Teenagers are a unique breed, to say the least. Even with all their idiosyncrasies, they are the perfect age to be your travelling companions, most of the time. Not quite adults and still with the childlike tendencies, these few years are my favorite for travel. But like any stage there are always things to keep in mind.
Know What Works for Your Family
This is the #1 most important thing to keep in mind. Hopefully, after all the years together, you have a feel for what your teenagers will tolerate, and more importantly, what they will totally not. If dragging kids out of bed early in the morning is painful, scheduling tours at 8 am every day is likely going to make people agitated. Along the same lines, if your teens really aren’t into art, spending a full day at the Louvre isn’t the best idea.
Whether it’s tours or activities, pick things that everyone can agree on. Of course, 100% of the family won’t love 100% of the activities all the time. Remember, that too, is OK.
Related: 5 Tips for Planning Your Next Vacation with Teens
Don’t Feel Guilty About Missing Sights
In cities such as Paris, Rome, London, and New York, it can be hard to admit defeat and simply accept you cannot see it all in one trip–be comfortable with not checking the box for the TripAdvisor Top 10 of said city.
Related: Top Must-See Paris Sights in 2 Days
Bookend the Vacation with Rest Days at Home
Between homework, sports training, testing, projects, papers, etc, teenagers are exhausted immediately after school lets out. The last thing they want to do is finish up classes and head to the airport or arrive home from vacation just to get up for swim practice the next morning. It may cost a few days less in your destination, but teenagers will be so much happier to have a down day on either end to rest and regroup. We find these days are useful to pack, hunt down things our teens forgot to mention they need, and just generally serve as a bridge between work-mode and vacation-mode.
Related: Will my Phone Work in Europe? And Other Questions Asked by Novice Teen Travelers
Make the First Travel Day a Full One
If traveling to a new place for a week or less, make that first day a full one. I realize what I recommend in the next point totally contradicts this one. When arriving in a new city, in general, everyone is excited, even the teenagers. Schedule the walking tour, build in a museum visit, and even dinner reservations the first day when people have energy and stamina. By getting a good overview and packing a lot in the first day, the family can relax a bit the rest of the days. This way even if someone gets sick or needs to sleep in, everyone got the basics. Based on personal experience, each additional day into the trip teens (and adults) lose interest in all the touristy things. One can only see so many museums.
Related: What to Know for the Best Walking Tour Experience in Any City
Plan Only One Thing a Day (After the First Day)
After your long-haul day of touring in your given vacation city, plan only one scheduled activity for subsequent days. And that one activity should be timed for the family. If every morning it’s a challenge to get kids up and out the door, then make that first activity begin at 1 pm. My fellow TravelTeening friend says after numerous vacations she discovered her older boys really needed to sleep in and are slow to get moving. As a result, they endure the extra crowds so everyone can move at his or her own pace. In the end, it has helped keep the peace.
If dad needs a nap every day at 3 pm, then make the mornings the time to sightsee. Going back to the first point of knowing the family is extremely important for keeping everyone happy and motivated.
Related: My Favorite Travel Apps to Plan and Navigate Our Family Adventures
Build in Downtime During the Trip
Remember this is everyone’s vacation, including the teenagers. While it’s fun to see new places and taste new foods, traveling is exhausting. Allow for the kids to have time not marching through museums and not listening to a tour. Unplugging is certainly important to bring the family together, but if they need time to be alone and watch YouTube for a bit, let them.
Related: Hotel vs. Apartment: 4 Things to Consider When Traveling with Teens
Give Everyone Space
Older (and bigger) kids equals needing more space in a hotel or apartment. With a teenage boy and girl, we no longer can cram into one small European “family” hotel room. For years, we’ve been doing the whole apartment thing via AirBnB or HomeAway (which to choose from can depend on your destination). Over the past year, we have gotten better about choosing places to stay that allow for us to spread out a bit. For example, two bathrooms and three beds is now required for us to be optimized. Between longer bathroom visits, showers, and hair primping, one bathroom just wasn’t cutting it. In addition, we also need two separate beds for the kids. A bonus is if everyone has space to find his or her own quiet corner to escape from everyone at the end of the long day.
All photos ©Linda Kerr, TravelTeening
