FamilyTravlin

Hi,
We are a family of four with two teen boys 16 and 14. We have done quite a bit of traveling with the boys to Europe and some of the Southwest/West United States. Our oldest boy is now driving. We are looking at the fact that we only really have our boys home under our roof for a little while longer and want a memorable vacation this summer for all of us. My boys and husband are active, I have some health issues which make doing strenuous activity prohibitive for me. I can do a lot of walking if the terrain is flat. I don't mind having activities for them to do that are more strenuous. I just need to have alternatives for me while they are hiking etc . . We all love to swim and the beach and we love the city, too.
We haven't really visited the east coast very much. We were thinking that we would go right after school in early June. Any ideas for us?
Hawaii? Driving trip across U.S.?
Beach vacation on east coast? Any great trips you think would fit for us? We don't want to spend a ton of money but could afford a moderate budget. Does anyone know of any excellent all inclusive resorts where boys can have freedom and family time? My mind is swimming with possibilities and I would love to hear some of your experiences.
Thanks,
FamilyTravlin

dusty56438

Lots of Hawaii info including sites with free brochures for all islands:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34812564

FamilyTravlin

Thanks for the tip. I am really looking for personal experiences from other travelers. That has made many a trip special for us and would love to know if anyone has a "you should check this place out" response for us.

makai1

Aloha FamTravlin,

We took our teen son, at age 16 and his friend, 14 to O'ahu a few years back. They loved Waikiki... when we headed to the north shore they didn't want to leave the "action" of Waikiki, but once we settled in "up north" they slid right into that scene too.

Pearl Harbor, the museum, and touring the Bowfin Submarine as well as the Battleship Missouri, "Mighty Mo", were unmistakably some of our most tender and fun times together. Very exciting.

We rented a 4-wheel drive jeep, and DH blessed the boys with "driving lessons" off the beaten path near Kaena Point... it was a highlight.

They boogie boarded and wave jumped to their hearts delight... they loved the shrimp trucks... stopping along the way down the windward coast at the different parks... they didn't care much for Lanikai Beach... no swells to catch with their boards. Hhhmmmppphhh. That's where I wanted to chill for awhile, but what the heck... I did that this year w/ my sis.

All to say... you'll have a fabulous time whatever you choose... it's all a matter of attitude. As for destinations, we all dug O'ahu. ><

Here's a link to that ole trip report... it's written story style, so it's long, but it'll give you a flavor of our time together.

Aloha... happy planning.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34492836

makai1

ps. the surf during the summer on O'ahu will be better in Waikiki than the north shore. Plenty of surfer boys to give lessons too.

City life in Honolulu is fabulous.

SuzieTrue

We did Hawaii with DS and DD when they were 15 & 12. We hit the 4 major islands over 3 weeks. Something for everyone.


What about Colorado? Lots for everyone to do.

Have you done any NP's in the east? Acadia is fun plus you could add the Maritimes or Cape Cod.

ST

cawhite

Our 2 teens love Hawaii. They've been to Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. They like Oahu and Maui the best so that's where we're heading back this summer.

Our oldest is a junior in H.S. so we, too, are starting to think this will be the last family vacation with all of us for awhile. The following summer she will be getting ready to head off to college so this vacation is aimed specifically for the kids!!

FamilyTravlin

Thanks for the advice. Keep the great ideas coming! We live in Northern California on the coast near San Fran so we are looking for a out of Northern California experience.
Thanks Again!
Leslie

lvk

I would have suggested renting a houseboat on Lake Powell, but you seem to have covered the Southwest.

Does it have to be in the U.S.?

If not, my next suggestion would be Costa Rica. Rainforests, wildlife, adventure (kayaking, zip-lining, whitewater rafting, deep sea fishing,), an active volcano. All at a fraction of the price of Hawaii. If it interests you, the Latin America board has a plethora of great information and helpful people.

janiekins

We took our 2 sons to Costa Rica 2 years ago. They were 16 and 17 at the time. They loved it there. So much to do; hiking, rainforests, zip canopy tours, great beaches, arenal volcano and tons of wild life.

padams421

I concur with the Costa Rica suggestion. Our friends with teens that have been there said it's a fantastic trip. It's on our to-do list.

redroses4me

Have you ever seen Washington D.C.? I think it's an awesome experience to spend a couple days with your kids here checking out the monuments and museums in our nations capital. Lots of walking, flat terrain, monuments are free and most museums have no or minimal entrance fee.

