How to Get Teens Excited About Travel

Travel as a family can be full of fun and great memories … but also full of obstacles. Each developmental age comes with its own unique challenges, like managing feeding and nap times in infants to planning activities that work with the attention span of young ones. But when it comes to teens, sometimes the trouble simply lies in getting them excited to spend time with the family. The next time you plan a family vacay, try some of these helpful tips so your teens can not only be excited, but also maybe even develop a lifelong love of travel.

Get Them Involved in the Planning
When people are involved in the planning of a trip, they are more likely to have a good time. This holds true for adults as much as it does for teenagers. When it comes time to planning the next family trip, make sure your teens have a voice in where you go, what you do and how you get there.

Plan Activities Around Their Interests
Vacations aren’t just about seeing new places and taking a break from work and school. They are also about doing things you love and learning to love new things. If your teens love sports, check out schedules for local venues at your destination. If they are into gaming or puzzles, book an escape room or laser tag. If they are interested in cooking, consider a local cooking class that caters to teens or families.

Don’t Ban Tech (But It’s Okay to Limit It)
Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a vacation where you totally disconnect from your life — powering down your phone, not checking your emails and staying off social media. But for teenagers, that can be like cutting off a lifeline. Vacation is meant to be fun for everyone, and if your teens are too busy worrying about being disconnected or resenting you for cutting them off, they won’t have a good time. You can still set boundaries and limits, but be mindful of what matters to them.

Bring a Friend
It makes a big difference when teens have someone their own age to hang out with, and they love hanging out with their friends. So, while it may be more costly to have another person along, letting your teen bring a friend will make sure they have fun.