jili178 How to Ensure a Peaceful Trip With Your Extended Family

Organizing a vacation with members of your extended family can spark high expectations and happy emotions. The promise of reconnecting with loved ones at a beautiful location or on an exciting tour can make it easy to idealize these trips while in the planning stage.

However, travel delays, bad service and other mishaps happen, and those are just external factors that might mar a trip. A vacation in paradise can quickly turn dark with family fights, slights, political disagreements and varying parenting styles.

But there are ways to avoid difficulties that might arise.

With some forethought and early discussions, being on the go together can be as joyful as you dreamed, for all ages.

Temper expectations early, especially if you are paying

First, get in the right mind-set.

Dr. Becky Kennedy, a clinical psychologist with the company Good Inside, noted that trip-planning adults can wrongly expect that an investment in a pricey vacation will automatically ensure a smooth trip with well-behaved companions, particularly children. Identifying this assumption is essential.

“We feel like they’re going to reward our efforts and our money spent with good behavior. And it’s actually important to laugh about this,” Dr. Kennedy said. “Because if we don’t, we will be frustrated with our kids the whole time.”

Sarah Janowsky, 38, a business operations professional, flew six hours from her home in New York City to Portland, Ore., in July with her three children between the ages of 2 and 8. She accepted that the travel day was “not going to be our best day ever” in terms of the children’s behavior. Ms. Janowsky knew that snacks and games could sooth some agitation, and provided plentiful screen time and relaxation of some regular rules. But one line couldn’t be crossed: That she expected her children to be respectful of the fellow passengers.

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