Many years ago, our family had a destination celebration in Brazil. My brother-in-law and his family were living in Sao Paolo at the time and it was his son's birthday. The whole family decided to save up and fly down to celebrate the special occassion both in Sao Paolo and Bahia. During the preparation year, there were many life changes including the illness of one family member. We almost cancelled the trip, but that family member told us to go, and we did. That was a great gift that family member gave us.
We all flew in from different directions and via different airlines, and eventually we all met up at my brother-in-law's Sao Paolo home. It was an incredible adventure beginning with the flight in an almost-empty plane. We got to spread out, and the flight crew was incredibly helpful. I especially appreciated this since my husband and I were traveling with our three young sons.
In Sao Paolo, we toured the city and enjoyed the local foods and culture. A few days later, we all boarded a small plane to Bahia. There we stayed in a wonderful all-inclusive resort which was perfect for a family that ranged in age from less than one years old to about 45. At the fairly unpopulated resort the kids could run all around, swim, and eat whenever they were hungry--perfect. We were also next to a gorgeous beach at the base of wonderful, colorful sand dunes. The warm water and big waves were inviting and we swam a lot. The kids rolled in the sticky sand and played game after game. One day we spent almost the entire day walking along the beach to a quaint, small town where we explored more then took a taxi back to the resort. As vacations go, this was definitely one of our best. Having relatives who spoke Portuguese and knew the culture and landscape well helped to make it a terrific trip.
Over time, we've had a few other destination celebrations--celebrations where family has gathered from multiple locations to enjoy each other's company. Just this summer, we had a very casual family reunion at a local beach. That was an easy way to get a lot of people together with few dollars and lots of flexibility. There have been other gatherings over the year at campsites, rentals, hotels and more. It's a lot of fun to get together in a destination that is appealing to everyone, and for the events to be successful, you've got to think about what everyone needs with respect to space, food and fun.
I suspect that as our children get older and possibly have families of their own, we'll plan one or two of these destination events a year. These kinds of events bring a family closer and make wonderful memories that give you strength during the more challenging chapters in life. Onward.
Note: As I write about these events, I realize that they sound very, very expensive, but we've learned a lot of ways to make trips like this possible by saving points, cutting down in other areas, and doing our research.