Family vacations were always fun in the past, but suddenly your 16 year old has her own summer plans. Some teens get excited about family vacations, but others roll their eyes and seem hell bent on draining the life and soul out of your vacation vision.
Even if you have enthusiastic teens who don’t mind separating from friends and Facebook, you will most likely encounter impatience and frustration at points along the way. But with a little upfront planning, you can avoid going to war on your family vacations, and even bond a bit. Here’s how.
Choose A Resort With Good Amenities
Teenagers don’t leap out of bed at 7 a.m. like toddlers do, so make sure your resort of choice has an extra bedroom where they can sleep in. Timeshare’s can save you money with a kitchen and laundry facilities, as well as having a more spacious accommodation. Extra bedrooms mean you won’t be tripping on those bags bursting with clothes. Kids will also thank you for choosing a resort with free Wi-Fi, a flatscreen, a gym and a decent sized pool. For example, Marriott’s Playa Andaluza on the costa del sol has great amenities and is only a 10 minute taxi ride away from the bustling glamour of Puerto Banus. They can either opt to go to the beach, or take a cab into town to go shopping- whatever they decide, they would never get bored.
Let Them Lie In
Tempting as it is to wake your teenager up early for the day’s activities, be flexible. Get them up on some days so your schedule isn’t totally sabotaged, but let them sleep in on other days. Adults can head out early to sightsee or have a quiet breakfast without complaints while kids snooze. Just be sure not to be irritated when they finally wake up- parental eye-rolling is just as much of a downer for teenagers during family vacations as theirs is for parents.
Let Them Go Solo
Families don’t typically spend entire days together and teens get restless just lying by the pool in silence all day. If you’re visiting a timeshare resort, setting them free is a no-brainer, but even in a big city like Las Vegas you can turn them loose in a safe shopping mall or let them head out for lunch near your resort. Decide what feels comfortable.
Choose A Family Vacation Resort
For a holiday with teenagers to be a success, you must make sure that your teenager can interact with other teens and make new friends. Very few teenagers will look forward to a holiday spent only with their other family members. Therefore, pick a resort where there are likely to be other families with kids of a similar age staying.
Activities
Whilst adults might enjoy nothing more than strolling around the cultural sights and museum of their destination of choice, teenagers much prefer an action packed adventure holiday. Try and select a location that has a bit of everything and make sure you compromise on what you go to see and do with your teenager. For example, the island of Mallorca offers theme parks, aquariums, as well as excellent opportunities to go sailing and hiking- all of which your teenager will enjoy!