Traveling with Teens!

I have four children (ages 10, 15, 17, and 21) so I have just a little experience traveling with teenagers.  Here are my top tips for traveling with teens:

Choose your battles.  This first tip is not just for traveling but for parenting in general.  I’ll be honest, at some point in his teen years, my oldest decided he didn’t want to travel with the family.  While it was sad for me as his parent, I learned sometimes it was better for everyone in the long run to not force him to go along.  Of course there were still times we had “forced family fun,” but I learned to choose my battles/trips.

Let your teen help with the trip planning.  When you are planning your vacation, let your teens have input.  To start, let them help choose your vacation destination (unless it’s a surprise)!  Once you’ve decided on a destination, ask your teens for input on what activities/excursions they may be interested in doing while on vacation. 

Give your teen options. This tip goes along with the last one.  Give your teen options on where to go and what to do.  When planning, think about places with lots of activities and options.  Come up with a list of activities they are interested in and be sure to do at least a few of those while on your trip.  If there’s something you really want to do but your teen may not be totally into it, give them the choice to opt out OR make a deal with them… if you go to the museum with me, then I’ll go ziplining with you.  Or something like that!

Let your teen bring a friend.  My girls have been bringing friends along to the beach for years!  My 17-year-old senior has been bringing her best friend along to the beach with us every summer since they were 12.  This summer was their last summer vacation together before they graduate from high school.  They did a lot of reminiscing about all of their beach trips, and I’m so thankful they have those memories together.  

Be flexible.  This is key!  Don’t feel like you have to plan every minute of the day.  If your teenagers like to sleep in, don’t plan to be up and out at 8am.  Start your day a little later.  Some trips can be more go-with-the-flow than others.  If you don’t have to follow a schedule, don’t. 

Relax the rules.  If you know me, this one might surprise you, lol.  I’m definitely a rule follower, but it’s also important to remember it’s vacation.  It’s okay to relax and relax the rules.  Let your littles stay up a little later.  Don’t worry so much about screen time – especially if it’s a long drive, lol.  Most importantly, have fun and let your teens have fun too!   

What are some of your tips for traveling with teens?  Share in the comments!  Looking for a destination that your teens will love?  Our agents at Pineapple Escapes can help!  Let us help your family create lasting vacation memories!

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