help, summer vacation, teenagers
 

I am in need of advise. My husband and I have really tried to take our kids on great vacations the past few years. We've done NYC, California, skiied Whistler and went on a Backroads Yellowstone trip. This year we are having a great amount of trouble deciding on what to do. We don't want to travel abroad, the kids want to do a cruise which we parents would hate and the kids don't want to do National Parks/Alaska/or any natural type of trip. Would appreciate any suggestions at all. Our children are at the great ages of 13 and 16. One boy and one girl.

We have kids ages 13 and 18 - have also done many interesting vacations - I wanted to go to Montreal and Quebec City this summer - I was only one of the 4 of us who thought this was a good idea. (Last summer I wanted to go to London and we did Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, San Diego - so you know where my vote ranks - I just get to plan trips)

Husband and I went on a 3-day partially work related cruise 2 years ago - both laughed that we were not "cruise people". However, we are all taking cruise Boston-Bermuda this summer - the idea being ship will serve as floating hotel while we explore Bermuda (were there 20 years ago).

We all enjoy animated arguments about where to go each summer - each time it seems hopeless that we will agree on anything, but something always pops out (like when we went to Egypt instead of Europe) - good luck.

You have my sympathy! I have 2 teens, around the same age, and it's really gotten harder to travel w/ them. We've also had some wonderful trips, and I'm glad we went to Europe when they were younger... We just took them for a weekend to Vegas, which was not a great idea! My 141/2 year old daughter wants to go on a cruise also, which would drive us nuts!!
We've decided to save up our money and go on a big trip, just the 2 of us, in about 5 years!
We'll probably end up on a very short trip to Puerto Vallarta this year, or maybe start to visit colleges in northern california or the northwest...
Sorry, not much help ;)! But good luck, and let us know what happens!

How about Seattle or Portland? Lots to do in the PNW. For either of these you could add the coast for some variety. Seattle would be my pick though...SO much to do, and you could take in a Seattle Mariners game, which the stadium is amazing.

We love taking our kids on memorable family vacations, too. Now that the oldest is 15 I'm starting to get panicky that we only 'have' him for a few more years! Have you done all of California? San Diego or LA would be great for teens. Washington, DC can also be a fun family destination (followed by a drive down the coast to the tacky-tourist-but-fun Virginia Beach area for a few days--this was a good combo for our family a few years ago). If your teens are like ours, urban fun is the way to go. They'll humor us with short trips to Montana, South Dakota, etc. but 'real' trips to them involve something along the lines of Times Square :-)

Where are you from? If you're from the east or west coast, your kids might think Denver is somewhat exotic. You could stay in the city for a few days then take the tourist train or car to the mountains for another few days. There is so much to do in the Colo. mountains--it's not 'backwoodsy' at all. Alpine slides, shopping, golfing, horseback riding, resorts--they'd love it.

You said you don't want to go abroad--do you consider the Caribbean in that category? A 5-7 day trip in Jamaica or Mexico is hands-down our teens' trip of choice. We're trying our first family cruise in June--stay tuned.

Does that get you started? Let us know what area of the country that you live--that might help.

I would highly recommend a canadian run from Niagara Falls to Toronto to Montreal to Quebec City. With a combination of rental car,train, and tour bus, the cities are captivating. with two to four days in each stop, you will get a great mix of nature to big city to the feel of Europe... We made it easy by connecting three day package tours that included accomodations, activities and restaurants. My teens loved the experience.

How about Hawaii or Alaska?

Hi Smoot60, why don't you and your husband decide and go with that? The kids will love whatever you choose and then when they're parents/adults they can make the choice for themselves and/or their kids? JMHO. Happy trails!

I'll caveat my comments by saying my kids are much younger so this isn't my situation yet, but I stopped traveling with my parents by 18 or so, as did my 3 siblings.

With a 13 year old and a 16 year old, you might find the days of the four of you taking vacation together coming to the end in a few years. While unpleasant, unfortunately if your family is like most, that'll be reality. In that context, I might think about viewing the time together as paramount to where you go. If the kids want to do a cruise, maybe that isn't the worst thing. There are some great cruises to places in Europe, or if cost permits, maybe you do something once in a lifetime like the Galapagos Islands.

A couple of thoughts - Williamsburg (kingsmill resort)or, Greenbrier both of which are fun - shopping, golf, tennis, sun, etc. Boston combined with a few days on the cape could be fun as well. We've taken our teens to Vail, Munich/Rome and Paris/Normandy the last three summers however with work and sports schedules this year as well as the very weak dollar, we're staying home for the first time.

