Engaging Teens during Italy travels
Jan 3rd, 2016, 05:26 PM
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Engaging Teens during Italy travels
We'll be in Italy for two weeks in March with a 17.5 and 15.5 year old (both girls). As members of the internet generation, their attention spans sometimes leave something to be desired. I suspect the splendors of Italy are up to the challenge.
Nonetheless, I'd welcome any suggestions for keeping teens engaged whilst traveling Italy (we'll be in Rome, Pompei, Venice and some parts of Tuscany).
Thanks in advance!
Nonetheless, I'd welcome any suggestions for keeping teens engaged whilst traveling Italy (we'll be in Rome, Pompei, Venice and some parts of Tuscany).
Thanks in advance!
Jan 3rd, 2016, 06:05 PM
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Well, as the parent of teenage sons I can empathise, although mine have Italian cousins who tend to orchestrate the activities when we are there - mostly hanging about piazzas, playing Playstation and watching movies 
Are you going to Pompeii as a day trip from Rome or are you staying overnight? If overnighting, there is a great museum in Ercolano called the MAV which has 3D interactive displays and a surround cinema with all the rumblings, bells and whistles of Vesuvius erupting. My sons thought it was cool. It is across the street from the ruins of Herculaneum which was also buried by the Vesuvian eruption in AD79 - it is smaller and more compact than Pompeii as well.
http://www.visitercolano.com/en/main...al-museum.html
http://www.napoliunplugged.com/locat...ogico-virtuale
If they haven't studied Pompeii at school then a few short documentaries at home before you leave will make the site much more meaningful. This one, by Mary Beard (a Professor at Cambridge University) is really accessible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnIY6AE4m6E
In Rome, if you have time, riding bikes in the Borghese Gardens is always great for a break if the day is sunny and the gardens are huge. There is an off leash dog park near the zoo and my youngest loves to ride his bike down there and pat some friendly dogs, with permission from their owners.
This place brings Roman history to life and is great for attention span short teens
http://www.palazzovalentini.it/en
There has been sound and light displays at the Imperial Forum on Via dei Fori Imperiali. They were still running when I was in Rome a few weeks ago. They project images onto the ancient forum buildings and show it how it would have looked 2000 years ago. There is also audio with a headset and you sit in stands and watch the show. It was only meant to be temporary but has proved popular so is still running. Maybe it will still be on in March.
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/life...dfeb4a957.html
Hope this helps a little.
Are you going to Pompeii as a day trip from Rome or are you staying overnight? If overnighting, there is a great museum in Ercolano called the MAV which has 3D interactive displays and a surround cinema with all the rumblings, bells and whistles of Vesuvius erupting. My sons thought it was cool. It is across the street from the ruins of Herculaneum which was also buried by the Vesuvian eruption in AD79 - it is smaller and more compact than Pompeii as well.
http://www.visitercolano.com/en/main...al-museum.html
http://www.napoliunplugged.com/locat...ogico-virtuale
If they haven't studied Pompeii at school then a few short documentaries at home before you leave will make the site much more meaningful. This one, by Mary Beard (a Professor at Cambridge University) is really accessible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnIY6AE4m6E
In Rome, if you have time, riding bikes in the Borghese Gardens is always great for a break if the day is sunny and the gardens are huge. There is an off leash dog park near the zoo and my youngest loves to ride his bike down there and pat some friendly dogs, with permission from their owners.
This place brings Roman history to life and is great for attention span short teens
http://www.palazzovalentini.it/en
There has been sound and light displays at the Imperial Forum on Via dei Fori Imperiali. They were still running when I was in Rome a few weeks ago. They project images onto the ancient forum buildings and show it how it would have looked 2000 years ago. There is also audio with a headset and you sit in stands and watch the show. It was only meant to be temporary but has proved popular so is still running. Maybe it will still be on in March.
http://www.ansa.it/english/news/life...dfeb4a957.html
Hope this helps a little.
