Plan a family reunion without forty group texts a day
Short answer
Vacationist invites every generation with one link — no app-store account required, including for relatives who aren't especially tech-savvy — and splits venue and catering costs by household instead of an awkward even split per person.
The problem with planning a family reunion
Family reunions span generations, and that's exactly where coordination breaks down. The group text that works fine for cousins in their twenties leaves grandparents out entirely. Costs need to split by household, not by head — a family of five shouldn't pay the same as a couple, but "let's just split it evenly" is what usually happens because nobody wants to do the actual math. Then there's the potluck: without a shared list, five people bring potato salad and nobody brings plates. And activities need to work for a six-year-old and a seventy-year-old at the same event, which a simple yes/no poll doesn't capture well.
How Vacationist handles it
One link invites the whole family — no app-store hunting for grandma
Send a single invite link, and anyone can join and participate fully from a browser — no account, no app-store search, no "which app was it again?" phone calls. It works the same for a tech-comfortable cousin and a grandparent who's never downloaded an app in their life.
Vote on activities that work for every generation
Suggest the group activities — a hike, a pool day, a game night — and let everyone vote with a five-tier system from "must do" to "group blocker." A "group blocker" from someone with mobility concerns shows up clearly, instead of getting overruled by enthusiasm from the rest of the group. See how activity voting works.
Split venue, catering, and rentals fairly across households
Log the venue deposit, catering, and any rentals, and split with custom amounts by household instead of an even per-person split that penalizes larger families or single relatives paying their own way. Balances update live for full transparency. See how expense splitting works.
A shared list so the potluck actually works
One shared, real-time list for who's bringing what — food, chairs, games — so five people don't show up with the same dish and nobody remembers plates.
What it costs
Free, with no ads. Voting, expense splitting, and guest access are free for the whole extended family, at any size. A Pro tier exists for organizers running frequent trips, but it isn't required for a single reunion.
Plan your next group trip with Vacationist
Vote on activities, split expenses, and keep everyone in sync — free, no ads, and friends can join without an account. Available on Android and the web today; iOS is in development.
Frequently asked questions
Does grandma need a smartphone app-store account to join?
No. The invite link opens in any browser, and she can vote, see the plan, and check the shared list without installing anything or creating an account.
Can we split costs by household instead of per person?
Yes. Every expense supports custom splits, so a family of five and a couple attending solo can be charged proportionally rather than an identical even split.
Is there something like an RSVP so we know who's actually coming?
There's no dedicated RSVP feature, but activity voting works well for the same purpose — a relative marking an event as a "must do" or a "group blocker" gives organizers a clear read on who's planning to show up.
Can the reunion budget cover multiple households' contributions in one place?
Yes — every trip has one shared expense pool and balance sheet, so contributions from every household are tracked together instead of scattered across separate group chats or spreadsheets.