Holiday Travel Tips For Big Families

*Thanks to my bonus mom for helping me write this!♥

My parents inspire me so much. They're very family oriented. With seven adult children and seven grandchildren, one of their top priorities is to keep us all enjoying life together. They're very savvy with financial matters. They constantly save up money so they're able to vacation together a few times a year. Because of them my children have traveled to more places than I have in my entire life! Because of them, my family and I were able to go to Walt Disney World for the first time.

For Christmas 2015, and for the second time, my parents gifted their children with a resort expenses paid trip about three hours from our home, to Branson, MO. They rented out both sides of a log cabin duplex and purchased all food items- breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and snacks. The only thing we were responsible for were our transportation and activity expenses.

*Prepare yourself for a photo overload*

Our Cabin
Each side of the cabin had a full kitchen, dining room, huge deck, washer and dryer, 3 bedrooms (1 was open, no walls) with King sized beds, 2 full bathrooms, a fireplace, 3 televisions with cable, and a sofa that turned into a queen sized bed. There was a door in between both sides that stayed open.

1. Start searching for locations 12-16 months in advance.

This way, you'll have ample amount of time to save up for the location costs, rental car if you want, gas, food, and activities.

2. Get a head count of how many people will be attending, then Google search rental resorts that can accommodate that amount of people.

This will allow you to give each adult an estimate on how much they will need to pitch in.

3. Call and reserve the location with a deposit and make payments throughout the year.

Be sure to ask any questions you have before making your reservations so you have a clear understanding of everything, including how to handle cancellations, just in case.

4. Give plenty of thought on the menu- breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

5. Buy food and drinks in bulk at Sam's Club or Costco.

My parents purchased majority of the food before we left and we put refrigerated items inside ice coolers. We made a quick Walmart stop after we got everything settled into the cabin.

We ate good meals the entire time. We had crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, tacos and rotel, chili dogs. I can't remember what else. Breakfast was always good {see below!}. We were stocked up on water, juice, and soda, plenty of snacks.

6. Plan family activities in advance.

My parents.

Other tips to help you stay on track:

• Send out an email to everyone involved with the website and extra information about the resort.
• Email information about planned activities so everyone can budget accordingly.
• Keep everyone updated on any changes.
• Be sure to stay on top of payments and payment collections.
• Make sure the little ones use the restroom before you leave your home! :-)

It's my plan that my husband and I follow my parents lead and do the same for our children and grandchildren years from now :-).

Thanks for reading!

You know how difficult it is to get the family to take a good picture, right?