Agoraphobia aside (ooh, I like that phrase), there are actual practical reasons an already overwhelmed person might have an especially difficult time going away on vacation with her family.

1. Because you always have to take people shopping first for new shorts, swimsuits and sundries (I hate shopping).

2. You have to get caught up on the laundry in order to pack.

3. You have to make all arrangements and check them twice and then get an oil change and print the driving directions and receipts and such so no cyber-gremlins can eat them (and you WILL run out of ink in the middle of it all -- Murphy's Law).

4. You most certainly have to balance your checkbook before you can even get started and you cannot leave behind a stack of bills. You actually have to pay them all before you can leave because they will be late if you wait until you come back home.

5. Because something will always go wrong right before you leave. (Expensive electrical problem at a rental -- now fixed -- but for such a rockin' cool tenant!)

6. You KNOW you can't leave anything important undone and still hope to have a decent time, so you can no longer ignore your email or the pile of unsavory shit you have been hoarding at your desk. You actually have to do something to address that shit and hope you have done everything right.

7. You have to ignore the smirks and funny looks when the family sees you packing the crock pot so you can still make them a couple of decent meals away from home. Ditto when they see you packing vitamins. Ignore it and pack. After all, they're lucky you're not bringing a cooler full of aloe vera and your special homemade chia seed gel along with a blender and a serving glass for every smirker. That would teach 'em, wouldn't it?