We have two teenage daughters who are now 17 and 13 years old and they enrich our travel experience. Read this article to know How to travel with teenage kids. While teenagers are known to be lazy and obsessed with social media, they too are quite excited at the prospect of visiting new places and having new experiences. They too want to have a good time with the family. However follow our tips and your teens will enjoy the vacation as much as you and will be asking for more.
Choose your destination wisely
Plan adequately and choose a destination which will appeal to the teens. We always choose a location which has a fair share of outdoor activities and we try to add in a new experience each time . From Beaches to National Parks to Mountain hikes to Rain forests trek – the options are many – depending upon the budget you have for the trip. If you want to go low budget National parks in the US are a great option. Involving them in the planning is a great way build up pre trip excitement.
Find the right hotel
While staying on the outskirts of town in a motel might save you a few bucks, having a comfortable accommodation with comforts like a swimming pool can keep your teens busy and happy. Who does not like to jump into a swimming pool after a tiring day. If booking a vacation home make sure the teen has a separate room. Teens love their privacy and are easier to manage if they have their own space.
Travel with a family
Traveling with another family has its pros and cons — on one hand, you can enjoy adult time while the kids keep each other company, but on the other, you have to adjust to another family’s idea of fun. We have always found that having another family keeps the kids happy and overall we enjoy the vacation so much more spending time with friends. Both adults and kids enjoy the experience.
Give them responsibilities
Teens might not initially want to take on responsibilities, but when it comes down to it, they’re growing into adults and are ready to help. Ask your teen to do an important task – this will give them a sense of pride and responsibility . If they’re old enough, ask them to drive a part of your road trip. The responsibility will give your teen something to do before they get bored. Plus, it’ll make them feel like more of an adult. Yes, your teen needs discipline. But if keeping the peace means more dessert than dinner, more movies than museums or letting him or her sleep in , just go along with it.
Do adequate planning to reduce cost
As a family we take three to four vacations every year and hence cannot blow the entire budget in one trip. It is very important that we stretch the dollar so that travel is not a one time activity but can be sustained over long period. We have saved over $15,000 during the last years in free flights and stay. Apart from leveraging reward points to save on airfare and hotels, once of the most important planning activity could to avoid the start or end of spring, summer, fall or winter school breaks.
There is about fifty percent reduction in flight and hotel costs if the travel can be planned before the start of the break or after. Your teen will have to make up a few days of missed classes, but from our experience this has never created a impact. In case there are exams just before before the break, then we travel mid break and return after the schools open. Again this is totally personal choice and depends on the comfort of the parent and the teen , but for us with adequate planning this works.