Family vacations can be a great breather from a hectic lifestyle. However, it can also be enervating in a lot of ways; after all, you are spending a great deal of time with people you already spend a great deal of time with anyway. Your family are the people you are closest to, and in some cases, that can be a double-edged sword.

In order to make your family vacation a lot more enjoyable, here are 4 steps to bear in mind for when the going gets tough.

Have Some ‘Me Time’

Every member of your family should benefit from this holiday, and that includes you. Make sure you’re setting some time aside for yourself, whether you’re getting up early and going for a walk or relaxing in bed for an hour. It’ll work wonders for the family tension, and you will feel a whole lot better once you return from the vacation.

Allow the Vacation to Become Its Own Thing

Although you deserve your own rest and recuperation on your holiday, it is worth noting that you should never be too selfish; when doing things as a group, keep in mind that other people are there to enjoy themselves, too. Stop dictating and simply go with the flow. You might even enjoy yourself!

Have Some Independence

This is a way of combining the above points. It’s always good to have some time to yourself, and it’s better to allow your family to do whatever they want to do, too. Strike the perfect balance by sending everyone off on their merry way—keeping their phones turned on, of course—and arranging a meet-up later one. You’ll be surprised at how good it is to have some independence on your family holiday.

Work as a Team

In moments when you are consigned to spending time together, be sure to make it an experience of equality. Take it in turns to make meals and ensure the person who cooked isn’t doing the dishes. No, it isn’t fun to do chores on your holiday, but it’s so much better than one person being charged with doing all the labor while you’re away

Alas, there are times when absolutely nothing seems to work. In those instances, you should have an exit strategy in mind: say you are going for a walk or ask if anyone wants anything from the shop. It’s good to clear the air and experience a change of scenery; you’ll return to your family refreshed, recharged, and ready to start anew.