Traveling with Teens
 

I am trying to plan out a summer trip with 19, 17 & 13 yr old. My problem. The 19yr old is too old for alot of younger activities and not 21 yet so cant do the big adult activities. The 17 yr old is a military fanatic and loves outdoors. The 13yr thinks he is a 20 yr old gigalo(sighs here)lol.However this yr he is requesting a swim with Dolphins somewhere. Here is my dilemma I let them each name 3 places in the world they want to go, then proceed to try and take them to the one they all agree on most the following summer. This yr Hawaii and Mexico came up. Can anyone tell me if they have taken teens to each and what they liked or disliked the most. I am thinking of doing Honolulu as people have said the kids might get bored on one of the different islands. For Mexico I was thinking of near Cozumel area as they have a park near there that I was told was good called Xcaret that was fun. Any ideas would be appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you all.

Mexico is a better bargain right now. Xcaret and the other eco-water-funpark, Xel-Ha, are on the mainland, not Cozumel; that's a wonderful way to spend a day, we always have gone to both each visit (we like Xel-Ha a tad better, less carnival-performance art oriented). The "Riviera Maya", from south of Cancun all the way to Tulum, is a wonderful place for kids, IMO. There are a million things to do for all ages, cave snorkeling (they get to wear wetsuits), archeological ruins both developed (Tulum and Chitzen Itza) and not (the huge site of Coba, and other smaller ones), even some right off the main highway down by the river/water/ecoparks. Plus the beach is great, there's shopping and dining galore in Playa Del Carmen, and even a new supermarket in Tulum. So, I would advise checking out a 2-bdrm condo on one of the many beaches (the huge hotels are a little pricey).

p.s. Dolphin swimming is also offered I think in several places; but you might want to read up on what dolphin experts think of that practice before you indulge.

You might want to think about a cruise to Mexico, on one of the family-oriented cruiselines. Lots for all ages to do, and they don't have to agree on anything!

I'm thinking of Tulum for a family trip next Feb. for my 13 and 16 year olds. We can snorkle, go cave tubing, fish, swim in the cenote's, visit ruins, boogie board.

I've been to Cozumel twice and I'm not a big fan, I just don't find the beaches all that pretty, not nearly as nice as those in the Riviera Maya.

Check out the Shanrgri-La Caribe or Las Palapas in Playa del Carmen, the older teens could go off by themselves. There are also a lot of rental condos in Playa and Akumal.

Hawaii is awesome, and I was also thinking of renting a condo there, but right now the airfare is almost double, so it will be considerably more expensive. I don't know if it's worth spending that much more $$$.

have your son read these articles to see if he'd like to reconsider his desire to swim with dolphins.

http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/272_wh..._dolphins_.cfm

http://www.wildlifepimps.com/feat-SwimWithDolphins.htm

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2...3-08-26-04.asp

We took our kids to Hawaii as teens about 4 times - twice to Maui, once to the Big Island, once to Kauai with a couple nights in Honolulu. The ONLY thing they liked about Oahu was the visit up to the North Shore to see the surfers. Otherwise, Waikiki was too crowded and busy for us.

Maui is getting the same way, unfortunately, but the kids liked the beaches there the best. Lots of boogie boarding, which was the highlight for them. We preferred snorkeling but there are beaches where you can do both.

We took them on a Caribbean cruise and about halfway through it, they seemed a little bored but still enjoyed themselves. I think they would've preferred more time OFF the ship at the ports, as would we. It was for a taste of the area that we went. We did go to Xel-Ha for the day but it was pouring rain and after a little stroll through the area, we took off.

Our personal observations with our teens, at least for us, was their top priority in these destinations was the beach. I know from visits to the Pacific side of Mexico (which I realize you haven't mentioned) are not our first choice due to the poor water quality as compared to the Caribbean side, especially for snorkeling. Having not been as far as Cabo, I can't speak for that. It may be better there. But up at PV, it was murky and unappealing to us. The area south of Playa del Carmen was spectacular and they (and you) might enjoy that area.

Having had lots of travels with our kids while they were growing up, we found that it made things much more enjoyable to do activities geared to their interests that we enjoyed as well, because we knew we'd have lots of trips of our own once they were grown and gone, which is very much coming to pass now :)

On a recent trip to Kauai (minus grown kids), we did a zipline/hike/kayak trip that we very much enjoyed and your kids might like that sort of thing.

Good luck in your planning.

My teen enjoyed the Big Island of Hawaii. We've also been to Honolulu but only for 2 nights and to Cancun, Mexico.

I think your teens might enjoy Cancun as the beaches are lovely plus if you hire a car for a couple of days you can drive to Chichen Itza and also Xcaret. Lots of teens around in Cancun so they'd have people to hang with. The downside is that it's expensive, more so than further South, around Tulum....

