Traveling with tweens and teens has gotten a bad rap, and while there can be some eye rolling and other annoyances, discovering and exploring the world with your older kids can be a truly awesome experience. It’s a chance to simultaneously broaden horizons and bring your family closer together.
In fact, some of my favorite moments with my daughter since she became a teen have happened while we were traveling. If you’re hesitating to travel with your teen, don’t. Take advantage of the time you have them to make some memories together on a trip, and help them learn how to travel in the process.
It may seem that school just started, and for many taking kids out of high school classes for trips is challenging. But now is a great time to start planning a trip for winter break, or spring break, or even next summer. Starting early means that you can have fun planning your trip together and take some time to hunt for bargains, as well as get the trip on their schedule before it fills up.
If you’re stumped and need some ideas of where to go, check out 40 must-see places to take your kids before they’re grown. That said, we’ve only made it to 10 of these places. Some of them, like the Galapagos Islands and an Alaskan cruise, are a financial stretch. We have traveled to other destinations that didn’t make the list (such as the coast of Maine and the City Museum in St. Louis), and we wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything in the world.
If you’re headed to the Bay Area, check out Chinatown and North Beach San Francisco Family Adventure from TravelingMom.com. If you’re headed to the Big Apple, you’re going to want to know about these 35 Things to do in New York City with Teens from TheTravelingPraters.com
For those who headed to the Second City (which we all know is really second to none), I love the suggestions from my friend Sherry in What to Do in Chicago with Teens and Tweens from SherryBoswell.com. I’m a particularly big fan of Millennium Park, which is free and full of fun things to do and great skyline views as well as some fantastic people watching and great photo backdrops. Its proximity to the Art Institue is another plus.
No matter where you’re headed, these 14 Tips for Traveling With Tweens and Teens from Make It Better will make both the journey and your time at your destination a bit more enjoyable. I have to say that I took the advice in this piece to let kids sleep in if possible and it really did make a tremendous difference. A rested teen is a happy teen and a much more pleasant traveling companion.
Should you be hitting the road, you’ll appreciate Six Tips for Road Tripping with Teens and Tweens on TravelingMoms.com. In the words of Karen from Will & Grace, “It’s funny because it’s true.”
Where would you most like to travel with your tweens and teens?
You May Also Like: Expert Tips for Visiting National Parks with Kids
Prior Post: Fall Stitch Fix Review
Don’t miss a post! Please subscribe to Between Us Parents’ safe, spam-free email list in the box in the top right corner of the page!
Please like Between Us Parents on Facebook. You can also find Between Us Parents on Pinterest and Twitter.
