Another complication is that when you take different folks on different vacations is that if you want to include them all or more than one group on a vacation, it may be awkward.
As an example, we take our extended family to Orlando. For now it is every-other Christmas week. The following week we go to SW Florida. This year was our off-year so we did not do Orlando, but we did two weeks in SW FL. One week we had another couple and the other week we had my BIL and his wife.
This year will be Orlando for Christmas with extended family and the following week in SW FL. We have two units for the second week, one for our family and one for our friends. I wanted it that way in case our friends wanted to bring someone or if some of our family wanted to stay a few more days.
We eat dinner frequently with the friends and I have picked up that what they like about going with us is the going with us part. They haven't said it, but I sense a complication if we have family along.
Also, I haven't found a way to say this without it coming out the wrong way, but our friends really appreciate the opportunity to get away and vacation with us. I don't sense that from our family. We have takenthem to Kauai, several Spring weeks in the Ozarks, and now the EOY Orlando. It's not that I want them to kiss my fanny, but it would be nice to know they appreciate what we provide. We even advanced money to some to cover their travel expenses.
Jenny and I were talking the other day and she commented that our great nieces do stuff that we never got to do as kids, and what will their kids expect?
Jenny started taking her family on the Annual Girl's Week Out to Nashville. The first year two Aunts really were not into it. They didn't seem to enjoy themselves, want to do what the others did, and then went home early.
The next year they were not invited. Others were in their place. Yeah, you guessed it, one of the Aunts got her little feelings hurt.
So, when you take it upon yourself to be the vacation-master for others, you assume more baggage than what your stuff goes in.
Anyone else have that problem?