With summer vacation just around the corner, we cannot help but think of the fun times we had in the past and will have this summer as well. We usually take a trip or two together as a family, this year being a huge crowd with about 20 of us. Now, we are pretty sure most of you are thinking: OMG, what a nightmare that would be! In reality, and despite occasional "disagreements" during family trips, we do enjoy each others' company and try to have as much fun as we can. But of course it takes lots of careful planning and huge amounts of patience on everyone's part. Which alone is almost impossible to achieve in a family where "everyone knows it best". Well, here are our 5 top tips on how to survive the family vacation. 

1. NEGOTIATE, NEGOTIATE & NEGOTIATE!

The easy part is deciding where to go on an extended family vacation. For example, if we call Papa (Hungarian grandpa) and mention a city name like Rome, next minute he is sending us airline ticket quotes flying into Fiumicino. The hard part is to get everyone else on board and have them agree to all the little details. Most important is of course the actual travel itself and accommodations. Car drive versus flying, cost versus time spent on the road (if choosing the autobahn). For 2-3 day vacations we definitely stay in a hotel, but a week or longer and we usually opt for a house or larger apartment. Speaking from experience, it is better to break the group up and handle everyone who is a strong-minded decision maker, (in our case it is usually my father, my brother, my uncle and #mommyknowsbest), completely separate. No Skype video conversations or conference calls allowed, because those always lead to endless arguments with everyone talking over each other. So instead, have individual, one-on-one discussion, suggest our ideas and have them agree to it. See how easy it is to create family peace? 

2. COMPROMISE!

Are you going to a city but one that is close to the beach as well? Do you want to do plenty of sight-seeings but others prefer to spend some time kicking back on a lounge chair at the beach, sipping summer cocktails with little colorful umbrellas? Would your kids rather not get out of bed before noon but your parents would like to stand in line in front of the Colosseum by 6 in the morning? Well the best way to do this is by discussing your plans in advance, making a mental or physical list of the most important sights, and have everyone agree on what you want to see as part of your cultural enrichment. Then break your time down for morning and afternoon activities, mixing it up by, for example, seeing the Vatican in the morning and then hitting the beach in the late afternoon. Have the kids agree to getting up a little earlier than normal, our vacations usually include an 8 o'clock wake up time with a 9 o'clock departure. If they resist, threaten to send in Grandpa to pull them out of bed. Ignore your parents' remarks about not ever leaving on time and nervously checking their wrist watch every other second when the departure time gets close. Send them out breakfast shopping so they feel useful and don't hover over you while you are trying to kick your kids out of the bathroom so you can get ready as well. And do not take it personally when they say you are always the last one to get ready, but instead put on a big smile and assure them that if the ancient ruins of Rome made it this far, you might just get lucky enough to see it if you arrive a half an hour later than expected. 

3. STOCK UP ON ALCOHOL!

OK, food is a good idea too. But really, when the moment gets heated and you need to cool the temperatures down a notch, it is best to do with a nice cold beer or a shot of Jägermeister straight out of the freezer. This for sure solves a lot of problems. Food is always a big challenge, especially when you have to feed 10 or more people. Not easy to find a restaurant during the busy summer vacation months in Europe that can seat 10 or more people at the same table. So, single out the pickiest eater in the group, (in this case grandma and brother/uncle), and let them choose a place to sit and eat. The perfect road to happiness and a peaceful meal. 

4. PLAN SIGHTSEEING IN ADVANCE!

Always, and I mean always get tickets in advance to see historical sites, museums and such. No need to stand in line for hours and endure hateful looks from your kids and parents for putting them through such horror of unnecessary waiting. Never try to climb up to the Acropolis at noon in July in the scorching heat- 30 some years passed and I still have serious emotional scars from this particular experience, thanks to Papa. Also, when you plan an entire day of sightseeing, do not tell everyone all the galleries and castles you picked to see in advance. Just casually bring it on them by innocently saying, after spending the day exploring Barcelona: oh, the Montserrat Monastery happens to be sort of on the way, (with a little detour), so we probably should stop by and take a look. Then there will be a Salvador Dali museum on the road down from the Monastery ...does someone protest? This battle was lost fast, they teamed up against the idea and said NO! Can you even believe it?

5. C'EST LA VIE!

Brother/Uncle is a bit of a psychopath and when he didn't get the biggest room in the house on our Rome vacation (there were 3 of us and two of them), he had a major fit. Probably because it was 100 degrees and that was the only room with air conditioning. Well, that's just too bad. He had a fit, wined a little, complained a lot, and finally got over it by creating a train of fans starting from the air-conditioned room all the way to his own preventing us from closing our door. Sometimes, you just have to let them have their moments, and then move on. On a large family vacation there will be disagreements and arguments, in our family probably more often than not, which is why I can say with absolute certainty that they will get over it. You just have to learn to be zen, meditate if needed, focus on your own happiness, and you will get through it. (This might be the point where that Jager shot comes in handy). 

Anyhow, we love family vacations. We had fabulous trips with the family growing up, camping by the Black Sea and the Adriatic, seeing beautiful cities all over Europe. There is just something magical about exploring with your family. You forget about the long trips stuck in the car or crazy lines at the Cabo San Lucas airport getting through security, or a stressful evening after a long day of sightseeing trying to find a restaurant in Rome. At the end, what is left, is the amazing memories. So fear no more and gather your family and take them on an unforgettable adventure! #mommyknowsbest & #dianasays