Jan 3rd, 2016, 06:27 PM
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The kids should look at the Let's Go Student Guide for Italy to get an idea of what they want to see and do, including student clubs or pubs.
When we took DDs - 11 and 14 - to europe for the first time they were very involved in the planning, picking out sights and restaurants as well as activities (they had to see the ballet in Paris) and were very anxious to have the chance to use their french.
Be sure to have some time with kids and parents separate so they can do things that might bore you - and vice versa. Being joined at the hip every moment 24/7 can be a huge stress on everyone.
When we took DDs - 11 and 14 - to europe for the first time they were very involved in the planning, picking out sights and restaurants as well as activities (they had to see the ballet in Paris) and were very anxious to have the chance to use their french.
Be sure to have some time with kids and parents separate so they can do things that might bore you - and vice versa. Being joined at the hip every moment 24/7 can be a huge stress on everyone.
Jan 3rd, 2016, 06:28 PM
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And another thing - if your girls are allowed to wear makeup, maybe let them loose in the Kiko store in Rome - there is one on Via del Corso. It is makeup made in Milan and is really cheap. Their mascara is the best I have ever used. A little look at their lip glosses
http://www.kikocosmetics.com/en-us/m...p-glosses.html
Their stores are similar to Sephora in that they stock hundreds of items and many, many different colours.
There are also two Sephora stores in Rome that I know of - one also on Via del Corso and the other on Via del Tritone - if you can't get your hands on Sephora at home.
Just an idea if your girls are into makeup and you're near a store.
http://www.kikocosmetics.com/en-us/m...p-glosses.html
Their stores are similar to Sephora in that they stock hundreds of items and many, many different colours.
There are also two Sephora stores in Rome that I know of - one also on Via del Corso and the other on Via del Tritone - if you can't get your hands on Sephora at home.
Just an idea if your girls are into makeup and you're near a store.
Jan 3rd, 2016, 09:17 PM
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We have taken all three of our kids to Europe.. however.. all were taken on separate one on one trips with one parent.. I took our then 13 yr old son first.. then hubby took our 14 yr old son.. then I took our 11 yr old daughter.
All three kids were required to do their homework.. ie .. research and come up with three sites they wanted to visit.. no matter what.. they had to be worked into itinerary.. and one place my son discovered.. was somewhere I would have NEVER chosen ( the Catacombs in Paris.. I am claustrophobic but, I put up and sh*t up because that was the deal..lol ) but off we went.
My daughter discovered the Shoah Museum in Paris ( thanks to a book she was reading) and another son discovered that there was a Leanardo Da Vinci exhibit outside Paris he wanted to see. In Italy my daughter became obsessed with seeing Galileos Finger.. look up that one.. ew..
My point is.. you are correct.. it is an internet age.. so no excuse.. your kids are perfectly capable of googling sites to see in such and such city..
Getting kids actively involved in trips makes such a huge difference in the "whining" level.. they are not being "taken" on a trip.. they are actually helping plan it and part of the success.. or failure..
Make them invest their time as you invest your money.. that's fair to me.
All three kids were required to do their homework.. ie .. research and come up with three sites they wanted to visit.. no matter what.. they had to be worked into itinerary.. and one place my son discovered.. was somewhere I would have NEVER chosen ( the Catacombs in Paris.. I am claustrophobic but, I put up and sh*t up because that was the deal..lol ) but off we went.
My daughter discovered the Shoah Museum in Paris ( thanks to a book she was reading) and another son discovered that there was a Leanardo Da Vinci exhibit outside Paris he wanted to see. In Italy my daughter became obsessed with seeing Galileos Finger.. look up that one.. ew..
My point is.. you are correct.. it is an internet age.. so no excuse.. your kids are perfectly capable of googling sites to see in such and such city..
Getting kids actively involved in trips makes such a huge difference in the "whining" level.. they are not being "taken" on a trip.. they are actually helping plan it and part of the success.. or failure..
Make them invest their time as you invest your money.. that's fair to me.
