Top 10 Tips on Family Travel with Teenagers

Your teens have outgrown children’s museums. Taking the annual road trip to visit the cousins can be a hard sell. And renting that cottage for a week at the beach just doesn’t do it any longer.

Teens can be difficult in the normal course of everyday family life. I have four kids—three sons aged 19, 17 and 15, and a 12-year-old daughter. As a travel writer, my kids and my husband have traveled with me around the country and throughout the world.

Traveling with your teens can be an amazing experience and a great way to bond as a family. But there are tricks to a successful family vacation with your teens. So here are some of the things that I’ve learned over the years traveling with my crew of almost-but-not-quite-adult children.   

1) Involve Teens in Planning

The ultimate decision about your family vacation is yours, but your teen should definitely be part of the decision-making process. If you listen to your teen’s wants and needs, he or she will be more likely to have a good time—and so will you.

2) Carefully Choose Your Vacation Destination

Some vacations just work better for teens. Cruises, theme parks, all-inclusive resorts and ski vacations all offer attractions or activities that appeal to this age group. Destinations that offer a wide variety of things to do are also a good bet. Big-city vacations like New York and London work well for teens too. National parks like the Grand Canyon appeal to adventure-loving teens. Also, consider going somewhere totally unfamiliar—that way, no one is the expert and parents and teens are on (almost!) equal footing.

3) Please Everyone—Some of the Time

Once you decide on a destination, let each of your kids choose at least one of the activities. In San Gimignano, Italy—after one too many days of visiting churches—my middle son insisted we visit the Medieval Criminal and Torture Museum. On the way to Toronto, we stopped in Cooperstown, N.Y., to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame at the request of my oldest son (see Baseball Sites article [LINK]). Vacation can also be a great time to have one-on-one time with your child, so consider traveling separately, even while together. In Madrid[destinations/ES/29/M/madrid] last summer, my daughter and I spent an entire morning at the Prado while the guys slept in. 

4) All for One and One for All

It’s perfectly fine for parents to occasionally insist that everyone in the family take the city tour, go river rafting or sample lobster. Vacation is about trying new things, and your teen will probably like the experience more than they let on.

5) Budget, Budget, Budget

“Mom, can I order the most expensive thing on the menu?” Unfortunately, when you travel with teenagers, the kid’s menu just doesn’t do it anymore. The travel industry mostly considers kids over age 12 as adults, and you will usually pay full price for your teen. Every little bit helps though, so have your child bring their high school or college ID card for student discounts when available. Develop a travel budget before you go, and let your teenagers know what you are willing to pay for on vacation.