elzash

Hello. Any suggestions for a family vacation with 4 teens in July that will keep them busy and off the cable tv? I'm tired of spending money each summer so they can sit in ac and watch cartoons!

Travel247

Elzash,

Try Branson Missouri out. It has Silver Dollar City-one of the best theme parks in the nation. Branson is also full of family-friendly shows and lots of shopping. There is also Table Rock Lake-absoloutely beautiful. These attractions should keep them occupied for a while!

GoTravel

Cruse?

Rent a beach house?

Disney?

beentheretwice

Rent a condo that doesn't have cable. Try heading to Colorado and rent a cabin in the woods. If you stay around Summit County, you will have plenty of options.

And you won't need A/C.

padams421

Yellowstone, Yosemite, Alaska

cmcfong

hiking and rafting in Idaho or Montana.

gail

Grand Canyon, and include other things in area, like Bryce and Zion. No cell phone service at Grand Canyon, Park lodging has a TV but it gets only a couple of fuzzy channels, and no wireless internet.

wliwl

LOL.

Adirondacks: No cell phones, no internet, no TV reception.

Europe: No time/interest in that stuff once they're there.

sylvia3

Walk over and turn it off? (I know, glib, but that's what you have to do sometimes; however, I always found that it woke them up in the morning on vacations; go figure!)

itsv

We did a group vacation two years ago with 6 teens in Oregon. We went river rafting on the Rogue River with Oregon River Experience. Now I am not a camper but the trip was outstanding and having no wired teens was a great benefit. We did 3 nights on the river (two camping and one lodge). The food and service was outstanding. We had a combination of oar boats, kayaks (both double and single) and boats where the guides did all the work. I highly recommend it. Then after the trip we went to Ashland and saw some theatre at their festival.

frogoutofwater

Why not have them do something worthwhile, like a volunteer vacation in an interesting location? Building a house for Habitat for Humanity would keep them busy - and put something interesting on their cvs for college applications.

Also, I realize this is the US forum, so you might not be thinking of a holiday outside the US. But what about taking them to Mexico for a week of Spanish language classes? It's more affordable than you'd think and the programs provide a dose of culture. After class, they would have earned the right to relax by the pool.

like_2travel

Go on a weeklong rafting trip through the Grand Canyon or somewhere out West. No TVs on the rafts ;-)

Rent a cabin in a national park. Most do not have tv. Spend the day hiking/fishing/rafting/kayaking whatever. Rent a cabin by a lake. Rent a beach house at the Outer Banks. In the Outer Banks they can boogie board, take hangliding lessons, surfing lessons, go parasailing, or just play volleyball on the beach. Its a great place for teens.

If your budget permits, send the 4 of them through the scuba diving course & certification dives through a PADI dive shop. stay nearby at a resort. They will be tired out at the end of the day.

Orlando_Vic

I'm not sure sending them to Florida (for Disney) in July will accomplish your goals. It is so hot and humid here, all they will want is air conditioning and cable TV.

BTW, frogoutofwater has an excellent suggestion about a volunteer vacation that will enhance their future college or job applications.

dfnh

Don't forget to bring along some jigsaw puzzles and tell everyone to bring some reading material. We have rented lakeside cottages in New England and not turned tv on at all. They might find it a little isolating so the ideas posted about places with rafting, kayaking, etc are great. Mountain biking is also an option. Perhaps Maine and Acadia. NH's Lake Winnipesaukee is just below the White Mountains providing tons of water fun plus hiking opportunities. You would want a quieter lake or river for kayaking.
It's funny. My niece was born in a major city so my sister didn't think she would like moving to the quiet country. My sister and her family are basically couch potatos. She signed up for 4-H summer camp which she loved so much so went every summer ending up as a counselor and then activities director. She would lose weight and get healthier each summer. She is now a teacher and her choice of summer jobs is working for a rafting company. Her camp experience, life-saving courses, etc qualified her for the job. Her student job at college was life guarding at the pool which paid much better than most student jobs. With thoughts to the future as to what your teens might like for summer jobs ... send them someplace where they can learn some skills.

gail

How much TV are we talking about here? All day - then go someplace where there is no electricty. An hour in the AM to wake themselves up and when you return to hotel at night for a bit - then I would live with it. And are they sitting in the a/c because it is too hot to do anything else?

We have travelled with our kids (now 17 and 21) forever and they have both agreed to go on an Alaska trip this summer. All days of every trip are not moments of bliss for all - but we try to balance out what we want to do and what teens want to do.

gail

Another thought - have a discussion about what their vacation goals/preferences are. We find theirs are very different than ours. And set them off on the internet to give them some ownership of this trip - ask for their suggestions where to go. They will at first roll their eyes but at least one of them will come up with some suggestion you initially find bizarre, but ends up making sense. That is how we ended up in Egypt 7 years ago.

joebear

Practice at home with a no tv week before you go. We do this during exam week and busy times to make sure to stay on focus. How about a state park lodge or cabin with no tv? Take the cards, board games and hiking boots....let them help with the meal prep...Maybe this will help...teens will be teens....

FainaAgain

LOL for a couple of years each one of my son's travel plans were: fly there, check in a hotel, stay in bed with the TV on, fly home

Is letting them to plan family vacations an option? Maybe this will work.

You said "sit in AC" - maybe they just don't want to get out in the heat, choose cooler areas or travel during spring break?

Is cruising an option? The worst case scenario, they can stay in the cabin, and you don't have to worry about them going hungry.

In July, most of the usual vacation spots are hot. Maybe Alaska? It's winter in July in Argentina. What about North Europe like Iceland, is this affordable?

Tess

We pondered that same question last summer with our then 18 and 15 year olds. Our solution was a week at a Mexican all-inclusive. No cell phones, limited (VERY) tv and they had to pay for Internet (we allowed them 15 minutes per day).

It was a little pricier than some vacations, but oh so worth it. We had a week of quality family time before our son left for college and we all had a blast.

BetsyG

I like the idea of asking them where thay want to go. What are they interested in? Somwhere that has a lot of activities on hand would be good, i.e the cruise. an all inclusive. I don't believe any teen would spend all day inside watching TV in Europe if that's in your budget. What about a city? or city & beach. Boston & Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. San Francisco, Carmel, Monterey. Road trip, LA to San Francisco (is that bearable with 4 teens?). San Juan Islands & Seattle. Where have you been?