Jan 3rd, 2016, 09:39 PM
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I would definitely have the girls research a bit and pick out some sights they want to see. When possible, have them also look at maps and figure out how best to go from A to B - let them guide you. Encourage them to learn a few phrases of Italian and use them. They can ask directions, how much something costs, etc.
Jan 4th, 2016, 11:52 AM
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We've taken our now 20yoDS and 17yoDD on trips to Europe. I think we're lucky in the travel respect - both of them have very similar interests to us (their parents), so planning trips has been easy. With offspring who are teens or older, we weren't / aren't making any kid-type accommodations, just trying to do things that interested all (or most) members of the group.
Partly due to their busy lives, and partly due to my interest in history, culture, food and trip-planning, I have always taken on the lions' share of planning. I have had little success with assigning portions of the trip to either of them (though now that DS is at university, he's planning his own trips without us). Pretty much the same, actually, as my husband's attitude about trip planning.
At this point, I have a pretty good but not perfect feel for what our family likes - think about how you have spent your time on prior trips, and work from there.
With my family, I'll come up with a list of possibilities (far more than we have time for), and have other family members look at websites to see what they think, or I just describe sites or sights to them. DD is interested in hotels, so she usually helps me narrow down those based on their websites and tripadvisor reviews. Same with restaurants - we're real foodies. If they say they want to do things that, for example, are far apart geographically, I'll point out that it will take 20 min. to walk between places, for example, to make sure that everyone wants to do that.
DD has the same great sense of direction as DH, so they are usually in front, with me and DS trailing along behind. Before DS started at university, we tried to have him do more navigating, but it wasn't something he's interested in, even though he of course he does it when he's traveling on his own.
Our DD loves animals, so in Rome we went to the cat sanctuary at Torre Argentina. Nearby, there's an excellent pizza-by-the-slice place, Pizza Florida, via Florida, 25.
DD also enjoyed the usual museums and main sites of ancient Rome. San Clemente is good, because it's layers of history. In Venice, all of the usual attractions were of interest.
We all did, and still do, a lot of sitting at cafes with glasses of wine or whatever, people-watching. A good summer-time drink is a shakerato, which is iced espresso, shaken.
In Venice, we are willing to splurge on a couple of things: taxi-ride from the airport to our lodging, and drinks in Piazza San Marco in the evening. Yes, you can stand and watch the orchestra play without paying anything, but it's a great evening to nurse a drink sitting at a time, enjoying the music and ambiance.
We haven't visited Tuscany with the kids, yet. You may find the towns in Tuscany are places where your teens may want to venture off and explore on their own.
Partly due to their busy lives, and partly due to my interest in history, culture, food and trip-planning, I have always taken on the lions' share of planning. I have had little success with assigning portions of the trip to either of them (though now that DS is at university, he's planning his own trips without us). Pretty much the same, actually, as my husband's attitude about trip planning.
At this point, I have a pretty good but not perfect feel for what our family likes - think about how you have spent your time on prior trips, and work from there.
With my family, I'll come up with a list of possibilities (far more than we have time for), and have other family members look at websites to see what they think, or I just describe sites or sights to them. DD is interested in hotels, so she usually helps me narrow down those based on their websites and tripadvisor reviews. Same with restaurants - we're real foodies. If they say they want to do things that, for example, are far apart geographically, I'll point out that it will take 20 min. to walk between places, for example, to make sure that everyone wants to do that.
DD has the same great sense of direction as DH, so they are usually in front, with me and DS trailing along behind. Before DS started at university, we tried to have him do more navigating, but it wasn't something he's interested in, even though he of course he does it when he's traveling on his own.
Our DD loves animals, so in Rome we went to the cat sanctuary at Torre Argentina. Nearby, there's an excellent pizza-by-the-slice place, Pizza Florida, via Florida, 25.
DD also enjoyed the usual museums and main sites of ancient Rome. San Clemente is good, because it's layers of history. In Venice, all of the usual attractions were of interest.
