Winter break for me means an annual family vacation. This year, my family's endeavor is sailing around the Caribbean. Sun and drinks with tiny umbrellas are plentiful on this vacay. However, Mom and Dad keep a pretty watchful eye and throw Grandpa into the mix, and my sun and drink-filled vacation slowly begins to spiral down a slippery slope. Don’t get me wrong, I live for quality family time, especially since I’m away at school six months out of the year. But there is something about vacationing that makes my family a little crazy, and with the amount of crazy we already have, we definitely don’t need any more. Before I explain the pros and cons of vacationing with one's family, let me just give you a brief summary of my family. This vacation will consist of me, my two sisters, my cousin, my mom, my dad, my grandpa and his girlfriend. So it's just a small family of eight on a cruise ship that you might think is big enough for us, but I promise you, it’s not. Seven of us are all Greek — so that’s seven veryloud, stubborn, and opinionated people traveling together. Sounds like a reality show, right? It should be. I’m not saying we're not going to have fun, because trust me, we are the life of everyparty. But there will be bumps along the way to said party. So, without further adieu, the list.

Pros:

• Family time - I mean, of course they can get on your nerves, but family time is something that should be cherished.
• They pay for everything - I’m not saying to use your parents for their wallets, but if they want to spoil you a little extra on your vacation, I wouldn’t say no.
• Seeing your parents absolutely care free for once - My parents are two of the hardest working people I know, and they are always stressing about something. But when they're on vacation, it's nice to see them finally relax for once. They deserve it.
• It’s still vacation - I mean, hey, I’ll take a vacation wherever I can get one, and if that means traveling with my 72-year-old grandpa, then so be it. A tropical beach is still a tropical beach, even though you have to see your gramps shirtless.

Cons:

• The preparation - Something about getting ready for a vacation makes my mother insane, between packing and not wanting to forget anything, and the fact that the entire house has to be spotless before we leave. Like OK, Ma.
• Adult supervision - Being away at school gives you a lot of freedom, and when you travel with your parents, they like to act like you’re not away at school every weekend. So maybe you can’t drink as many umbrella drinks as you would like.
• Overdose of your whole family - When you’re at home, you see your family but you can always escape to your room and Netflix. On vacation, when they start to bother you a little, there is no escaping. You are stuck with them in the middle of the ocean, so bite your tongue and don’t start any drama on your “care-free” vacation.
• Could be used against you in the future - You know the next time you do something to remotely bother your mom or dad they will pull the “I just took you on a very expensive vacation and this is how you treat us?” card.

All in all, they're your family and you know you love them, and I promise your vacation will be fun either way. They always are. Happy tanning!