How to Plan a Large Family Vacation

“Though this post is sponsored by Vrbo, all tips and tricks are my own. “

Every year our family plans a large family vacation for us to escape the heat. We have traveled all over the US for vacations but getting everyone on the same page can be a challenge. Here are my best tips on how to plan a large family vacation.

Set a Budget

First things first, how much is everyone allocating for this large family vacation? Is one family paying for everything? Is one family going to cover accommodations and everyone else tackling meals and drinks? Will some families pay more than others due to the number of members or will everything be split evenly?

This should be the first step when planning a large family vacation as some family members may need to create a budget to save for the trip while others can pay cash right away.

Means of Travel

Everyone likes to travel in different ways. Some prefer road trips, others flying, others by train. Depending on the number of family members you have traveling, it may be cheaper to book together and save money with a special group rate. This is a great option for those on a budget though it may be annoying for those who want to fly first class.

Choose a Location

Now the fun question, where does everyone want to go? Somewhere cold? Somewhere warm? Maybe to an amusement park like Disneyland? I would recommend everyone suggesting a location that works for their family or that they would like to visit. For instance, I’d love to go skiing but since I have B, that wouldn’t be a great option for our family yet.

Find Accommodations

My favorite part of planning a large family vacation is selecting the accommodations. I may personally opt for a road trip to splurge on a beautiful home through Vrbo later. Speaking of Vrbo, they just rebranded and have a new nifty pronunciation of “VER-boh” aka what most people have been calling them for years but now they’ve embraced it! Oh, and the new logo is retro-ly fab! Take a look below.

If you aren’t familiar with Vrbo, it is our go-to option for booking vacation homes, cabins, and condos. Though you can view properties on their website, the Vrbo app is incredibly easy to use to plan a large family vacation with features like Trip Boards.

Vrbo Trip Boards

Vrbo trip boards allow you to create a custom trip board for your large family vacation with all the properties you’re interested in. After selecting all the properties you’re interested in you can then invite family members to check it out. It is so easy to share and can be done instantly so everyone can get to voting on their favorites, leave comments, and ultimately choose the perfect place to stay.

With our next road trip taking us all of the way to Charleston, South Carolina, these trip boards couldn’t be handier. My family and I love being able to communicate quickly on accommodations. Check my board out here.

*Pro Tip!* If you enable push notifications on your phone for the app, you will get updates on your trip boards in real time.

Bang For Your Buck

If you’re family simply can’t decide on the perfect location for your vacation, try scoping out Vrbo’s Bang For Your Buck Index. The index can help you identify the most cost-effective destinations available. Most vacation homes on the list, both international and domestic, cost less than $250 a night. This index is such a helpful way to get the most value for your money.

No matter how large or crazy your family may be, these tips on how to plan a large family vacation should help get you all there in no time.