The Wendell family doesn't usually do too much together; the parents work a lot, and the kids have developed their own lives. This year however, Norm, the Wendell patriarch, has decided to schedule a family vacation. He rents a van and a camper trailer, forces everyone inside, and the family sets off on a week of heavily-scheduled fun. With all four Wendells in a confined space, motoring between tourist attractions, scenic vistas and the occasional point of interest, the trip turns out to be a disaster - in fact, an actual disaster - Norm accidentally drives the van over a cliff!