Italy with my in-laws meant late starts and tricky meals. Then we got a week to ourselves.

The author (far right) went on a multigenerational family trip to Italy.

She said they had a great time, but she's glad her family of three stayed for a few extra days to explore on their own.

Courtesy of Renate Flanagan.

We were invited to a destination wedding and decided to meet up with my in-laws, who live in Europe.

I enjoyed spending time as a family of 10, but our travel styles are very different.

Once they left, my family of three explored the Dolomites, a bucket-list destination of mine.

When my husband, brother-in-law, and I were invited to our mutual friend's destination wedding in Tuscany, we promptly RSVP'd "yes!" My husband, brother-in-law, and I all live in the United States, but my husband's parents live in Belgium , so we don't see them often.

We invited my mother and father-in-law to join us in Italy so they could spend time with our 1-year-old son.

My mother-in-law suggested that my sister-in-law, her partner, and their 1-year-old daughter, who also live in Belgium, join the trip.

Before I knew it, our trip turned into a multi-generational family vacation with a group of 10 ranging in age from 1 to 71.

I was grateful that we were able to coordinate getting so many family members together at once, but I'm also glad my husband and I planned dedicated time for our family of three after the festivities.

After the author's in-laws left the trip, her family of three enjoyed traveling on their own for a few days.

Courtesy of Renate Flanagan.

Traveling with a large group was an exercise in logistics We looked for accommodations that were large enough to comfortably house all of us but also within our budget.