After picking a few experts’ brains (i.e. People Who Have Been On Vacation With Their Parents), we settled on these simple tips to ensure your trip does not culminate in a screaming fit full of insults that neither party can take back. Here’s all you need to know.
Stay present. Forget the nagging your mom has been doing over the phone about your job, significant other, and overall life. You’re trying to enjoy your time together and the real world can wait, probably.
Vacation is not a competition. Be firm about what activities you want to do, but allow room for others’ input, too. No one’s going to be happy if you try to control the agenda every second of the day.
Don’t parent your parents. Help them if they ask, but you’re not there to carry them.
Don’t roll your eyes when they go up stairs slowly or have to pee every 5 minutes. One day, that will be you.
Stay flexible. When logistics go wrong — planes can be delayed; car issues happen — it’s easy to snap at each other. Try to find a solution, make the most of Plan B, and don’t fixate on placing the blame.
Have an escape plan. Come up with a code word for you and your significant other/sibling/ally. When one of you is feeling overwhelmed/annoyed, the other person can cover and somehow get you away from the parents for a while.
Be patient. This is self-explanatory.
We also spoke to Anna Curtis, a social media specialist in the travel industry. Here are her tips:
1) If possible, rent a house instead of staying in a hotel. This makes it easier to cook meals at home; you won’t have to eat out for every meal. It also makes relaxing and lounging around much easier, and you can avoid the awkwardness of going to someone’s hotel room.
2) When it comes to picking up checks, rotate, especially if your parents are paying for a bulk of the hotel/transport. You can also split checks among “families” if you’re traveling with your significant other.
3) Plan for separate/alone time away from your parents (they will appreciate this too.) On a longer a trip, a day on your own or a separate excursion can be a good idea, or simply a dinner on shorter vacations.
HollywoodLifers, have you, an adult human, ever vacationed with your parents? Share your wisdom!