Family reunions have been gaining in popularity for the past several decades and show no sign of slowing. In fact, 63 percent of respondents have attended a family reunion, with 29 percent attending a reunion in the past two years, according to a recent survey by the global independent research company Ipsos. Here are some other highlights revealed by the survey:
- The average family reunion trip lasts five days and includes eight adults and four children.
- Families' most cherished reunion memories are simply made of "spending time together" (81 percent), followed by group meals (60 percent). In fact, more than half of respondents also said "cooking great food" is the best way to impress the family.
- The top ways to offend family members are "drinking too much" (28 percent), followed closely by "paying too much attention to your phone or tablet" (26 percent) and "being a cheapskate" (15 percent).
One-third of travelers selected a vacation rental as the ideal accommodation for a family reunion. Perhaps that's because vacation rentals are generally twice the space at half the cost of a hotel room, and offer vital amenities for families to spend time, cook, eat, play and make lasting memories together all under the same roof.
How to Plan a Reunion
The survey reveals more than half of reunion-goers begin to plan for their family's event six to 12 months in advance. Therefore, Edith Wagner, editor of Reunions magazine and reunionsmag.com, says it's never too soon to start organizing your family reunion and offers these six tips to get started:
- Don't do it alone. This is, after all, a family reunion. Involve family from the start. Ask for donations to help offset early expenses. Survey the group's skills and talents, and ask for volunteers. Can someone cater a picnic? Can teens set up and maintain Web and Facebook pages? Can a bookkeeper or accountant be your treasurer? Can moms and teachers provide games and activities for the kids? Praise them in all your correspondence and at the reunion. It will ease future recruitment.
About the author
Edith Wagner is publisher and editor of Reunions magazine and www.reunionsmag.com.