I have 2 boys who are now 21 and 18...I remember those days very well.

Key: Find someplace where they do not have to hang around the old folks ALL the time. Long driving vacations are not vacations at this time of life. It should be a place where you feel comfortable letting a little rope out.

Maybe they want a cruise to be able to get away, with the security of Mom and Dad not being too far. Don't expect them to admit this however.

We did a Florida beach vacation about that age. They could go to the pool or beach by themselves and still be within reasonable distance to the folks. There were other teens around to socialize with. They could walk to the souvenier shops alone.

Go to the beach! "The Beach", where we live, means the Florida or Alabama Gulf Coast.

I promise they (and you) will love it. It's teenage heaven, so much to do, so many other teens.

Check out anywhere from Panama City west to and including Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Byrd

I hate to disagree but you don't want to decide for your kids with the idea that they'll love it later. Been there, done that & never again! You can always come see us here in New Orleans. There's something for everyone here & nearby (Gulf Coast).

Why not put them to work? Give them a budget estimate (money & timewise) & have them research choices. Have them consider everyone's likes & dislikes when picking. Make a list & review it to see if there is a clear favorite. If not & there's no real awful unacceptable suggestions, throw them in a hat & pick.

This takes some of the stress off you & gives them some clue as to how hard it really is to plan something to satisfy everyone.

I second the vote for the beach. We live in Texas and all my teens have enjoyed the times we rented a beach house on South Padre Island. They get to hang out, play on boogie boards and meet other kids on the beach, and we get to do our own thing. They also enjoyed taking friends on these trips, and since we had a three bedroom house, it worked fine. In the evenings, we enjoy getting cleaned up and checking out local restaurants, or other activites like boat tours, shops, etc. All in all, it makes for a very laid back vacation.

I agree with benj get them involved in the planning. Just give them the parameters what you will not consider and a budget. A great learning experience.

I too like the idea of letting them do the planning. You should have one very interesting vacation and see things you might never have otherwise.

To take the planning thing a little farther...after we decide on a vacation destination our family (with 15 and 12 year olds) researches the 'chosen' place on the Internet then sits down together for some very loose planning (nothing too structured since it IS vacation!). For example, on our NYC trip, one of us really wanted to see Ellis Island, one wanted to check out the fakes on Canal Street, another wanted to go the the Met. We decided together what our priorities were and what sights could wait until the next trip--that way we weren't rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off. Funny, going to the top of the World Trade Center ended up on our list for 'next time' and the following week was 9/11...

I also am taking a trip this summer with my 15 and 13 year olds. We all had very different ideas on what we wanted. My daughter wanted WashingtonDC, My son wanted NYC, my Husband wanted Boston. I wanted Italy, we voted I lost! we are going to NYC, WashingtonDC, Boston, Williamsburg, we will also check out a few colleges and catch a Red Sox Game. Vote on it you may not get your way this time, We did a cruise last year and the Kids loved it, we enjoyed it because they were having so much fun especially with all the food. Good Luck

Well - with a few changes to locations I could have posted this message. Do I ever know how you're feeling!
In the last few years we've had some wonderful vacations. We've been to England, Quebec and Ontario and Florida We've rented a motorhome, travelled by train and driven a car. We've been on two Caribbean cruises and spent way too long at Disneyworld!
This year I wanted to go to France but my son (almost 16) didn't want to and as it was so expensive I let it go - wish I hadn't now as we still haven't made a decision.
I can tell you that without a doubt my kids favourite vacations have been cruises. Both have been on Royal Caribbean and we've all had a wonderful time. My husband and I spend sea days relaxing together while the kids mostly spend their time with their new friends and land days are spent exploring as a family. We always meet for a long sit down dinner to talk about our day and then my husband and I go dancing or to a show or just to one of the lounges to talk while the kids head off again with their friends. The only drawback was on the last cruise they wanted to stay up way later than I could and I couldn't sleep until I knew they were safely in bed so I spent the week sleep deprived!

A few suggestions, some have been mentioned before

New York City
Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs , Vail)
Lake Placid, NY, Montreal, and Quebec
LA (Disneyland) and San Diego
San Francisco, Las Vegas/Hoover Dam/Grand Canyon
DC and Williamsburg,
Myrtle Beach, SC

WE hav edone them all and the kids loved them all.