I just returned from a wonderful vacation with my in-laws. Most people would not put “wonderful vacation” and “in-laws” in the same sentence, but I can honestly say the trip was fantastic. What’s the secret to a having a wonderful time with your in-laws (or anyone else for that matter)? It’s really quite simple.

Our trip was built around a time share, so we didn’t have that many options in terms of where our lodging would be, but once that was figured out, I set to work designing the perfect vacation. This can work wherever you find yourself–or even in your own home town.

1. Plan for flexibility. For our trip, we had some weather concerns. We were staying in Clear Lake, CA in the complete off-season (the end of January is about as off-season as you can get). This definitely worked to our advantage. In an area known for world-class bass fishing (and the large, crowded competitions that accompany it), being there in the off-season had great advantages. But, we did have to plan for some weather. We packed to “dress in layers” and I prepared myself mentally for lots of driving. Before our trip, I visited a few websites I found using a google search for places in the area. Within a 2 hour drive in any direction, we were near the Napa Valley, the Mendocino Coast, and the Redwood Forests of California. That’s a whole lot of options to fit into one week!

2. Build a schedule. Early in the vacation (on the first day of it), we sat down together and went through the options, cross-referenced them with the weather forecast and any “time  or date specific” events and then built out a rough schedule, keeping a couple of days open for “flexibility”.

3. Choose things your friends or family would love to do. Prior to the start of the vacation, I checked out some options based on things I knew would interest them. I started by asking the question “What do I think they want to do?” Based on that information, I narrowed down the options to match their abilities, age, and interests. For example, my father-in-law likes trains and “cool experiences” and my mother-in-law loves flowers. So, I knew a trip on the Skunk Train and the Mendocino Botanical Gardens should be included among our options.

We fleshed the trip out with a quick trip to a nearby casino and a trip to a Napa winery. Once those decisions were made, the rest was about choosing additional experiences that would fill in the time, be close to other things we were seeing, and round out the experiences. We choose the Calistoga geyser, the Point Arena Lighthouse, and one of the Drive-Through Redwood tress and Confusion Hill.

The trip was fantastic. Everyone got to see something they enjoyed, and we even got to get some rest and crafts in our trip as well. And the best part of the trip was that everything  costs less and there was no traffic. We were the only people at the Lighthouse when we arrived and took our tour. We were the only people at Confusion Hill, there were only two other families at the winery and the Botanical Gardens. The train was about half full (and the crab was amazing!!). For lunch one day, we found a bright sunny second floor balcony at a restaurant that was empty, with a breath-taking view of Mendocino Cove… just us, some mating frogs, and every bird in the village. At some points, we were the only car on the road for miles and miles.

And the only price we had to pay was carrying a jacket and umbrella with us while we traveled. And we only ended up needing them for two days of our trip even though the forecast was for more days of rain than that.

In other words, you can enjoy a trip with your in-laws if you plan, choose things your family will enjoy, and take some time for rest and relaxation (and flexibility) as well.

Now that I’m back from our little sabbatical, I’ll be back to the grind with more regular posts.