Smaller groups, families with elderly relatives, or families concentrated in one geographic area.Pros: Almost everyone saves money.Cons: One family can get stuck footing the bulk of the bill. Collect cash before the event, or hold a raffle or a silent auction at the reunion with each family contributing something of value, whether it’s a homemade quilt or a framed painting. The hostess can then use the money to replenish her pantry, pay the caterer, or enlist a maid service to help with the cleanup.Where to go: Ultimately, wherever someone is willing to host. If that someone is you, take heart in the fact that not everything has to take place in your living room. Give yourself a well-deserved break by planning a few activities―volleyball, tennis―at a local park (see if you need a permit). If you have more than one option, it can pay to check out the airline hubs that various family members live near.Dealing with downtime: Mark local maps with spots like coffee shops, walking trails, and bookstores for fidgety early risers or other folks who need to get out for a bit. “It’s important to remember your limits as far as togetherness goes and to know that everyone needs his privacy at some point,” says Laurie Bisig, a family-travel veteran based in Louisville, Kentucky.Organizing meals: If a majority of the guests live within an hour’s drive, consider a potluck. If you do choose to cook most of the food, see Reunion Menu Planner. And buy more ingredients than you think you’ll need; it’s easy to run out of food when you’re not used to cooking for 40 (and who is?). If ordering in, consider a caterer, or tell the restaurant how many people you’re ordering for. They can assess how much food you’ll need for a large party. Camping fanatics, the cash-strapped.Pros: It’s low-cost, and everyone can choose lodging that fits his own budget.Cons: “National parks tend to book six months in advance, so that requires early planning,” warns Mack. Access can be difficult, too, as many parks are several hours away from a major airport. And if bad weather strikes, you could face several long days of playing Go Fish.Where to go: If you can reserve a spot in time, national parks are a great bet, as most offer year-round activities for kids. The nationwide chain of KOA campground facilities (koa.com) provides another affordable option. Most offer cabins, RV hookups, and no-frills campsites to suit any level of outdoorsmanship; many also have swimming pools and other amenities on-site. The Newburgh, New York, location, in particular, throws in arts and crafts, basketball courts, and nighttime movies and offers a full-service reunion-planning package with activities, outings, and meals orchestrated specially for your group (from $87 a night for a cabin for four; reunion extras not included). Church-retreat grounds, like the Windermere Baptist Conference Center (windermereusa.org), in Roach, Missouri, are another alternative and have abundant outdoor activities (think cave tours, hiking trails, and parasailing) and the facilities to feed groups (motel-style lodging from $66 a night per family, with basic cabins for less and luxe lodges for more; three meals a day for $20 a head; some recreation costs are extra). Even the YMCA has reunion-appropriate destinations: The YMCA of the Rockies (ymcarockies.org), in Estes Park, Colorado, offers hotel-style lodging and family cabins and can arrange campfires, meals, and activities just for your clan (from $119 a night for a cabin for four; reunion extras not included).Dealing with downtime: Be sure to bring plenty of board games, puzzles, and books to carry you through any foul-weather days. Or create a conversation-sparking deck of cards that features a family photo (about $20 a deck at shutterfly.com or kodakgallery.com).Organizing meals: For meals not provided by the facility, designate each family to be the provider of a different meal for the whole group―whether it’s cooked over the campfire or trucked in from the nearest takeout joint. Other factors to consider: Choosing a location you can navigate on foot relieves a lot of the logistics and the expense tied to carpooling, parking, and arranging designated drivers. Wherever you stay, be sure to book accommodations that have large communal areas that people can gather in. For the best rates on multiple-room reservations, book through Groople.com, a group-travel site.Dealing with downtime: Designate someone to bring along a portable DVD player or a laptop and several family-friendly movies for times when the adults are content to “just talk” and the kids are dying of boredom.Organizing meals: Do research in advance to find local restaurants that are friendly to large groups, and make some reservations. You don’t want to be stuck in a strange city trying to find a table for 40 on a Friday night.
