On vacation with your (in-laws)
My poor beloved. Not only did he get me, but he also got my parents right away. Fortunately, that match worked out too, and my father has him among his favorites in his phone. We even bought a vacation home together, so there are quite often overlapping periods when we are all in the not extremely large house. And yet it goes well, so I think I can give a few tips.
1. Sleep in different locations if possible
Look, the fact that we are all in one house is, I think, quite an exception. If possible, I would book a separate little house on the same property or a separate hotel room. That way, you can visit each other, but you don't see someone's used cotton swab lying on the sink.
2. Have breakfast together
After all, you are traveling together, so celebrate those moments. If you take your time for a joint breakfast, you can then disperse with a clear conscience. One goes to the beach, another wants to shop, a third goes to a museum.
3. Give each other space
It's nice if you meet for lunch, but don't force each other into anything. It's a vacation, remember? Not a boot camp.
4. Divide the tasks
In a group, there are always people who jump up immediately when cooking needs to be done. Try to help and relieve them by setting the table, clearing up, or offering to buy nice wines. Nothing is worse than doing the groceries, cooking, and clearing up all at once. And everyone just saying how great you are. Yeah, you get tired of that after two days.
5. Don't stay up too late and drink in moderation
Every family has a few issues or pain points. If you look into a few too many glasses in the evening, there's a chance that years of built-up irritation will come rolling out. Just don't do it. That wasn't the idea when you decided to go on vacation ’en famille‘.
6. Do something with everyone
When I'm traveling with a group (this also applies to a press trip, a girls' trip or a team outing), I try to have a one-on-one moment with everyone, because that's what I think the idea behind brotherhood is. So no grouping within the group, but also spending time with the people you think you have less in common with. You might discover something unexpectedly nice in them. And if not, well, then you know that too.
7. Look critically at yourself
If I get annoyed by that used cotton swab, I always try to look a bit strictly at myself. Usually, I also have a thing or two lying around, but somehow it seems like your own mess attracts an invisibility cloak for you. You're not perfect either; the other person will surely find something about you too. after a week in Terschelling.
8. A guest and a fish...
Stay fresh for three days. The very best period to spend together looks like this. Day one: you come together at the end of the day, have an aperitif, dine, and go to bed on time. Then you have a full day together, and on day three, after an extensive brunch, you each go your separate ways. Then the chance that you come out unscathed and without fresh feuds is the greatest.
