Tips for Travel with Teens

Family vacations are a great way to bond and expose your children to history, culture and new experiences. But traveling with teens is sometimes stressful and challenging due to their growing independence. Here are some ways to make family vacations fun for everyone…even teenagers!

Let your teens help with the planning process. Before you plan your family vacation, have a family meeting and get input from each member. Teenagers will like having some say in where you go on vacation and what activities you’ll be enjoying. Letting them provide input will help you realize ahead of time whether you have completely different ideas of what a “good vacation” looks like.

Compromise on location and activities. You want to wander for hours in an art museum, but your teen wants to spend a week on a beach. Finding a way to meet in the middle is crucial for successful travel as a family. Try to find common ground or choose a vacation like a cruise that will provide a variety of activities and options for all members of the family. This becomes even more important if you also have younger children.   The key is finding a destination that has a little something that each of you will enjoy.

Do your research. Travel agent Theresa Davenport of the Travel Center of Atchison says, “When traveling with teens, it can be a real challenge keeping them occupied and interested. There are many resorts that have specific activities geared toward teens. You just need to do your research.” Work with a travel agent or do your own searching, but take the time to check into activities for teens at a variety of destinations. Look for teen nightlife, pools, adventurous activities and lots of different downtime options to please everyone.

Give teens responsibility. Once you choose your location, let your teen do some of the planning. Give him a day to plan whatever activities he wants for the family, or have him map out the public transportation you’ll have to take. The more ownership teens have of the vacation planning process, the more interested they will be in participating once you get there.

Allow for some privacy. When booking your accommodations, consider giving your teen some personal space. Whether you book a suite or adjoining rooms, your teen will appreciate having her own room to relax in at the end of the day (and you might too!). Davenport recommends family suites, if possible, because it is hard to guarantee that two separate rooms will be near each other in many hotels.

Let them sleep. Like everyone, teenagers need their sleep. They typically like to get that sleep by sleeping late.  Everyone feels better when fully rested, so avoid the urge to plan early-morning adventures every day and allow your teen to sleep in occasionally. Use that early morning time for yourself: Relax over a long breakfast in the hotel or enjoy a solo walk on the beach.

Plan media-free time. Set some ground rules for “device time” while on vacation. Completely taking away phones or devices would not be wise, as quitting anything cold-turkey can make teens grumpy. Instead, declare certain activities or hours of the day to be “media-free” for the whole family. This can lead to everyone’s being more connected and engaged with each other. Set a good example…if you put away your phone and laptop, your teen will be more likely to willingly put away hers.

Split up. Plan for a mixture of family togetherness and separate adventures. Spending time together with the entire family is important, but some days you may want to send your teen off with one parent to ride roller coasters while the other takes the little kids to a park. Planning one-on-one time with your teen not only can allow him to participate in the activities he most enjoys, but it also provides great teen/parent bonding time.

Set them free. Depending on your location and whether your teens are responsible enough, consider letting them explore on their own for an afternoon. Giving them a taste of freedom and letting them find their own way can leave teens feeling confident and excited about travel. Obviously considering their safety is important, but many resorts and family-friendly destinations will be a great place for them to spread their wings.

With just a little bit of planning and compromise, travel with teens can be fun and memorable for the whole family.  Bon voyage!

Sara Keenan lives in Brookside with her husband and two children.  Some of her very favorite childhood memories were of the family vacations she took…even the ones when she was a teenager!