Tips and advice when travelling with your teenagers

Taking your teenagers on a holiday does have its challenges. It was certainly easier when they were babies and you just had to worry about if they needed to eat, sleep or be changed. Sure, there was intermittent crying, but they were certainly happy as long as they were in your arms and had a hand to hold.

Sadly, that phase does not last. Teenagers, those hormonal, messy, constantly-hungry, sad, hysterical creatures are an entirely different ballgame to travel with. They love their technology for one and they also have a thirst for knowledge.

But it doesn’t have to be all bad, with a bit of preparation you can have a fantastic holiday exploring the sites, applying endless sunblock, and enjoying some tasty and not-always-over-the-budget cuisines.

So what are the best ways to enjoy a family vacation with teenagers? Here are some tips:

1. Research your activities in advance

Create a list of tentative ideas to do and readily suggest. Ask friends who have been travelled to the same places for some of their recommendations. Even check out the reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor to see which activities are worth doing while in the area and which tourist sites are worth visiting for the whole family.

2. Use the guidebooks

For families of four, tours can get costly. So as a means to make our buck last longer, there are usually some areas you can explore and simply enjoy learning straight from the book. It also means that everyone can tour at their own pace and customise their day according to every family member’s desires.

3. Adventure

Yes, when they were younger it’s hard not to worry about broken arms or legs, but the benefit of teenagers is that you can start to worry less, as we’ve already seen them throw themselves at their sports. Look for activities they’ll get a kick out of, or otherwise, activities that step outside of the grown-up comfort zone, and let them have a bit of an adrenalin kick. In summer locations it’s easy to find water slides, parasailing, wake-boarding or jet skis. A lot of these activities are still fun even as grown adults or even to watch from the side-lines.

4. Spend less on accommodation

Yes, travel with teenagers is where you can be a bit on the scant side with hotels. They don’t want to sit still so parents won’t have much of a chance to enjoy the perks of a luxury hotel. Places like the Novotel or YHAs, where you can get two rooms and maybe share a bathroom are usually located centrally and close to public transport great airport transfers.

5. Groupon

Groupon is pretty much world-wide and has everything from discounted meals to great holiday activities or all-inclusive holiday specials. Just type in your city and see what you find. For teenagers, this can be a real winner as there are some fresh ideas as to what to do and keep busy, which sometimes are not covered in the guidebooks.

So while many of us may still be suffering the holiday blues and are highly unimpressed by the winter chill, maybe some of these tips might inspire you to book a fun-filled family holiday during the Christmas break.

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