Travelling with Teens!

Recently I traveled to Europe with my husband and teenage daughters for an amazing family vacation. We had talked about this dream vacation for a few years, and finally decided to take action.  The family vacation led us to several discoveries and we would like to share these helpful hints because we believe that they could be of great assistance to you in planning your extreme travel vacation.

Money - Share with your teens the importance of money and budgeting. Create a budget using a spreadsheet to establish spending and expense targets for the family vacation. Encourage your teenagers to start saving money for the trip. The money can come from a job, or their allowance. Have your teens open a bank account for the vacation and watch their travel budget grow. Have a final savings goal in mind! You will be surprised how much incentive this gives the teenagers.  If you have a goal in mind, you will always reach it, especially if you tell someone or have it written down on paper.

Travel Baggage - Traveling with luggage on wheels is always an easier way to get around the airport. Make sure that your luggage is well marked – try attaching a large brightly colored ribbon to the handles, as most luggage is black and hard to select as they come traveling down the carousel. Weight of the travel luggage may be an issue. Minimize your travel clothes and accessories and spare yourself the aggravation of paying extra for overweight baggage. Weigh your luggage beforehand on a bathroom scale. Remember to check with your air carrier before heading to the airport to understand what baggage restrictions apply. Check to see if there is a washer and dryer at your destination - doing small loads of laundry is a little inconvenience compared to lugging overweight bags around the airport, parking lot, up and down stairs … Travel games, cards, books, travel maps will easily pack in your travel carry-on, in case of a flight delay. A healthy snack is always a good idea to carry with you in case of sudden hunger pangs. Check with security to see what the current status is related to carrying electronic equipment on board the flight.

Activities - Museums, castles, cathedrals can be very exciting for the teens, especially unusual locales, but remember to allocate a reasonable amount of time for them as they can try even the hardiest souls if you overstay your welcome.

Our daughters were very excited to check out the shopping to purchase souvenirs for their friends and check out the local fashion scene for themselves, especially in Paris.  Women love to shop, it is in our blood. Yes, it takes a very patient Dad to tag along. Some centers have special rooms for men to wait in, and others have restaurants or bars on site to relax in.

Another activity that is a must on the teenage travel list is the beach excursion.  Beach volleyball, surfing, bodysurfing, reading, people watching, and just hanging out make it a great activity for the whole family.

Don’t forget the digital camera. Take pictures to your heart’s content but don’t forget to delete the pictures that are not cool. Our girls took 650 pictures on our European vacation. Great memories have been assembled into a vacation scrapbook that will provide the family with years of laughter and enjoyment.
 
Family travel memories are what make a childhood memorable. Enjoy your kids they grow up fast.

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