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Traveling with a teen can feel like nothing but earbuds and eye rolls. Your child's teenage years may be some of the toughest. However, if it is possible to get your teens away from some of those things which distract them like friends, phones, and social websites, then you might be able to get a few really great family memories. Here are some of our best tips to make family travel more fun with and for your teens:
1. Do Something They Are Interested In
One of the best ways to ensure that your adolescent enjoys your next family trip is to try doing something they're interested in. This can be hard to figure out sometimes but laying out a few different options and asking them to pick usually works. Even though you may get an eye roll or two they’ll end up choosing something that excites them.
Try and give a huge range of activities: museums, hiking, water activities, main tourist spots (maybe add in some shopping), scooter tours, beaches, lessons for something they’ve done before. We can help you find tons of options that will definitely excite your teen.
2. Know When to Get Up Early
Unless you have a rare teen who enjoys getting up at dawn, most teenagers like their sleep. In fact, they'd rather sleep and stay up late given the opportunity. But it can't be an everyday occurrence, because they would miss things like an early morning scuba dive. Which is worth getting up at the crack of dawn for. Offer your adolescent time to sleep in and make sure they understand that some days they will need to get out of bed early.
3. Set Expectations Ahead of Time
Talk to your teens ahead of time and make sure they understand exactly what your expectations are for a particular excursion. Do you want a mother-daughter moment? Do you want an opportunity to do something with your kid? Give them a heads up before you leave. This gives everyone an opportunity to plan so that you can have a wonderful trip together.
4. Give Them Some Space
When traveling with your adolescent, give them a chance to have some space. Let them have their own room if possible. We frequently get a vacation rental that offers multiple rooms so there is more space for downtime to do what they want to do. Let them have a room where they can escape to; this could be a different area or just have them sit on the balcony for a short time. Giving them space will keep everyone's sanity intact. We can help find you housing options to best suit you and your family's needs.
5. Give your Teen A Little Freedom
If it is safe enough and your teenager is trustworthy offer them some time with no parents. Let them visit the pool or go for a stroll around the hotel. It is a win for everyone and will show your teenager that you trust them. This goes hand in hand with giving them space too.
You don't have to let them call all of the shots to have a great vacation. This advice will not only keep the eye-rolling to a minimum but offer you a chance while you travel to connect with your teen.
We can help you book an amazing vacation that offers a variety of exciting activities that your teen is guaranteed to enjoy sans eye rolls. Contact us anytime and we will build you a teen proof vacation package.