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Planning a Successful Family Reunion - Part II

Continued from Part 1.

Organizing a family reunion? Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of your relatives are counting on you to plan a great event. Don't stress out. Here are tips for finding locations, hotels and activities to ensure the family reunion is a smash hit.

5. Location, location, location. As in real estate, location is key. If you have a tradition of rotating between the homes of various family members or there is an obvious central location, this decision is easy. However, if your family is spread out and there’s no pre-established plan, choosing the location may seem daunting. Many families converge at places such as Disneyland and other theme parks, top vacation destinations such as Hawaii or San Diego, they explore national parks and monuments and also gather in urban, rural and resort towns across the United States. Your choices are endless and depend on group size, budget, time of year and the type of activities best suited to attendees.

Here’s a quick checklist to help you find the location just right for your next family reunion:

6. Hotels, resorts and vacation rental homes. To ensure that you are able to secure your desired lodging at the best possible rate, it's best to start the search as early as possible. Key considerations in selecting the right place(s) to stay for your group include:

When making hotel reservations, simplify this part of the group organizing process by offering options in a range of price categories (for larger groups, arrange room blocks at multiple hotels):

7. Schedule events and activities. Why? They increase the fun factor, offer bonding opportunities, serve as fodder for conversations, jokes, photo-ops and turn into life-long memories.

Events and activities vary from formal sit-down meals to casual barbeques, from guided tours to theater, and from physical activities to family-oriented games. Activity-planning tips:

Finally, thank you to everyone who sent us feedback. Here's what we heard:

Suzanne B. shared, "We were looking for options as everyone seems to be strapped financially. I appreciate your time and service in compiling this for us."

Marina T. wrote, "Planning these sort of things are really time consuming and I think you just made it that much easier :)"

And Marilynn S. added, "I think it is SO important to plan games and activities that can be enjoyed regardless of budget. Sometimes a reunion at a park or campground is more work than booking a hotel or cruise ship but isn't it worth having ALL your family attend - not just those that can afford the reunion fees?"

This article was originally published March 2006.