How to plan a family reunion weekend
A family reunion is fifteen people, five households and three generations in one house, and nearly every argument it can produce is about rooms, meals or money. Decide those three before anyone arrives and what's left is the part people came for.
The countdown
6 weeks before
- Confirm who's coming and agree the budget
- Book the travel there and back
5 weeks before
- Book where you're staying
4 weeks before
- Collect deposits or agree who pays for what
3 weeks before
- Check everyone's ID and documents
- Plan rooms: who shares with whom, ground floor for elders
2 weeks before
- Plan the days and share the itinerary
10 days before
- Agree the meal plan and who cooks or orders
7 days before
- Share the packing list and who brings what
5 days before
- Plan games for the kids and the evenings
3 days before
- Reconfirm travel and stay bookings
1 day before
- Send the meeting point, time and emergency contact
- Pack, charge phones and download offline maps
2 days after
- Settle up who owes what
3 days after
- Share the photos
Add your dates, destination and who's coming and get this checklist with real due dates, a day-by-day itinerary and a link everyone replies on.
Plan mine freeHow the budget splits
Shown for 15 people over 2 nights on $4,950. The percentages hold at any size.
| Category | Share | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stay | 45% | $2,225 |
| Food | 30% | $1,485 |
| Travel | 15% | $740 |
| Activities | 5% | $245 |
| Buffer | 5% | $255 |
A sample itinerary
The first 3 days of a 2-night trip to Lake Tahoe. Every time is a starting point.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Each person packs
- Comfortable clothes
- Towel
- Elders' medicines
- Kids' kit
- Toiletries
- Phone charger
One of you brings
- First-aid kit and everyone's medicines
- Board games and cards
- Extension cord
- Speaker
- Snacks to share
- Pooja items if needed
Tips from the plan
- Make the room plan three weeks out
- Who shares with whom, elders on the ground floor, the baby away from the late-night card table. A plan sent in advance is accepted; one made at the door is contested.
- Agree the meals before you shop
- Ten days ahead, settle which meals are cooked, by whom, and which are ordered in. Food is about 30% of the cost and most of the work.
- Settle the money by household
- Costs are usually shared between households rather than per head. Keep one list of who paid for what and settle up two days after everyone is home.
Questions
How do I plan a family reunion?
Six weeks out, confirm who is coming and agree the budget. Book the place at five weeks, make the room plan at three, plan the days two weeks ahead, agree the meals ten days before and the games for the kids five days before.
How do we split the cost of a family reunion?
By household is the usual way. The stay is the biggest share at about 45% and food is around 30%, so agree those two up front and track the rest as you go.
What should we bring to a family weekend?
Each person: comfortable clothes, a towel, toiletries, a charger, and the elders' medicines and the kids' kit. To share: board games and cards, an extension cord, a speaker, snacks, a first-aid kit, and pooja items if you'll need them.