T-shirt guides
Matching Family Holiday T-Shirt Ideas That Are Actually Fun to Wear
Matching family shirts do not have to be cringe. Here is how to choose designs, colours and sizes that look good in the group photo, from reunions to a week away, with honest notes on adult-only sizing and what to do about the children.
In this guide
- Does everyone need the same design?
- Adult sizes only: what do families do about the children?
- Same colour, different jokes
- Funny without being embarrassing
- Destination and holiday themes
- More family-friendly funny T-shirts you can order today
- Family nicknames and custom ideas
- Colours and the group photo
- Getting everyone organised before the holiday
- Keeping it fun for everyone
- Matching family holiday T-shirts: FAQs
Matching tees for the whole crew?
Family-friendly funny T-shirts, printed to order in the UK. Adult sizes XS to 4XL. Shipping normally takes 3-5 days.
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Matching family holiday shirts have a bad reputation, and some of it is deserved. Everyone remembers the photo where six people wear the same slogan and only one of them looks happy about it. The idea is fine. The execution is usually where it goes wrong.
This guide is about getting it right: shirts that look good in the group photo, make the grandparents laugh, and that the teenager will wear without a negotiation. It covers designs, colours, sizes and the practical bit of getting everyone organised before you travel. One honest point first, because it shapes the whole plan: FunnyTshirt T-shirts are adult sizes only, XS to 4XL, with no children’s or baby sizes. We will come back to what families do about that.
Quick answer
To make matching family holiday shirts, pick one shared idea, then decide how closely to match. The easiest route is the same colour with different jokes, so everyone keeps their personality. Collect adult sizes early and check each product page for colours. Everyone does not need the same design: matching a colour or a theme often photographs better and causes fewer complaints.
Does everyone need the same design?
No, and insisting on it is the fastest way to lose half the group. Matching can mean three different things, and each suits a different family.
| Way of matching | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Identical design | Everyone wears the same shirt | Reunions and short trips with a shared joke |
| Same colour, different jokes | One colour, a slogan each | Mixed ages and tastes |
| Same theme, free choice | Agree a mood, such as walking or farm life, and each person picks | Big families and teenagers |
For most families, same colour with different jokes is the sweet spot. The group photo looks coordinated, and nobody is stuck in a slogan that is not their sense of humour. If you want the full process for a big group, our guide to organising group T-shirts covers the money and the deadlines. If it is only two of you, the one on matching couples T-shirts is the better read.
Adult sizes only: what do families do about the children?
Our T-shirts are unisex adult tees in XS to 4XL (a few designs start at S, so check each page). We do not make children’s or baby sizes, and we would rather say that plainly than have you find out at the checkout. Here is how families usually handle it without anyone feeling left out.
- Adults match, children wear a plain colour. Pick the colour of the adult tees and buy plain children’s T-shirts in the same shade elsewhere. In photos it reads as a coordinated group.
- Teens and older children: some may fit adult XS or S. Compare against a shirt they already own, and check our size guide before ordering.
- Grandparents, aunts and uncles: the easy ones. Adult sizing suits them, and they often enjoy the joke most.
If you are unsure which adult size to pick for someone who is not there to try one on, our guide on what size T-shirt to buy as a gift helps.
Same colour, different jokes
This is the easiest set-up for mixed families, and a bright colour looks great against a beach, a hillside or a theme park. Several of our designs come in Poppy, a proper postbox red. Requires Constant Supervision is a good anchor for the group, and Plan Ahead, Funny hard to read text and the Alien tee sit comfortably alongside it. They all read as friendly rather than rude.
Colours vary by design. Some come in Poppy and Black, others in Black and Aqua, and a few in Black only, so check each product page before you commit to a shade.
Funny without being embarrassing
A family group has a very wide audience, so the joke has to survive a seven-year-old reading it over a shoulder and a great-aunt reading it aloud. That rules out sweary slogans and innuendo. If you want more ideas along those lines, our guide to funny T-shirts without the swearing has a longer list.
Good family shirts tend to joke about the family itself. These designs each suit a role in the group, which makes them fun to hand out.
- Easily Distracted for the person who somehow loses the passports.
- I’m grumpycorn before my coffee for the one who cannot function before coffee.
- Expert Advice for the relative with an opinion on everything.
- Chicken Game for the in-joke that needs no explaining, because it is already a family joke.
Tip: read the print, not just the name. Even in a family-friendly range, a few designs lean cheeky. Look at the exact wording on each product page before you add it to a group order, and leave out anything that would make a grandparent wince.
Destination and holiday themes
We do not have destination-specific designs, so there is no ready-made “Our Trip to Spain” tee, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. What we do have is designs that suit the mood of a trip.
For the walking holiday
A “dander” is a Northern Irish stroll, and Fancy A Dander is a cheerful invitation to go on one. It suits a family weekend away in the hills or along the coast, and the joke lands even if you have to explain the word. It comes in Black. For more local flavour, see funny Northern Irish gifts.
For the farm stay or caravan trip
I Farm You Eat is a green tractor and a cheeky bit of rural pride. It suits a farming family heading off together, or any group with a farmer in it. It comes in White and Black.
For something calmer, Highland is a bull in bright colours that suits any hillside or highland break.
For the big reunion
The Craic is 90 so it is is loud and proud, with a glowing red 90 on a black tee. It works for a reunion where the craic really is mighty, or a birthday gathering with a few generations in one room. It comes in Black.
Ready to order
More family-friendly funny T-shirts you can order today
A few more designs with no swearing in the print. Check the colours and adult sizes on each product page.
