1. Don’t just pack for the trip. Pack what will help you hold on to your sense of self family trip survival guide
The time it takes to travel to your destination will be the only “me-time” you’ll get. After this, you’ll need to confront the fact that there’s no such thing as boundaries. For the sake of your mental health, you’ll need reinforcements in the form of audiobooks you can listen to secretly during dinner, TV shows you can binge in the wee hours of the night and stress-reducing white-noise you can plug in whenever it gets too much. All this will make it easier to hold onto yourself, and maybe your own humanity when the going gets tough.
2. That trip itinerary you spent a week perfecting? Yeah, you might as well throw it in the bin
This one’s a little heartbreaking for us type A people, but unfortunately, not everyone likes a plan. Your itinerary will be ruined by a family member who just wants to “chill,” an overbearing relative who thinks they know the place better than you, or even by the fact that no one bothered to read the itinerary to come prepared for that three-hour long hike you were looking forward to (not based on a true story…obviously).
3. Be prepared to learn a new fact about your family members (or yourself)
That aunt you thought was the sweetest? Turns out her evil twin makes an appearance if she doesn’t have her morning coffee, stat. That friend who you’ve always wanted to have a sleepover with but never had the chance to? She’s a bit of a slob. You thought you were a calm person? Wait till it’s 2:30pm and the “navigator” finally admits you’ve been going in circles for at least half an hour.
4. That playlist you painstakingly created will be forgotten
Okay, maybe it will be listened to for the first five minutes or so. But after that, you’re not just battling with other people who think their music taste is superior, but also with forces outside of your control. For one reason or another you won’t be able to connect to bluetooth, you might turn into an area with no service and eventually, you’ll have to plaster a smile on your face whilst the rest of the family sings their favourite tunes acapalla.
5. Do not say yes to babysitting duty
This one speaks for itself.
6. If you are forced into babysitting duty…
…suggest a game of hide and seek, and remember to take the reinforcements listed in point no.1 into that cupboard you’ve chosen to hide in.
7. Say yes to errands (eg groceries) family trip survival guide
Agree to those grocery runs. Why? Because that quick trip to the supermarket could buy you five minutes of peace. Bask in the cool air of the frozen food aisle, read a few magazines and pack your basket with emergency snacks you’ll need when your family inevitably loses their way and there’s no restaurant in sight.
8. Know when you’re fighting a lost cause (mental health safeguard)
Do not engage in any debates of a political or religious nature. You will lose. I know you’ve spent a year perfecting your arguments, but you’ll inevitably be thrown a curveball and will spend the rest of the day kicking yourself for not being able to come up with a decent response. Your best bet? Just smile and nod.
9. And finally…enjoy the family vacation family trip survival guide
Because we all know that within a matter of months, you’ll be drafting the next itinerary.
READ MORE: A ridiculously practical guide to surviving Sydney summers