Lexma90

Here are some East Coast ideas.

- Maine. Beautiful state, great lobster, opportunities for mild or strenuous outdoor activities. Some days, at least, in Acadia National Park. You may avoid some of the summer traffic in June.

- Washington, D.C., and further south to Williamsburg. This itinerary would involve fewer outdoor activities, obviously.

- Boston, combined with Maine, or with Cape Cod, or further south to Newport, RI. Also include Lexington and Concord, or Plymouth (either the totally cheesy Rock, or the re-creation Plymouth Plantation), or Salem. There are other capes, if Cape Cod is too busy; we stayed on Cape Ann during our last visit to the east coast.

We've done all of these trips with our kids, and they enjoyed them all. While I love all those places (Newport, in particular, we all loved much more than we expected, but we visited before the summer season started), Maine is probably my favorite.

voyager61

New York City is a really great destination for teens; we took our son there last summer. It's hard to do on a moderate budget though, unless you can stay with friends.

bennnie

Maine is great - rent a house and cook lobster, read, kayak, hike, bike. Lots to do in small coastal towns

ejcrowe

The summer is a great time to visit the Caribbean, as it's low season, so rates are lower and there are usually fewer crowds. If you go in June or July you'll have a lower risk of rain/tropical storms and you can find some really great deals. I assume since you've traveled to Europe together that you all have valid passports? If so, then just about any island could provide you what you're looking for. Otherwise, take a look at Puerto RIco or the US Virgin Islands.

volcanogirl

Our absolute favorite vacations have been Hawaii, Costa Rica, and if you want to stay in the continental U.S., Boston. Loved all of them! So much to do and see that is unique to each place.

Kailani

I love the Big Island. Some teens can be bored, and prefer the activity of Waikiki, but some will be mesmerized by the other worldy and wonderful fascination of the Big Island.

The Big Island has 13 of the 15 world climate zones, and parts of it look like a moonscape with all the lava.

You can send them up to the highest mountain in the world (Mauna Kea) while you have a nice spa at the resort.

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/

One all-inclusive (maybe the only one) is Kona Village. They have a teen program which kids really seem to enjoy. Also, the Hilton Waikoloa is a mega-resort with a monorail and boat ride and dolphin adventure that can be fun for teens. Both of those places can be booked through Costco, I think.

http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/index_noflash.asp

There are also very affordable B&B's, condos and Hawaiian style hotels on the Big Island.

A helicopter ride over the volcano is quite impressive. Snorkeling is great, the volcano is also fun for hiking, and there are many hikes in gardens to waterfalls.

Lots of great restaurants.

There are small, rural towns, to visit for day trips, or to stay for the real Hawaiian experience. I love North Kohala, and the air is so clear there.

June 11th is King Kamehameha Day, and there is a wonderful local parade in North Kohala.

There is a new, small, 6 course golf course in the old sugar town of Kapa'au, overlooking the ocean. It costs $6 to play, and I think anyone can go there. It's in a community park and is set up to encourage young people to play golf. There are fun off-road nature rides, and mule rides. The Big Island is both active and educational.

I love the Bamboo restaurant, Sushi Rock and the new Pico's Bistro and Luke's Place with live music.

mhc

We also wanted to plan a last family vacation with our 2 sons. We asked the boys what they would really like to do on a vacation. The oldest wanted to go to Waikiki Beach (don't think it was for the surfing) and see a volcano. The youngest wanted to snorkel and see dolphins and whales.

We went to Hawaii during the 2 week Spring Break just before the oldest graduated from high school.

We did 4 days on each of 3 islands. Booked into Honolulu/home from Maui with interisland flights Oahu/BI, BI/Maui.

It was a busy and wonderful trip with Pearl Harbor, attempts at surfing, sailing, snorkeling, a luau, Volcanoes National Park, the road to Hana, Seven Pools, South Point, turtles, Haleakala, lots of whales, green sand, black sand, white sand and even red sand.
We gave the boys full control of the video camera. They interviewed one another, made up legends and stories at different sights and gave us a priceless momento of Hawaii through the eyes of 18 and 12 year old boys.

Even though they're now 20 and 26, they've dragged out those videos at least once or twice a year.

Regardless of where you go, cherish every moment and give them the camera!

volcanogirl

My brother and sister-in-law took their kids to all 50 states over the course of several years; Hawaii was everyone's favorite out of all of them, and they still rave about it.