Intro: My blogs are based off of my observations of different kinds of social interactions. My major is Sociology so I enjoy people watching and reflecting on how we fit into society as individuals and as a group.
Every year my family is fortunate enough to go on a quick winter getaway in Jamaica. This year was our 7th year going and we try to go to a different resort each time. Aside from the beach, sun and ocean; one of my favorite parts of vacation is observing other people also on vacation.
In my observations I have seen most people fit into 4 subgroups:
The Young Couples:
This is the most common of all vacation go-ers. At around $1,000 per person, including flights, drinks and meals, this is an ideal vacation for newlyweds and younger couples. All-inclusive resorts give people the freedom of taking a vacation without having to budget the cost of food, alcohol and activities. Most younger couples will not partake in activities provided by the resort because they are too busy being madly in love.
The Families with Small Children:
This is by far the most interesting group to watch, my parents took my sister and I to Italy when I was two and are still regretting it. Taking your children on vacation is great in theory, however generally ends up being more work than it is relaxing. I saw one couple with two children under 3 and I give them huge amounts of credit for working as a team and trying to hold it together on the airplane. A few other times I saw one parent very distressed while dealing with the children and the other trying to help but not knowing what to do. The best way I saw this executed best when the families had grandparents come along to help out.
The Older Couples (and friends):
These are my favorite vacationers. I really admire old people who make a point to go every where they want “because they’re not getting any younger” (quote from my grandma). The older people love to hang out at the bar (or casino if there is one) and chat with anyone who will listen. Also the most likely to be involved in group activities and focus more on the whole group rather than their partner. They are most different from the young couple group and often look grateful that they are not responsible for dealing with small children.
The “Girls” Group:
I started this post talking about my personal experiences with family vacation, but weirdly enough my family fits into this subgroup (sorry dad). This group of people have a relaxation mindset, they want to lay on the beach and forget about their life at home for a week. They don’t generally participate in resort provided activities and do not socialize much with other people outside their group. My family fits into this category because my sister and I are (essentially) adults and we make leaving everything behind for the weekend a priority.
While not everyone fits exactly into a subgroup, and the groups I have described are very generalized, year after year I always look forward to the people I encounter on vacation.
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