Travelling with teens: a survival guide

Jun 29, 2011 1:49:07 AM

Sarina Singh
Lonely Planet Author

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I fervently believe that travel is one of the best educations any parent can give to a child – especially during their impressionable teenage years. Having said that, anyone who has teenagers will testify that travelling with them can be, well, challenging. Here are some tips that will hopefully help make your next trip as teen-friendly as possible:

1. Go team!

‘The family who plays together stays together.’ Simple, yet powerful, wisdom. Get your teens involved in all aspects of the holiday from the very onset. Discuss destination choices, itineraries and activities. Reading guidebooks and online travel sources will not only stir up pre-trip excitement but also stimulate young minds. Encourage your children to ask questions and make sure you listen keenly to what they have to say. Keep their sense of ownership of the travel experience alive by continuing to assign tasks while on the road, whether it’s navigating, reading maps, updating a travel journal or being appointed chief photographer.

2. Become a groupie

Most teenagers thrive in like-minded company, so you may want to consider taking a package tour for all or part of your trip. Involve your teen in the task of finding the right tour by speaking with travel agents and/or surfing the net. Cruises are particularly popular with families because they offer all sorts of organised social activities on board, from pool volleyball to dance nights.

3. Tough love

This is likely to be your biggest challenge. Convince the kids to leave ‘comfort items’ (handheld electronic games, MP3 players) at home. The reason? These distractions tend to diminish quality family bonding time. Although your teen may initially be grumpy about the decision, after a day or two, you’ll be surprised at how much more communicative they become, not to mention more engaged in what’s actually happening around them.

4. Space to breathe

Teenagers need their space; however, this can be particularly tricky to achieve while on holiday. Perhaps the easiest way is to book accommodation that has separate or adjoining rooms so that you don’t tear each other’s hair out after a long day of sightseeing together.

5. Chill baby, chill

There’s always too much to do and too little time when on vacation, but avoid squeezing 101 things into a day. Spread activities out and factor in some time to purely chill – whether it’s lazing by the swimming pool or simply spending an afternoon watching movies and munching on room service. It’ll leave you all less frazzled and thus less likely to snap at one another.

This article originally appeared in Lonely Planet Magazine India. Live in India and want to subscribe? Head here.

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Comments

6 July 2011 12:28AM rachelwin Report this comment
I recently had the pleasure of traveling to west Africa with two teens and we had a great time. I disagree with tip number 3, though. Letting them bring their iPods helped when they needed some downtime. We were fortunate to be traveling with a wonderful group of people in an extraordinary part of the world. It was a great adventure.
8 July 2011 5:23AM thelastgirl Report this comment
To add to the above comment, I also disagree with number three. My family travelled Australia, and out of the six, three of us were teenagers. If it wasn't for our DSi's, I think we would have all gone absolutely loopy on the long-haul flights, and long-haul car rides. It also meant we could play multiplayer games (which we often did) without the fuss (or space!) of travel board games, which never work or sustain interest for long. The variety of games on the DS did. It didn't mean that it detracted in any way from our appreciation of the beauty of the country, it merely detracted from the worst bits of travelling, especially as a family.
8 July 2011 12:11PM ansh_jain_97 Report this comment
I'm a teen. I absolutely disgaree with #3--you need gadgets in flights etc as suggested above!
8 July 2011 7:48PM manjuchandra Report this comment
Its a owsmmm
10 July 2011 10:05AM fibeestar Report this comment
it may be too late if you're reading this article but start traveling with kids when they're younger, by the time they're teens they get it and love it! I've also come to realize that the enjoying the journey is an adult thing and kids need distractions - we all dreamt of a tv in the back of the car for long haul trips when we were kids - now they can have that luxury. just point out the important things to look at. I draw the line though at mealtimes. We also plan our trip looking for things specifically geared towards the kids - I never wanted to go to hobbiton in NZ but was surprised to really enjoy it. It also teaches them about give and take, we've done something for you, now it's our turn.
11 July 2011 2:55AM lowalker147 Report this comment
I disagree with everything except number 5. I'm a teen, yet I don't like having a seperate room from my mom or dad (and his fiance; my parents are divorced). We did that in Europe at some places and it really was kind of depressing sometimes and I know my dad didn't like it. I think part of the down time that no. 5 talks about is sharing experiences back at the room. Also, I don't like tours. I think they're horrible if you want to really see a country. Then again, I'm more of an independent traveler than most my age I think. Lastly, modern technology helps a lot when you need to find a places to eat quickly or how to use the metro in Paris or New Delhi. This article makes us teens seem like all we want to do is sleep and be on our iPods or iPhones all the time.
11 March 2012 1:05PM lynn718 Report this comment
As a 17 year old I have to disagree with all of these. Having a phone on a vacation won't distract from the trip unless your kid is completely addicted to his/her cell phone. If that is the case limiting the use of the phone is a lot more reasonable than taking it away, which is likely to lead to a very pissed off teenager. As far as #1 goes, if you need or want help from your teen ask, but if my mother asked me to "update a travel journal" I would look at her like she had lost her mind. Regarding #2 I have to say that wandering around a city in a group of people wearing cargo shorts would be absolutely humiliating. You'll find your teen a lot more easy to travel with if you'll treat him/her like an adult. Also, refrain from tall socks, fanny packs, and obnoxious hats or your kid will not want to be seen with you.