Father wants to go somewhere to fish. Mother and daughter want to shop. Son wants to go para-sailing. Regretfully, there is only one car, and it can go only one place at a time, much to the frustration of at least half of the family. Father decides to buy two six-packs instead of one.
Meals are exercises in stress management.
If they are taken in a restaurant, two family members are sulking because they would rather be someplace else. During the first three days of the trip, Mom and Dad are trying to get over the stress they incurred at work trying to get ready for the trip. Unless you work on an assembly line, chances are you have to do much of the vacation week's work in advance. Then, the last four days are spent with the knowledge that once you get back to work you're in for a hellacious week of catching up and worrying about whether the house is still standing and the pets are still alive. If it's a really good vacation, the worrying also includes recovering from the expense.