Holidays with grandparents

Coming from the other side, there is no way that I'd holiday with family and younger kids at this stage of my life! I take them out for the day here and there and that's exhausting as it is.

No matter how close you are, everyone has their own way of doing things, and mixing that up in a somewhat close environment for a week or two can often result in "words" 😊

Anyway, I (selfishly ha ha) think families should holiday together with no outsiders in the mix. It's easier to cope with the shenanigans of your own kids, without adding the needs and wants of Granny and Grandad etc. So not for me!

Why would grandparents pay? Surely you'd say no to this? If you're old and financially stable enough to have kids, surely you would pay for yourself?

Took the Pil/Sil on hols 3 or 4 times when the kids were younger (both under 8). We booked and paid for the villa and any hire cars, they booked their flights. Cost of food was largely shared.

Once kids were over 5&8 they used to go to PiL’s every summer for 7 days alone and again for 4-5 days in the easter hols. The kids are very close to the GPs and aunt as a result.

Most years we holiday with my parents. 10-14 days.

We all pay our own way.

We did long weekends (Friday - Monday) but never a full blown holiday. We are just too different to find a holiday which everyone enjoys.

Like you - annual leave is spare, especially when DD was in primary school and we had to pay for holiday clubs so all leave was carefully allocated.

A couple of times DH did a trip with DD but stayed at the PIL and I did the same with my mum but never a holiday away with them.

We’ve been on a couple of weekends away with my parents and one with my in-laws, we paid for ourselves though. They weren’t our only holidays those years though, I don’t mind doing a weekend away with them as we still have a week somewhere on our own, I wouldn’t be doing it if we had no holiday that year by ourselves.

We are doing a big 2 week holiday abroad next year with all my family (siblings and their families as well) and my parents have offered to pay half for everyone as the place is where they wanted to go and very expensive. But there’s a part of me (and my sister) that’s already dreading it and expecting the same old arguments to show up, it will definitely be the only time we go with them because I know my family can’t spend that much time together without some arguments, I’ve only agreed as my parents kept asking. I know plenty of people who go away for with family every year and seem to love it, I do often think it must be nice to have that sort of family dynamic.

Have done one holiday with the in laws, never again. Urgh.

We do both, holidays alone and holidays with Grandparents.

Being honest, the ones with the Grandparents, they do usually pay, or they pay a bigger amount covering the grandchildren and then we just pay for ourselves ( me and DH )

I don’t think it’s normal to go on holidays with gps as a matter of course. We’ve done it once and it was nice, though.

Wouldn’t want to do it every year but I have done in the past and would do again.

Done a few.

Weekends with ex inlaws (a cottage in a posh seaside town ) they paid for everything.

Done overseas holidays a few times

First , mine were little and the childcare helped . We paid flights - grandparents paid for villa

Second was recently - my 2 older teens and nieces/nephew much younger. Grandparents paid and half board. Nice BUT school holidays so too busy for me, plus meal times were a bit rigid (kids eating early etc)
Did a few excursions separately !
I realised how set in my ways I am I think. Kids and grandparents enjoyed it though (dad has deteriorating health )

We’ve only holidayed with GPs once. My FIL paid for his close and about ten extended family to go on a cruise with him when he sold his very valuable property and moved into a retirement place.

I didn’t enjoy it but it was an ambition of his to organise such a trip and made him very happy so I’m glad we went.

We are grandparents now to one, and for years since our DC have been adults we have holidayed once a year with them. But we always pay accommodation, we split food and meals out. This year we went abroad for a week (we don’t always) and both sets of DC with their partners and our GC paid their own flights. We paid for the villa. We split car hire and food and all took turns to cook or have a meal out. I do also always check if they want to holiday with us still though!

I don't think my parents would actually enjoy the holidays we go on.

What happened, if you don't mind me asking? Or did people just get annoyed with each other?

We did it once when I was young (Grandparents stayed at next hotel over in Spain) but I don't think it's the norm. If my in-laws or parents want to holiday with DS they take him thenselves and won't accept any money from us!

We avoid it whenever possible but relent with the ILs every 5 years or so. They pay but the accommodation isn't up to our standards and we spend a lot when we there including on their food. The kids enjoy it but we don't. We don't holiday with my parents after one bad holiday but they understand and don't ask.

It's so interesting to read this and different expectations etc! We're very close to my parents (DS grandparents) they are abroad and we visit them and have once been on holiday to Italy with them. I wouldn't even dream of expecting them to pay for this- we're adults and can pay our own way! Expecting the GP to pay for a holiday really is the height of entitlement.

I only know two people who holiday with grandparents or extended family. One yes because the grandparents did pay - basically they would fly my friend and her four kids out to Florida where they live.
The other friend is single and they pay their own share and holiday with siblings/partners/parents.
My parents used to live in Spain and we used to fly out to visit for a week. So we were at their house so didn’t pay for accommodation but we rented our own car and paid our own way. My DH loved my parents and they him. Never been away with my in laws! Just not the kind to do that sort of thing.

Once with GPs on each side. Never again.

I brought my mum with us to our regular holiday destination last year, with DH, teen and 9 year old. I wouldn't do it again and neither would my mum. It's hard enough trying to keep two different aged kids happy but adding another generation into the mix made it impossible. When one age group was hungry or needed a rest the other one wasn't, then vice versa. Everything took longer and DM is used to doing things she wants, when she wants, so we sometimes left her to sit down awhile, but then she complained she'd been left alone.

My parents pay usually, as they have more money than me. If I had more money I’d pay to bring them to.

We often holidayed with grandparents (my parents) when ours were young. The kids loved having their grandparents there and we have 5 kids so it was useful to have extra adults! We often did caravan holidays, my dad used to save the coupons from the newspaper (was it the Sun?) and we would have 2 or 3 caravans next or near to each other for the week. My uncle and aunt would often come too, it was a proper family holiday. I suppose it just depends on what your relationship with your family is like.

DHs parents lived abroad so we would holiday there every 2 or 3 years, due to expense. The kids enjoyed these holidays too, grandparents had a pool and there was lots to do where they live but it did cost a lot. I didn't always enjoy staying in in-laws home for 3 weeks but it seemed only fair for us to spend time with DH family as we obviously saw a lot more of my family because they lived closer.

My parents would often pay for the cheap caravan holidays but we would treat them to a meal/ buy the food etc when we were there.

Tell her to put her hand in her pocket then!

We went away with Grandparents once when my son was small. None of us enjoyed it.