Seven tips for a successful Catalina family reunion
Planning a family reunion – no matter where it is – can be daunting. With so many ages, interests and personalities, family reunions are rife with the potential for conflict and contention. A Catalina Island family reunion offers convenient travel, a range of lodging options and a number of choices for activities and dining.
While we can’t do anything to alleviate your family’s potential baggage, here are seven sure-fire tips to make sure your family reunion on Catalina Island is a success.
Start early. Depending on the size of your extended family, reunion planning can be a sizeable undertaking. Give yourself and your relatives at least a year to clear their schedules and make travel plans.
Plan plenty of options. Luckily, there are hundreds of things to do on Catalina Island. From zip-lining at high speed down a steep canyon to trying cocktails at half a dozen local hotspots and from renting a golf cart to trying Catalina’s best restaurants, everyone in your family will find something they love to do.
Recruit your relatives to help. The key to avoiding planning overload is to delegate. Find someone – or several someones – to help with various tasks including communication, lodging and reservations.
Don’t schedule every moment. While you will want to have several opportunities for everyone to get together and enjoy each other’s company, your Catalina Island family reunion should include plenty of time for socializing, exploring the island and – perhaps most importantly – having some down time.
Get the party started. While you and your relatives won’t be spending every waking moment together, you will want to start you family reunion on Catalina Island off right with a welcome reception of some kind. Whether it’s at a conference center, a local restaurant or at a local icon like Descanso Beach, the initial party will let everyone get everyone reacquainted.
Say farewell. You also want to give everyone a chance to say farewell – and start planning the next reunion. A Bon Voyage Breakfast from the Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co. is the perfect way to say goodbye.
Get help. With its wide variety of things to do and places to stay, the island is an ideal destination for a family reunion; that diversity can also make planning rather daunting. At Catalina Tours we are happy to help you make plans and arrange activities that will make everyone happy – from your picky cousin to your adrenalin-addicted aunt.
The Catalina Island Zip Line Eco Tour is a great option for the adventurous members of your family.