A HOUSE AWAY FROM HOME

Perhaps the most popular group vacation option for our readers is renting a house, cabin, or condo big enough to accommodate the entire group. As Anne Pakulniewicz of Yuma, Arizona, points out, a vacation rental "is much less expensive than a hotel, and you have a lot of valuable time together. Sharing a house means that when the kids are asleep, the grown-ups have time together without anyone left behind to watch the kids in a hotel room." One rule when her clan gathers: always give the master bedroom to the grandparents.

Besides offering more space and easier child care, rental houses allow families to cook and share meals together, with cost-saving and social benefits. Notes reader Rebecca Buehner, "I enjoy cooking with family members I don't get to see enough. I'd much rather enjoy their company around a living room than sitting in the waiting area of a restaurant." If a conventional hotel is your only option, many readers suggested transforming it into a more family-friendly space by booking adjoining rooms, which allow families to mingle (and give adults a place to gather while the kids are asleep) but also provide privacy when it's needed.

Start your planning at Slow Travel, an online vacation rental resource with links to rental agencies all over the country as well as property reviews from families that have used the service.