Dear Blake,
I talked with one of my siblings about having a joint vacation. He suggested all of us get together with our spouses and go on one together. We’re all in our 50s or older. We discussed locations and had a family meeting to discuss the possibility. There has always been a lot of bickering between some of us because of control issues. I explained to everyone that we can make our requests for locations, activities, etc., but we all need to be willing to give a little. The bickering is continuing, and some unkind things were said about others. I just want to plan a fun vacation and have a good time, but I’m worried the negativity will carry over to the vacation. Your thoughts?
Signed, Gloria
From Eugene, Oregon
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Dear Gloria,
Family becomes more important as we get older. But if you want to decrease theirs and your life expectancy, taking a vacation will easily do the trick. To get an idea on how your family will treat each other in close quarters, try to find a video of an illegal dog fight. First of all, I would strongly urge you to tell your siblings to avoid vacationing in places like the Grand Canyon, or locations where if tempers flare, people can be shoved off of cliffs. Also don’t seek R&R in Mexico or the seedy part of Italy, where a hit man can be hired to deal with “irritants” at a very reasonable fee. It will also be a good idea, if everyone went through everyone else’s luggage before the trip, to remove things like poison, switchblades, and silencers. The only place I recommend is a cruise. They have fun activities daily that can keep everyone entertained during the entire trip. And just in case you people are at each other throats, cruise lines also have medical facilities with plenty of skilled doctors… and coroners. I hope this helps.
Blake