season. Just because it is tradition that your family meets at Lake Winnepasaki does not mean that everyone enjoys the locale. By planning reunions at other times of the year in different places, you can have new experiences together.
- School bells ring at different times. According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, more than two million students attend close to 3,000 year-round schools in 41 states and 610 school districts. If your extended family has children in year-round education, you may have no choice but to look at other times for the family get-together.
- Save money. During the summer, most prices go up in anticipation of tourism. During the less populated times of year, resort owners, hotels and activity companies may have special promotions and discounts to offer.