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Caution I Have No Filter – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt
Price range: £17.02 through £26.07Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
I Farm You Eat – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee
Price range: £21.98 through £31.03Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Not my circus not my monkeys – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt
Price range: £17.02 through £26.07Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
I Have Neither The Time Or The Crayons To Explain This To You – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt
Price range: £17.02 through £26.07Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Foundered So I Am – Organic Creator T-shirt – Unisex
Price range: £25.92 through £28.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Dead On Big Lad – Organic Creator T-shirt – Unisex
Price range: £25.92 through £28.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Aquaholic – Forever Chasing Fins – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt
Price range: £23.55 through £32.60Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
This is a T Shirt – Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve T-shirt
Price range: £17.02 through £26.07Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Got a funny idea of your own?
Every FunnyTshirt design is our own, dreamed up in Antrim. If you have a custom design idea, send it over and we usually reply within one working day.
Printed to order in the UK
Family nicknames and custom ideas
If you want the family’s own words on the shirts, such as a surname, a nickname or an in-joke from last year’s trip, that is what our custom design route is for. There is no online personalisation tool, so you send the idea through the contact page and we come back with what is possible. Every FunnyTshirt design is dreamed up in Antrim and printed to order in the UK, and custom ideas go through the same process.
If you are writing your own slogan, keep it short. Three or four words read well on a chest, and the joke should still land when it is read across a beach.
Colours and the group photo
A family photo is where matching shirts earn their keep, so think about it before you choose. Dark tees stand out against a bright beach or sky, and a strong red looks good against almost anything. One colour for all the adults is simplest. A two-colour mix works if some designs only come in one shade, but keep the tones close.
Our T-shirt colours page shows what we use. Remember that each design has its own range, so a colour you like may not exist on every slogan.
Getting everyone organised before the holiday
The shirts are the easy part. The hard part is the group chat. Printed shirts are made to order and shipping normally takes 3-5 days depending on manufacturing time, so allow extra time before you travel rather than ordering the week before. Messages like these help get sizes and decisions moving.
- We are going for matching tees in one colour, each person picks their own slogan. Reply with your size and your favourite by Sunday.
- Sizes are adult only, so the little ones will wear a plain tee in the same colour. Please send the size you actually wear, not the one you wish you wore.
- Last call for sizes! If I do not hear from you, you are getting an XL and a funny look.
- The shortlist is in the poll. Pick one you would laugh at, not one you think Gran will like.
Before you order
- Agree the way of matching: identical, same colour or same theme
- Collect adult sizes and check the size guide
- Check colours on every product page, because they vary by design
- Read the exact printed wording for each person
- Sort the children’s plain tees in the same shade
- Order early and allow 3-5 days for printing and shipping
For the day
- Take the group photo early, before the sun and the ice cream
- Pack a spare shirt, because every family has a spiller
Keeping it fun for everyone
The best matching shirts feel like a shared joke, not a uniform. Let people choose within a theme, listen to the teenager who hates the first idea, and do not make anybody wear a shirt that embarrasses them. If someone really does not want to join in, a plain tee in the family colour still looks part of the group. For a short trip, a joke like Foundered So I Am or Caution I Have No Filter needs no explaining and gets smiles from strangers at the airport.
Matching family holiday T-shirts: FAQs
How do you make matching family holiday shirts?
Choose one shared idea, such as a colour, a theme or a joke. Collect everyone’s adult size early, check each design’s colours on its product page and read the printed wording. Allow 3-5 days for printing and shipping. If you want your own family slogan, send the idea through the contact page.
Do all family members need the same design?
No. Matching colours with different jokes usually photographs better, keeps everyone’s personality and avoids arguments. A shared theme with free choice works for big families and teenagers. Identical shirts suit short trips and reunions with a shared in-joke.
Do you make T-shirts for children and babies?
No. Our T-shirts are unisex adult sizes, XS to 4XL, and a few designs start at S. Many families have the adults match and put the children in a plain tee in the same colour. Teens may fit adult XS or S, so compare against a shirt they already own and check the size guide.
Can we put our family name or a nickname on the shirts?
Custom ideas are possible through our contact route. There is no online personalisation tool, so send the idea through the contact page and we will tell you what we can do. Keep the wording short so it reads well on a chest.
What colour is best for a family holiday photo?
A single colour for all the adults is the simplest choice. Dark shades and bright red stand out well against beaches and hillsides. Check the colours for each design, because not every slogan comes in every shade. The colours page shows what we use.
What if someone does not like the design?
Offer a choice of two or three family-friendly designs in the same colour, so everyone picks their own. For anyone still unhappy, a plain tee in the family colour keeps the group look without forcing a joke on them.
Keep reading
More ideas from the FunnyTshirt blog.
Funny Clothing & T-Shirt GuidesHow to Organise Matching Group T-Shirts Without the StressA step-by-step guide to ordering matching group T-shirts for stag dos, hen parties and trips: sizes, design votes,…Read the guide
Funny Clothing & T-Shirt GuidesFunny T-Shirts Without the Swearing: Clean Humour That Still Gets a LaughWant a funny T-shirt that works at family occasions and the office? Here are the puns, animals and…Read the guide
Funny Clothing & T-Shirt GuidesFunny Matching Couples T-Shirt Ideas for Holidays, Anniversaries and PartiesFunny matching T-shirt ideas for couples: identical versus complementary designs, real pairs you can build from our range,…Read the guideReady to plan your family look?
Pick a colour, agree the jokes and let the group chat do the rest. New customers get 5% off a first order with code GO5.