We all did, and still do, a lot of sitting at cafes with glasses of wine or whatever, people-watching. A good summer-time drink is a shakerato, which is iced espresso, shaken.
In Venice, we are willing to splurge on a couple of things: taxi-ride from the airport to our lodging, and drinks in Piazza San Marco in the evening. Yes, you can stand and watch the orchestra play without paying anything, but it's a great evening to nurse a drink sitting at a time, enjoying the music and ambiance.
We haven't visited Tuscany with the kids, yet. You may find the towns in Tuscany are places where your teens may want to venture off and explore on their own.
Jan 13th, 2016, 12:48 AM
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We let our kids be involved in the planning.
They have the right to ask for modifications or additions. (knowing that the family is not a democracy : the boss is my wife, then the dog, then me, then the children - or maybe not me after the dog).
Last time in Paris, the daughters wanted to do some shopping and the eldest wanted to eat in a michelin starred restaurant.
In London we did something that our second daughter insisted on (what was it ? ...).
In Paris we went to DLP to please the young one (she did ask for months).
They have the right to ask for modifications or additions. (knowing that the family is not a democracy : the boss is my wife, then the dog, then me, then the children - or maybe not me after the dog).
Last time in Paris, the daughters wanted to do some shopping and the eldest wanted to eat in a michelin starred restaurant.
In London we did something that our second daughter insisted on (what was it ? ...).
In Paris we went to DLP to please the young one (she did ask for months).
Jan 13th, 2016, 02:14 AM
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Sparkchaser isn't just being cranky.
Carrying on the kinds of electronic conversations with friends that teens are used to can cost a fortune when you pay both for receiving and sending texts. $2000? $10,000? There have been reliable reports in this range on the WSJ and elsewhere.
Prepaid data plans can help, but few of them will accommodate the constant flood of "omigods" that pass among teens.
On the other hand, both a phone and a tablet can be useful when traveling.
I would allow them to use either or both when they have access to wifi (weefee) but require them to leave the phone function turned off except in the case of a dire emergency.
Carrying on the kinds of electronic conversations with friends that teens are used to can cost a fortune when you pay both for receiving and sending texts. $2000? $10,000? There have been reliable reports in this range on the WSJ and elsewhere.
Prepaid data plans can help, but few of them will accommodate the constant flood of "omigods" that pass among teens.
On the other hand, both a phone and a tablet can be useful when traveling.
I would allow them to use either or both when they have access to wifi (weefee) but require them to leave the phone function turned off except in the case of a dire emergency.
Jan 13th, 2016, 03:27 AM
#14
Whathello suggests the same approach to family travel planning that we have been using for a long time (DDog included); if the teenagers feel even slightly invested in a holiday, their attention will lean away from social media. Few families can spend two weeks on a holiday together enjoying the same things, day after day. Allowing everyone, not just the teenagers, time to do their own thing (within reason, naturally), makes for a happy holiday.
I'll guess that those writing about excessive FB postings and "omigods" may not have teenagers? Teens don't use FB anymore; that's mainly for us "old" people to keep up with our "old" friends; and "omigod" is long over. Snapchat is the new and cool; our teens (14 and 19) enjoy setting up scenes when we travel, and they take some great photos! Why not let them have their fun? They're supposed to be seeing the holiday through their eyes, as well. Prepaid SIM cards have spending limits; when the money is gone, it's gone. If the expectations are set properly, it's a non issue.
I'll guess that those writing about excessive FB postings and "omigods" may not have teenagers? Teens don't use FB anymore; that's mainly for us "old" people to keep up with our "old" friends; and "omigod" is long over. Snapchat is the new and cool; our teens (14 and 19) enjoy setting up scenes when we travel, and they take some great photos! Why not let them have their fun? They're supposed to be seeing the holiday through their eyes, as well. Prepaid SIM cards have spending limits; when the money is gone, it's gone. If the expectations are set properly, it's a non issue.
