Two-part vacation idea: go to Vegas for the big city/hotel experience (there is stuff for kids to do). It's a few hours' drive from the Grand Canyon so you can visit there and do a camping thing too.

Another two-parter: Go to Colorado, spend some time in Denver, then pop over to central CO to do some whitewater rafting and camping. Stop at the resort towns along the way for a scenic gondola ride.

Anonymous wrote:and keep in mind the needs of the oldest and youngest kids (and the parents thereof). If the kids aren't close in age, those requirements can be difficult to meet.

Yes, this is an issue as well. So is money. One sibling wants camping/state park vacation another wants hotel/big city vacation. I just want to pick a place and be done with it.

and keep in mind the needs of the oldest and youngest kids (and the parents thereof). If the kids aren't close in age, those requirements can be difficult to meet.

Have a discussion about what everyone is looking for in a vacation, i.e. resort, amusement park, beach, etc. Some of these things you can find all together, like a cruise or Disney World or Busch Gardens resort (minus mountains).

I would just opt out of voting for a place, saying that it will be fun being together no matter where you go. Hopefully that will make them realize that being so choosy about vacation destinations is petty, and then you can swoop in and pick something reasonable. As our kids have gotten older, the dates have become the hardest part. Every weekend is booked. MOney is also part of the issue, as I don't want to pay for expensive flights/hotels for pricey cities.

Or you could pull places out of a hat.

if everyone listed their preferences in order, is there a chance that everyone would have the same 2nd (or 3rd) choice?

Put out 6+ possibilities and have everyone rank them and see if any place is 3 or higher on everyone's list.

Anonymous wrote:I have two siblings. Now that we are all married and living in different parts of the country, we are trying to plan a summer vacation together for next year. The problem is that the three of us can't agree on a location. If you vacation with your family, how do you do it so everyone is happy? Imagine this will only happen every 3-4 years so should we alternate who gets to pick? Or keep throwing out ideas until one sticks with everyone?

Perhaps everyone could list out their 2-3 preferences for a vacation (qualities or activities not locations) and see if there's an option that can satisfy at least 1 for everybody?

A rotation sounds good once it's established but probably a hard-sell for the first time.

I have two siblings. Now that we are all married and living in different parts of the country, we are trying to plan a summer vacation together for next year. The problem is that the three of us can't agree on a location. If you vacation with your family, how do you do it so everyone is happy? Imagine this will only happen every 3-4 years so should we alternate who gets to pick? Or keep throwing out ideas until one sticks with everyone?