One of the best things about the holidays is reuniting with loved ones from near and far. But when they are all crowded into your house, it can turn a joyful reunion into a stressful experience. There is a saying about too many cooks in the kitchen, and it goes double when they are all actually in your kitchen.
As any experienced host knows, the hosting work starts well before guests arrive. Dusting, mopping, clearing clutter and strategizing sleeping arrangements for visiting family members can be an exhausting experience.
A survey of 2,000 Americans by Motel 6 found that cleaning and sleeping arrangements were some of the top causes of stress while hosting family over the holidays. Also, 30% of people thought their families would get along better if they had more space.
So what’s a busy, overstressed, time-strapped host to do?
Save your sanity by renting a house through a platform like Vrbo or Airbnb. Staying in a vacation rental allows you to leave the sheets and towels for someone else to wash and the full dishwasher to be emptied. A tantalizing thought after a busy holiday season.
Not only can you choose a house big enough to comfortably fit everyone, but more importantly, someone else is responsible for making it ready for visitors. Fresh sheets, clean bathrooms and tidy countertops — these are all the things that can take hours to clean that people would rather spend on enjoying the season.
Find a neutral location
Traveling for the holidays to see loved ones is a fact of life for most Americans. According to the AAA Newsroom, more than 115 million Americans were projected to travel over the December holidays last year. If you have family members spread out over several states, finding a spot in the middle means that one or two people aren’t doing all the traveling.
As Gena Lazcano from Ginger Casa realized on her last family holiday, “Picking a vacation rental in the middle is a great option for our families because we live so far from each other. Everybody brings a meal to share, lots of snacks and drinks, and we split the cost of the house. It works out beautifully and no one person is overwhelmed with cleanup for four families.”
If there isn’t somewhere in the middle, then finding a popular tourist destination that is an easy flight or drive for everyone can be an attractive option as well. A neutral third location that everyone travels to and that everyone wants to visit can work out well for distant families.
Michelle Goth from Blackberry Babe recounts, “For years my family would fly on Christmas Day to meet extended family in Mexico for a week of vacation. Physically leaving the stress behind after the chaos of the holidays always felt so good, and nobody had to scrub their baseboards to prepare their home for guests! Some of our best holiday memories are from those trips.”
Where to go for your next holiday get-together
Your choices for vacation rentals are large and varied, with options in every state and numerous foreign countries. The simplest is a staycation in your own town, just in a larger house with plenty of room for everyone. Or your family could decide to explore a big city, head to the Caribbean, find a gorgeous mountain cabin, enjoy a beach house with ocean views, etc.
The beach
Even in winter, the beach is a popular vacation choice because of the mild weather and plenty of outdoor activities to entertain visitors. Beach houses are often cheaper in the off season as well, making them a doubly attractive option for a family holiday.
Large resorts, like Kiawah Island in South Carolina, will have year-round activities available to suit diverse ages and interests. There are bike paths, multiple golf courses and tennis courts for guests to enjoy, as well as walks on the island’s 10-mile-long beach. You can take family-friendly wildlife tours led by the resort’s naturalists or head to nearby Charleston for some city exploration of its historic architecture and famous food scene.
The mountains
The mountains are another popular vacation destination for family get-togethers, with thoughts of stunning fall leaves and roaring fires in quaint cabins. Charming mountain towns are found all over the United States, making them a convenient spot for families to meet up for the holidays regardless of their location.
According to the National Park Service, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day’s drive of more than half of the U.S. population. There are thousands of vacation rentals to choose from in the big tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, as well as famous attractions like Dollywood sure to entice family members young and old.
If you are looking for more of a hidden gem in the Smokies, try the smaller mountain communities of Townsend, Bryson City and Wears Valley which are also gateways to the park. These under-the-radar towns are a little bit more peaceful while still offering fun things to do for families as well as lovely local restaurants for the days everyone is tired of cooking.
Or you can head to a ski resort for a different kind of mountain vacation. Resorts such as Park City, Utah, Snowshoe, West Virginia or Big Sky, Montana, have plenty of large vacation houses that can comfortably accommodate multiple families. Cousins can show off their shredding skills while parents relax over an apres ski and enjoy the snowy scenery.
A cruise
For even more entertainment options, many families are looking at a cruise for their holidays. While not quite a vacation rental, booking several family cabins on a ship allows groups to have some space while still being together. And again, all the cleaning and food prep worries are handled by someone else, leaving you free to focus on spending time with loved ones.
With pools, shows, spas, games, kids activities, lectures and varied dining choices, cruises have plenty to offer people traveling with multiple ages and activity levels in their group. According to a May 2024 report from the Cruise Lines International Association, cruises are a top choice for traveling families composed of multiple generations.
Let someone else do the heavy lifting
If holiday hosting is getting you down, change things up for your next family gathering. Instead of pulling out the air mattresses, mopping the floors and buying new guest towels, have your next get-together in someone else’s house, namely a vacation rental.
Amanda Luhn writes the Knoxville Backyard & Beyond blog as well as Simply Awesome Trips. She spent her childhood Christmases at the beach in a vacation rental with all of her cousins, which is why she thinks they are such a wonderful idea.