Family Holidays with Teenagers: How to Keep Everyone Happy

Your baby turned into a toddler, and your toddler turned into a child, and not your child has turned into a teenager. They grow up fast, don’t they? Teenagers can be a little tricky, and knowing how to keep then happy is often a problem that most parents cannot solve. But if you are planning a family holiday with your stroppy, not-so-small-anymore teenager then do not fear! We have compiled an article looking at the ways that you can keep everyone happy and avoid those teenage travel dramas during your holiday!

Asking them where they want to go…

Get your terrible teen involved in the decision making process! A lot of teens struggle with the coming-of-age process. Still having to follow orders from your parents when you are fully grown can be a little frustration. It’s a battle with authority, but giving them some responsibility and letting them in on the decision making process will help to ease this tension. Here are some questions that you could ask to ensure that they are included:

 

• Where do they want to go, and why?

 

• What activities do they want to undergo?

 

• Do they want to go on a road trip or travel by flight?

 

• Do they want to go abroad or stay in the UK?

Find out just what it is that your teenager wants to do, and try to come up with something that will incorporate the wants and needs of the entire family. You never know, they might come up with some great ideas like making use of cheap Exeter Airport parking discounts!

Giving them some responsibility

Teeners can struggle with the transition from child to adult, and they often crave a little responsibility because of this. Giving them an aspect of the holiday that they are in charge of can help to give them something to focus on and get involved with. This is a great way to really involve them in the holiday experience. Make sure that you head out on the holiday having been given them some kind of responsibility.

Book in some teen-centric activities

Make sure that you try to book some activities that teenagers will enjoy. Say, for instance, you are traveling to Florida in the US for a nice family vacation. A great activity for teenagers would be to go on a Fishing Charter in Crystal River or to go kayaking in the fresh waters. An activity like this can provide a great bonding opportunity for the entire family, wherein they can get out on the water and enjoy nature in its entirety.

Sometimes, it can be really tempting to cater to the young children of the family or the parents, and completely forgetting the needs of the teenagers. This is not because you care about them less, but because you assume that they are old enough to understand this. However, the teenagers may not be mature enough to understand this and they can certainly feel left out. To avoid such a situation, make sure that you plan the kind of activities that you think the teenagers in your family will enjoy too! Whether it’s a trip to the cinema, a day lounging on the beach, or going to the local arcade, book in a few of the activities that you know they will enjoy too!

Ease up on some of those rules

You are all on holiday, afterall. Try to give your teen bit of a relaxation from all of the rules that you have at home. Let them have a night off of cleaning the dishes and let them go out a little later. It’s just as much their holiday as it is yours, so let them have a little bit of fun! This will not only help to keep them in a better and brighter mood, but it will also allow you not to have to nag so much as well!

Think about letting them bring a friend with them

As much as you will want to go on holiday in order to spend quality time with your teenager, it can be just this that triggers one of your teenagers mood swings. Lets face it, teens are constantly struggling with the need to be independent in the context of their family life! It can be a little tricky! If you let your teen bring a friend with them then they will be a lot less inclined to be argumentative. They will also be likely to go out a little more, giving you some peace to enjoy self – it is your holiday as well remember!

There are so many things that you can do in order to ease the tension of your teen while on holiday, and just some of these include giving them more responsibility, booking teen activities in, easing up on some rules and letting them bring a friend. Ultimately, your teenager is probably dealing with a lot of hormonal changes, and sometimes they will have a paddy. This is part of growing up. Try to be understanding and let them have some space. They’ll be right as rain in the morning. May your teenage holiday be filled with fun, connecting and tranquility!