“Friends are the family you choose.”
Many of us have heard or read that quote. As a military family, we’ve relied frequently on our chosen family. I recently posted to Instagram about our “Framily vacation” and my 16 year old quickly corrected my spelling. I told her that I meant to write that because we were traveling with friends who were like family!
We have enjoyed several trips with extended family over the years, but this was our first big friend trip. Having been stationed all over the world, it’s always such joy to reunite with our biological family. However, this trip was special because these friends had carried us through seasons our biological family couldn’t (even if they wanted to!). They truly are our chosen family. Having preplanned meals and a combined grocery list to minimize waste and best utilize our resources made grocery shopping easy. We gathered for dinners together and enjoyed one big dinner out. We cooked dinner in one location and usually split up so the kids could play games or watch movies in one condo while the adults played games or worked on puzzles in another. During the day, we skied together, or sometimes separately, and met back up again for lunches or hot cocoa.
Do you have friends and family like that? If so, have you thought about traveling together, but then been overwhelmed with the thought of coordinating that. many. people? Let us help curate the dream vacation for friends, family, or framily! When all you have to do is worry about packing and which beach chair to choose or ride to go on first, the trip becomes much more enjoyable.
We often think of how fun big trips, such as an all-inclusive, a Disney or Universal trip, or a cruise would be but get bogged down with the details. All-inclusive sounds so much better when you imagine the cousins splashing together in the pool or the dads off golfing. Disney is more manageable with grandparents to help carry the burden (or push the stroller). A cruise sounds fantastic when you aren’t the one in charge of planning the excursions or managing payments. Your job is to lounge by the pool while your Joyful Journeys Vacation Designer works closely with our travel suppliers to manage larger groups and make sure your experience is customized to your needs. We can organize a gathering space for that special reunion or birthday celebration. We can make sure you have all the details carefully curated to suit your group’s travel goals. Different ages and stages? Your Vacation Designer can help you find fun for everyone.
Another option for group trips is around your common interests. Do you see your pickleball group more than your family? You can pickleball your way through Europe on an AmaWaterways river cruise. Are you tired of traipsing through the snow to your pickleball courts? How about pickleball at a Sandals resort in the Caribbean? Take your Pickleball group south for a getaway!
It does not have to be pickleball. It could be your homeschool group looking for a fun and educational opportunity or another group you want to gather – big birthday celebrations, retirements, reunions – just joining together. We can help you narrow your destination and then offer options for your accommodations. Would you rather stay in your own rooms or suites but have somewhere larger to gather? Do you need advice on whether an all-inclusive is right for you or what excursions to take? Let us help you design exactly what you need!
It is so much fun to vacation with your framily. You’ll make memories that last a lifetime! It doesn’t have to be more work or extra stress for you. Get your group together and let us handle all the details! Joyful Journeys wants to make sure that your vacation starts even as you plan your vacation.
