As children grow older, holidays are more about preventing boredom that ruins the rest of the family’s travels, rather than keeping them entertained and safe.
His truth is that leaving teens at home is more attractive (and cheaper) than endangering the fun of family holidays that hurt their faces, especially if you have smaller children. There may be.
However, it is possible to have a great vacation with teens. You need to think differently than you did when you were young, choose the right vacation, plan well, and – decisively – involve teens in decision making.
“The important thing is to discuss things wisely and in detail in advance,” emphasizes parenting and education consultant Gil Hines.Co-author Anything is fine!A realistic guide to parenting teenagers..
“Choosing the right vacation is essential for everyone to be fully involved. If everyone is involved in decision making and research, the trip itself will require far more investment.”
To ensure that the whole family, including teenagers, can enjoy their vacation, Hines suggests:
1. Hold a family holiday meeting
Hines recommends holding regular family meetings (whether or not you go on vacation) to make a solid feature of your family life before your child reaches double digits and your brain begins to change. increase. .. She says family meals at living room tables and pizzas where gadgets aren’t allowed are a good time to talk.
2. Ask everyone to write a holiday wish list
Anyone who goes on vacation should think about what they enjoy most while traveling and write it down. Hines suggests asking everyone to narrow down their choices from three to five. “Everyone shares a candidate list and these become one long family holiday wishlist,” she explains.
3. Research destination
Rather than doing all vacation research and choosing a final destination with parents alone, teens need to be involved in preparing a family wish list and finding the best place to go. I have.
“Everyone has to think about where they want to go and what kind of holidays they enjoy. You can browse online what’s available within your budget,” says Hines.
You can discuss your top two destination options and collate them with the list of “what we enjoy”. Teens prefer adventure activities and nightlife, while younger children prefer the ocean, sand, water and amusement parks, and parents may prefer quiet taverns and day spas, Hines says. increase.
“The point is to look forward to what everyone is having fun and be more aware of the needs and desires of other families,” she explains.
4. Can they take their friends?
Hines points out that taking a teenage friend on vacation is really helpful, even if you have only one child, or if there is a big age difference between your child and your siblings, or if you have no children. To do. It’s not necessarily an expensive option, as the parents of their friends may (hopefully) offer to donate to holidays, planes, etc.
5. The rules are important
Once the holiday is chosen, it’s probably time to suggest Hines or discuss the “rules” yourself with your teen at another family meeting. She says her parents should think ahead of time what they want to talk about, warning that “get ready to negotiate-this is about negotiations, not enacting the law.”
6. Don’t plan for the morning and expect teenagers to come
As teenage parents know, they think it’s for sleep in the morning, not for doing anything, especially when they’re on holiday.
“If you want to hold teens accountable and get them involved in their A-games, it’s probably best to avoid them in the morning,” Hines emphasizes. “They need an extraordinary amount of sleep and it starts to work. If you’re on a family trip, keep this in mind. If you want to climb the mountain together, or its quaint seaside town. If you want to visit, plan to leave around noon if you want to come with us. “
7. Plan for younger siblings
Brothers and sisters don’t want to stay in bed like their teenage brothers, so plan an energetic morning activity while your teenager sleeps. “Make sure there are pools, beaches, fields and parks nearby until the big brothers wake up, and you can take them off in the first light and run, walk or swim. “Masu,” Hines advises.
8. Don’t expect teens to come on every excursion
Teens plan short excursions and activities that can be left behind as needed, as it’s not easy for the whole family to be together 24 hours a day. attend. “Determine in advance which parts of the holiday are optional and which parts are required,” Hines advises.
9. Plan a night out
Of course, teens will want to enjoy the holiday nightlife without towing their parents, especially if they bring their friends. Hines suggests that night out rules from home should be applied on holidays, but if teens show responsibility, they aim to relax them. is.
“You can spend the night alone for yourself, but in return, allow them too. Bringing your friends makes this easier,” says Hines. “If you expect to send text messages every few hours at home, do the same. If you have a curfew at home, do the same, but at least once or twice during your vacation. I will send you the text later.
“Tighten the rules at first, but if young people are mature, relax the rules a bit. If they are acting irresponsibly or violating the rules, they Place it firmly under your wings. “
10. Discuss money in advance
Talk about the benefits you give to teens and agree to it before you go. “For example, they might fund the zipline experience they want to try, but they don’t fund the night out,” says Hines. “Clearly, reasonably, and negotiate. Don’t pay or bribe them to do things, but kindly negotiate.”
