Taking your teenager on holiday with you can sometimes be a stressful endeavour, but with the right planning and preparations you can ensure the whole family enjoys the break. So if your child is reaching the age when spending time with their parents is just plain embarrassing, but they still join you on your family holidays, then this could be the perfect guide for you! Here we will outline some top tips for taking your teenager on holiday, to help keep them entertained and join in the family fun.
Plan Together
Engaging your teen in the planning from the beginning will help to avoid those situations where your idea of a fun place to visit, is wildly different from theirs! Why not ask your teen to give you some locations they wouldn’t mind going on holiday to and see if any of them match yours?
A great way to teach your teen about money during the planning stage is to give them a set budget and see if they could plan a fun holiday with that money. This will help them to prioritise things they may want to do, and remove any grandiose ideas which are too costly.
Give Them Space
As your children age, you’ll find they want more independence and to have their own space. If you have a pet dog, why not consider taking them with you on holiday and letting your teen walk them; giving them some responsibility and independence will help them to feel adult and included on the trip.
When choosing where to stay on your family holiday, why not also make sure your teen gets their own bedroom and doesn’t have to share with siblings? Choosing somewhere such as Dog Friendly Holiday Cottages from Lyme Bay Holidays will ensure there is plenty of room for all the family!
Sort out the Wi-Fi
As much as you might not want to, you’ll be taking not just your teen on holiday, but all their friends too…in the form of social media! It’s a way of life now for the modern teen to require Wi-Fi, so before choosing your holiday location, why not check out the internet capabilities to ensure your teen can stay connected with their friends back home.
Sleep In
Letting your teen skip the alarm in a morning can be a saviour for the
whole family – we all know teenagers need a good sleep! Why not let your teen
stay in bed, whilst you go for breakfast or take a walk in the morning? This
extra time in bed will help them be refreshed and ready for a day out.
Take a Friend
Travelling with an extra teenager may seem even more daunting, but there is method in the madness! By letting your teen take a friend with them on holiday will help to keep them entertained and perhaps enjoy the holiday even more. Why not explore joining your trip with another family, so your teen can have fun whilst the adults can also enjoy some stress free time!
Fun Activities
Involving your teen in the planning of activities will help ensure you include things they like to do! Remember their likes and dislikes may have changed since you last went on holiday, and by giving them the choice of what to be involved in will help to build trust and make sure they find enjoyment in the activities too.
Why not choose something which is enjoyable for the whole family, such as a day at the beach; younger children will enjoy exploring and building sandcastles where your teen may want to try their hand at surfing or water skiing!
So, there you have it – the top tips for keeping your teen entertained on holiday whilst you can have some semblance of a stress free trip!