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Vacation is typically a wonderful thing. Nothing beats turning on your automatic replies and leaving for a week. Some people like to go to the beach, I prefer to go to the lake. But, whatever you do, it’s hopefully a nice relaxing time. You may be used to taking a trip with your friends or by yourself, or maybe it’s just a typical family vacation — but there is nothing quite like vacationing with your in-laws.
Vacationing with your in-laws can go a few different ways depending on what kind of people your in-laws are. You may have married into a crazy family or you may have married into the Duggars. Regardless, I have a few tips for you to help you get through a vacation with your in-laws.
Do your research.
Before you ever actually arrive at your destination, it is imperative that you know what you are getting yourself into. Hopefully by this point in your relationship, you have actually met your in-laws before and this vacation is not your first time together. If it is, good luck! Your ears are your most important asset for this. Try to get a feel for what they like to do on vacation. Usually, if you’re patient enough, you can hear your in-laws recount old vacation stories. What did they do? How drunk did they get? Has anyone been arrested? These are all important questions that you need to know before you decide to let the animal loose on vacation.
Volunteer.
Hopefully, you and your in-laws are in good standing. Whether they love you or don’t quite know about you, it never hurts to kiss some ass. Start volunteering your time and energy in the early vacation planning stages. Even if they don’t need any help from you, they will still appreciate that you are willing to do whatever you can. Maybe you have some connections to hook everyone up with some savings, maybe you vacation and do the same area your entire life, or maybe you have a vehicle where everyone can pile in their shit. I like to remember my three Cs: Cook, Clean, Carry.
Keep it together.
Even if your in-laws like to have a good time, it is important that you still keep your wild side under control. I like to abide by my own rule where I make sure that I am never the drunkest person in the room. Even if I am completely blacked out, as long as someone else is more blacked out than me, I’m in the clear. Yes, my blackout may still be noticed, however, I can always shift the attention to the drunker person. Easy. For example, my brother-in-law turns 21 while we are on vacation this year. You know damn well that I’m going to push the line during the pregame and ensuing bar crawl. All I need to do is make sure he is drunker than me.
So far, I have given a layout of the proper way to handle vacation with the in-laws. I would now like to leave you a method of vacationing with the in-laws the fun way.
Establish dominance.
Always be the first to eat and eat as much as you can. Free meals are the best. When everyone goes to play putt-putt, take your actual putter and get focused. You can’t let anyone beat you, that would make you look weak. You also can’t let anyone outshine you at beach kickball, pool volleyball, or cornhole. You have to kick everyone’s ass or they will never respect your opinion about sports. Sports are important.
Whatever approach you take towards family vacation, just remember that you can always pull out your laptop and say you need to do some work. It’s the perfect excuse to dip out of any situation. Tune in next week and follow along. .
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@delph_13
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Don’t drunkly try to get your SO to “do that one thing you know I love” loudly enough for them to hear from the other room.
Or do. PGPM.
There was no advice here regarding the most pressing concerns related to vacationing with your in-laws: how to determine who’s paying for everything, expectations for how much time you can get alone, and most importantly, how to discreetly take a shit.
Order the biggest cut of steak and top shelf whisky and make sure to be in the can when the bill comes.
I always assume if someone invites me on a vacation they’re paring for the hotel/rental and most of the food. Everything else I always offer and hope they say they got it
Yeah that’s probably a good metric. I’m forecasting 20 years down the road (bad idea) and if I invite someone on a vacation, I better expect to be paying for it. I can’t imagine inviting a S/O of my kin on vacation and being like “oh btw you have to foot your bill.”
But also if that little bastard is getting frisky with my daughter (never having a daughter) he better buy me some liquor to cope.
If my (not going to happen) daughter’s boyfriend thinks he can buy me some shitty bottle in exchange for touching her I’ll cut his damn hands off
*Insert fancy type of whiskey that I don’t know about* or gtfo.
We did a NOLA trip with my now in-laws a few years back for a family wedding. Our strategy was to pick up their dinner on the first night and grab the occasional round of drinks as a sign of good faith. Her dad paid for almost everything else.
If they invite you, the expectation is that they’re going to pay for most things, or at least the accommodations. If you guys end up eating at restaurants(s) during the trip, footing the bill for that will go a long way.
For alone time, before the trip, have your s/o set expectations by communicating the in-laws that you need some alone time from every now and then. Then, when you’re on the trip, step away and ask your s/o to tell the in-laws that you’re going to do your own thing for a bit. Don’t overdo it, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask for an hour or two alone per day.
Shitting is easy – just go when you need to go. You’re all adults, no need to make shitting discreet. Own the fact that you’re about to drop 10 pounds of waste into the toilet and be proud of it.
I like my in-laws better than my own family so this has never been an issue. My wife doesn’t have a brother so all our trips are just him and I golfing and drinking too much. We have more fun than the ladies and it’s awesome.
If that’s not the dream I don’t know what is
Be seen and not heard
You can always tell a Milford man.
my damn gif is awaiting moderation! “I shall neither be seen nor heard. Watch me”
In less than a month my husband and I are going to Italy – and both of our parents are going to be on the trip. This will be interesting…
I actually traveled with my SO’s family without him even there. Figure if I can do that (and have fun) I shouldn’t be concerned at all for family vacations together.
Absolute psycho move but congrats on coming out the other side of that one.
He was deployed and I was the stand-in child. I made him proud by getting inappropriately drunk like he would have.
This triggered some PTSD. Luckily, these comments make me feel sane and that I was not the crazy one. Thanks PGP fam
Did this once before having a kid, and once after. It got worse. Not planning on putting myself through that again.
Just survived a weekend with people who could one day be my in laws and I relate to this so solidly. I kissed ass, told some white lies, and enjoyed not having to pay for a hotel.
Buy her dad some scotch. Trust me.