I'd choose Hawaii (Big Island) for the diversity of opportunities...star gazing, volcano, snorkeling, hiking, dolphins (there's a program at the Hilton or keep an eye out for them on boat trips)and lots of beaches to choose from some with surf for body boarding and others where you can snorkel to see turtles right from the shore.

Good luck and it's good to hear that the kids still want to go with you on vacation!

Isn't it funny how different kids are? My teens can't stand the beach unless there are big waves or unless they can snorkle, otherwise they're bored senseless...

I just want to say that as much as I love south of Cancun, I can't stand Cancun proper. It's horrible, just a strip of hotels one on top of the other punctuated by such cultural icons like Senor Frogs and Carlos and Charlies. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and I still couldn't stand it, I wouldn't go back to Cancun for free.

Took daughter, who was teenager at the time to Hawaii and Mexico. We all enjoyed both (hubby & I prefer Hawaii actually), but daughter LOVED Mexico. Sylvia covered a lot of the things to do there. If it's your first time to that area, grin and bear taking the kids into the Cancun strip area for the shopping, dining and touristy stuff. Some of the hotels (Palace resorts for example) offer shuttles into the Cancun area. We also rented a car/driver one evening (we stay out near Playa Del Carmen, about an hour out of Cancun) and this option ended up being a cheaper one than a round trip cab fare.

Although I've never been, I've heard that Costa Rica is a great location for teens. It offers a bit for everyone as the Pacific Side has the waves for surfing/boogieboarding while the gulf side is nice for snorkeling. Also, there is lots of wild life for the outdoors fanatic.

Ooohhh, Kangamom, that's right, our good friends went with their boys last February and said it was fantastic! They ziplined, went on a hot air balloon, went whitewater rafting, toured volcanoes.

The week did set them back over 10K though....

My then 10 yr. old son swam with the dolphins on the Big Island. Dolphin quest at Hilton Waikaloa Village. There are also good spots south of Kona to snorkel. Airfare is pretty high to Hawaii this summer though.

I just want to say thanks to you all for sharing with me. It is always hard to plan a trip with everyones tastes varying in the family. I picked Scotland, Costa Rica & Tahiti. I lost,lol.

Funny you mention Costa Rica. When I heard Mexico and Hawaii were being suggested by your family, I immediately thought Costa Rica would be a great compromise! My family loved it, including my adventurous 22-year-old son and my 2 college-age daughters, under 21. Have them look at Arenal and Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Beaches, volcano, action adventures. Sorry no swim with the dolphins, as far as I know, in Costa Rica...how about seeing sea turtles lay eggs instead?!

Another vote for Costa Rica. Your military enthusiast may be a bit disappointed, however, since CR has no army :). The outdoor lover in him would be thrilled.

Ziplines, whitewater rafting, surfing, boogeyboarding, deep sea fishing, seeing lava flow from an active volcano (while lying in bed, or lounging by the pool) horseback riding, hot springs, rainforest hikes, ATVing, and lots & lots of interesting wildlife.

All this at a fraction of the price of Hawaii. Just as an example, cost of ziplining in CR was about $45/pp. When we priced it in Kauai last year, it was over $100/pp. With 5 people, it adds up.

Enjoy!

My wife, two teenage daughters and I just returned from Cancun for a week and had a wonderful time. There are so many tours, events, and places to visit that I can hardly imagine getting bored. We choose the beach and sun version, just wasting our days away except for the obligatory shopping trips. But if you stay at the slightly quieter end of Cancun (at the bottom of the "7" shape of the peninsula, you'll find it quite family oriented. Be slightly warned, your 13 yr. old gigolo may catch a topless sunbather or two!

ditto smiroglotta!

I also have a 19 and 17 year old; the 19 year old loves to travel with us, the 17 year old girl can barely tolerate being in the same country with us, so hats off to you for planning a trip with teens who want to go with you! Family trips seem to be over for us, so we go away just the two of us for short 3 day weekends now, and pray the house will still be standing when we get home~ ;)!

My son loves Cancun and Playa del Carmen. I think it's a great family trip...

LOL frankie, not that it is funny but I must pass on your comment to my daughter about your 17 year old not even wanting to be in the same country with you. Sounds like my 15 year old grandson, who up to about 5 months was such a joy. Now he can't stand to be in the house with anyone. Don't give up, teens will become pleasant to be around at some point, but only when they become as truly mature as they "think" they are when they are teens.

Seer1 - This is a different response but if you are paying for it, why don't you go where you want to go? When they pay for it, they can go where thay want to go. I'm thinking a good option with 3 teens may be a Club Med or similar. Tahiti soungs great to me!