Parent Talk / June 2007
On the Road Again
Planning the family’s summer vacation is generally easy – when children are in elementary school. Any place with a beach or a water slide is usually acceptable. As kids hit the teen years, things change. Family time doesn’t have the same appeal of friends their own age. Parents who still want to vacation with their teens can find themselves frustrated by the experience. While they would like the kids to enjoy their trip, parents are also looking for a pleasant escape on their vacation.
Travel agents say vacationing with teens can be much more agreeable if parents pick the right resort or setting, and, if they talk with their teens about what’s important to them on the trip. For some teens, shopping or spa treatments might be exciting. Others may want to build in opportunities for thrills or adventure. Most would like to include some sort of unique activity or opportunity they can talk about with friends back home. While most teens say they enjoy vacationing with their family, they also relish the opportunity to meet new people their own age and have the freedom to spend some time on their own.
Resorts can offer a family-friendly solution. Some offer the adrenaline rush of high wire trapeze lessons, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking or rock walls. The chance to meet new friends during activities like beach soccer or at the pool is always a plus for teens. Parents can do as much or as little as they like.
Settings that offer the opportunity for animal interaction seem to engage children no matter what their age. Feeding iguanas, petting dolphins, riding horses or learning about llamas can set an interactive tone for the trip.
Since no one wants to spend their vacation with a teenager who is apt to become miserable, travel agents have a few suggestions to bring them more willingly on board. Traveling with teens may not be a breeze, but it doesn’t have to be a battle. The goal is for everyone to have an enjoyable time.
The top two are to allow teens to help with planning and let them bring a friend. According to experts, the important thing in the planning is having something specific to do, like making be the grocery list of snacks for the car, online research of possible day trips, making the interactive maps online or being in charge of candid camera shots. For teens, peers are a terrible thing to waste, so if the budget will allow it, encourage them to bring one.
Purchasing a cd player with headphones is another must, according to experts. Teens like to sit, think and listen to their own music. It puts off boredom and eliminates the angst and irritation that accompanies the choice of radio stations, a common conflict in car rides. (Tip: bring extra batteries!)
Successful vacations often permit one day dedicated to things teens want to do. one day to things teens want to do, whether it is visiting a theme park not too far from the campgrounds, or visiting local attractions near the family reunion site.
Experts agree, however, that sometimes parents just have to allow their teens to be miserable. There is no way to make them happy. If a teen chooses to be unhappy about and during vacation, just let them. A power struggle will only ruin the vacation for everyone. It is, after all, the teenager’s choice whether or not to be happy. Parents hope their kids will make the right choices, but if they don’t, parents can make their own choice not to let someone else’s bad mood ruin their well deserved respite from the daily grind.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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