Family Travel Tips
Ask these questions when booking a room:
Do kids stay free? Is breakfast free?
Does the hotel offer a discount for adjoining rooms?
Does the hotel have cribs and roll-away beds? Do they charge to rent them?
Are there any supervised programs for kids? How much do they cost? Do you
have to make a reservation?
Is there in-room babysitting? How much per hour? What are the qualifications
of the sitter? How far in advance do you need to make reservations?
Do the hotel restaurant and room service have a kids' menu?
Does the hotel offer several family-oriented cable stations, like Disney,
Nickelodeon, AMC, Discovery and Lifetime? Does the TV have a VCR, and is
there a video library with kids' videos?
Are there Super Nintendos in the room?
Can the balcony or patio door be locked?
Does the pool have any special features (like a slide or waterfalls)?
Does the hotel offer a children's program? Is it included in the room rate?
Travelling with Teenagers
When traveling to several locations, try to stay at least four or five days
in one place, so your teens have a chance to meet other kids, adjust to the
area and find their way around the vicinity. Then they get a feeling of
orientation and independence. Have them memorize the name of your hotel (or
the address of your lodging) and give them a hotel business card to keep in
their pocket.
City visits with heavy cultural emphasis can be
boring for teens. London is an exception, as there are some wonderfully hip
places that both parents and teens will find interesting. Any vacation spot
where there aren't other teens will be unpopular. (Forget the visit to
Grandma and Grandpa's retirement spot in Florida, even if you think the
beach is spectacular.)
Many parents find that by the time their kids
become teens they are burned out from long road trips and will refuse to do
extensive car trips anymore. If your vacation plans include long drives,
consider buying or borrowing a small TV and VCR that will plug into your
vehicle's cigarette lighter.
Dining at five-star restaurants is a waste of time
and money with teens (unless they want to become a chef or have a highly
developed palate). And if you are required to wear a tie, they won't like it
(you may not either). Consider taking them to one fine restaurant per trip
as part of their culinary education.
Have each teen bring a personal tape or CD player
with headphones and extra batteries. Agree before departure on where, when
and how often they may plug in.
Bring a deck of cards, backgammon set or other
games you can all enjoy that gives you a relaxed evening activity together.
If you are traveling abroad with a teenage girl,
this is a good time to talk about the many different come-ons of sexual
predators.
If you are in a safe place and you trust your teens'
common sense, give them the freedom to explore. Remind them of the buddy
system: No one should go anywhere -- outhouse, cafe, beach -- without a
buddy, whether it is a sibling, parent or friend. Be sure they know and
agree to their curfew.
Remind them that when traveling, they are
ambassadors in the world and should be extra respectful, helpful and polite
to everyone they encounter (including their parents!).
If your teens take off on their own, remind them it
is important to be cognizant of the hour of sunset. All over the world,
towns and neighborhoods that are filled with activity during the day can
empty out once darkness descends. Neighborhoods that have been active and
safe during daylight hours are not necessarily so after dark.
Roll up your sleeves and share a volunteer vacation
with your teenager. Dozens of non-profit groups offer fascinating trips for
paying volunteers in the United States and abroad. They run the gamut of
scientific, environmental, educational and social-service expeditions.
Because group leaders are on hand to teach skills and monitor progress,
volunteer vacations offer an opportunity for parent and teen to participate
as equal learners on a team.
Consider letting your teens invite a friend to join
you on short vacations, such as car or camping trips.
And perhaps the best bit of advice:
Remember what you were like as a teenager and how you wanted to spend your
time on vacation!
