10 Tips for Distraction Free Travel with Teens and Tweens

Getting teens and tweens involved in family vacation planning is the key to cutting down distractions

Our regular readers know we are fond of Top 10 lists and are also big advocates of getting teens and tweens actively involved in formulating vacation plans.  Its no surprise that we knew we had to enter when we saw that the folks at TwitterMom and Alamo had teamed up to sponsor a blogging contest looking for ”top-ten” tips for a fun, distraction-free family vacation.  For those looking ahead to spring break and summer vacations, here are our Top 10 tips for distraction free family vacations with teens and tweens:

Top 10 Tips

1. Start planning early and get the teens and tweens involved.  What is the theme of the trip — seeing family? relaxing at the beach?  exploring a national park?  soaking in history?  a Disney escapade?   Each family vacation has its own personality.  If you want history but teens and tweens want thrill rides its a lot better to negotiate early and get aligned on what the family is doing.  The worst distraction on any family vacation is the disaffected, disinterested teen.  They will be much more engaged if they have a had a big impact on shaping the plan.
2. Take teen and tween personal space requirements seriously.  It may have been fine to jam everyone into one motel room when the kids were young but expecting teens and tweens to share beds may be unrealistic.  Consider house or condo rentals as they can often be more relaxing and cheaper than hotels while offering more privacy and space that can keep distractions from sibling disagreements to a minimum.  They often have multiple bathrooms – another plus if you have a teenage girl in your midst!
3. If renting a vehicle, make sure you have enough room in back.  Teens and tweens take up a lot more space than toddlers.  Don’t ask them to squeeze into back seats you wouldn’t sit in yourself.  Particularly if you are planning a lot of driving, the comfort of the back seat passengers will minimize complaints from the peanut gallery.  Remember too, teen and tween suitcases fill up fast so make sure you have enough room for all the luggage.  Even a family of 4 might benefit from an SUV!
4. Be flexible and give teens and tweens activity options.  The more they get to pick activities the more engaged they will be.  Of course, every trip will have some mandatory stops whether it is grandma’s house or Mount Rushmore.  But in between – let the teens pick between a day at the beach or a hike in the woods.  Let them pick the burger restaurant with the singing waitresses over fancy food. If you do a good job with research ahead of time, and ask the locals for pointers as well, you’ll know what options you are willing to let them consider.
5. Be realistic about electronics.  While its nice to think that a vacation means leaving electronics behind, the reality is that many teens and tweens will be happier if they can check in on facebook or send a text from time to time.  With teens and tweens the meaning of life centers on connections with friends.  Set expectations and negotiate up front.  Our experience is that if they know they get to connect in with buddies regularly they are less distracted when they are offline.  Realize that if mom is tweeting from the road or posting to her blog it is pretty hard to tell the kids they can’t do so as well.
6. Pick some activities where they can explore on their own.  Even teens and tweens that don’t hang out  together at home will instantly bond if it means they get some independence.  Whether its letting them do their own thing at a mall for an hour or visiting a waterpark where they can run wild on the waterslides, teens and tweens enjoy the opportunity to do their own thing without mom and dad on top of them.  And surprisingly,  parents might just enjoy some time to talk one on one as well.  As the saying goes, absence makes the heart from fonder.
7. Make sure they pack appropriate clothing.  Many parents of teens and tweens expect their kids to pack their own bags.  The risk here is that your teen overlooks things like raincoats or hiking boots and ends up with too many tee shirts and not enough underwear.  Don’t assume teens and tweens know what to bring, so don’t be afraid to look over their shoulders or take responsibility for doing some of the packing yourself.  A little supervision up front will avoid loads of distractions later when everyone is set for an adventure only to find that one member of the party is missing a critical piece of gear.
8. Set music and video ground rules early.  Will mom and dad pick the tunes for the first hour of the drive- then the teens?  Will each teen or tween get equal time?  Or will the teens and tweens resort to headphones for the whole trip.  Wasting time and energy arguing about music and videos on the road is pointless so get it out of the way early.
9. Let them sleep in sometimes.  Teens and tweens need their sleep.  Build in a morning or two when they can ease into the day at their own pace.  If mom and dad are up early they can go for a walk or find Starbucks.  A well rested, cheerful teen is a wonderful thing!
10. Feed them regularly.  Teens and tweens seem to need food constantly.  At the same time, they may not eat as big a breakfast as mom and dad (because they were not really awake at breakfast time) so they may be starving when mom and dad are still full.  Make sure there are opportunities for healthy snacks.  Keeping an eye on energy levels is a  great way to ensure that everyone is cheerful and helps to avoid cranky distractions.

     Distraction free family vacations with teens and tweens takes planning, negotiation, and an appreciation of the fact that they are no longer kids who will dutifully go along with whatever mom and dad say.   With the right attitude, family vacations with teens and tweens can make memories for a lifetime.

     MaryT is a fairly new member to TwitterMoms but is finding their new travel channel  is a great place to hang out and meet new family travel tweeps and bloggers!  Check out all the other great Top 10 tip lists on their site as well.