Traveling with your children can be so rewarding. Not only are you getting to have quality time with them, but you’re getting the chance to introduce them to the world. Taking them to see new places and see new sights is one of the best experiences that a parent could ever ask for. While a lot of parents know how to handle small children when it comes to traveling, how about teenagers?
As a child gets older, their interests begin to shift, their perspective on life begins to shift as well. It’s something that’s completely natural and it’s expected to happen as well. Of course, you want to make sure that your teenager is having the best time when doing family trips, and these tips will help you out!
Think About What the Teen May Like
It’s best to know exactly what your teen may like. While it’s easier to line up interests with a small child, don’t be afraid to ask what your teen’s interests are. This is going to help you in understanding their likes, dislikes, and preferences. If your child loves animals, then maybe something such as a scuba diving trip in the ocean could fit. If they’re someone who loves the great outdoors then maybe something such as hiking or camping could be a great fit.
Let Them Plan the Trip
Planning a trip can be stressful, the same goes for the evaluate parents process as well. But one great way to let your teens know that you’re listening would be to give them the chance to have control of the trip. Let them do the research on where they’d like to go, what activities they’d like to do, and even where to sleep. Letting them have a word in will let them get more hyped for traveling.
Don’t Try to Limit Their Screen Time
Kids now more than ever are glued to screens. Kids love them, so why take it away from them? If there are already established limits on when to unplug, then it will make it easier to get them to unplug for a while. If you’re still wanting to limit screen time without making them unhappy or getting into any disagreements then you could look into a small trip where the Wi-Fi is weak or there’s no Wi-Fi at all. However, you should keep in mind that it’s just best to try to not limit their screen time too much, or else it could cause bigger problems.
Allow Them to Have Their Own Free Time
This can be giving them some time to themselves or even just letting them pick some of the activities during a trip. In general, you want them to have a say in it as well. Since this is their vacation too, you’ll want to make sure that they’re enjoying it. So talk to them to see if there’s anything that they’re interested in doing alone or with their family.
Let Them Sleep In
Teens stay up late and sleep in, it’s not entirely just their preference either. Their bodies are changing and they’re still wired a bit differently than a grown adult. So just allow your teen to sleep in on vacations. Just like any little one, they’re bound to be cranky if they haven’t had enough sleep.
