Travel Planning Guide (for Teens)

Your kids are growing up. They’re looking you in the eye or they’re already taller than you. You have teenagers. Summer vacation ideas for families with teenagers can be different than those with littles. Travel for teens can be more engaging if they are directly involved in the process. Empower your older kiddos to get involved in the planning with your travel planning guide below. The benefits include a strong sense of budget, better safety and fun for all. Talking to your teens about the aspects of trip planning outlined below, also ensures there are more unique experiences that the whole family will enjoy!

Determine your destination

Do you have a particular inspiration? Our oldest played Assassin’s Creed: Origins and now he’s obsessed with going to Egypt. Or do you have a particular item on your bucket list for a family trip? A family heritage trip for example. Has a cheap flight opportunity dictated your next destination? Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) has you dreaming about that $300 flight to Peru and an adventure to the Rainbow Mountains. Determine your destination to start off your planning then guide your teens through these trip-planning questions:

1. 1. Who’s going? Is this a multigenerational trip where there are different interests and different fitness abilities to consider? Or is everyone pretty much on the same fitness level?

1. 1. For how long will you be gone? How many days do you have to build an itinerary? Be sure to take into consideration the length of and arrival/departure times for the flight.

1. 1. When are you going? What will the average weather be like? What type of activities do you want to tackle during that time of the year?

1. 1. Make a budget. How much money can we spend over the course of this trip to keep ourselves responsibly within our limits? Do your kids want to buy souvenirs? How much money can they afford to contribute to purchasing a memento for themselves?

1. 1. Refine your destination. Do you want to stay in one major city? Or spread yourselves over an entire region? Be honest about wishes so that you can narrow down your planning later.

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Research Things to Do

It’s easy to feel like you have to do it all because you may never be back. Trust me, I know as I was once the official Queen of Over Planning. But you’ll be doing your kids a favor by teaching them to look at all the possibilities and then systematically narrow down to the most essential hikes, activities, or places to see.

1. 1. List your absolute must-see destinations. Try to narrow it down to single digits, keep it under 10. The ones that excite you or that you would feel like you missed a huge opportunity if you didn’t see X. Those are your top destinations for this trip. These are the four and five-star show stoppers.

1. 1. Create a Back-Up Plan. Move the other activities/events that didn’t make the cut to your backup list. These are the two or three-star events that you’ll get to if you have time or need a replacement for something that was closed.

1. 1. Research. Do some basic research on your must-see list. Do you need a permit to hike that trail? Are advance tickets available for purchase? Are there any tricks that can get you and your family a better experience or less time waiting in line?

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Book Necessary Tickets, Trains, and Ferries

Consider how you want to travel from place to place while on your trip. Is it easiest to rent a car and move from Point A to Point B, or is it cheaper to drive your own car for the whole trip? Will you need to book a flight to a second location or can a train or ferry get you there just as fast? Remember that this trip is for a finite window of time. So spending a bit of money on faster transportation helps you save time for more experiences.

1. 1. Find the app – Take a look at the local public transportation options in the places you are traveling to. This is often the cheapest way to get around the area. Cities will sometimes have public transportation apps. One of our best finds when visiting New York was the subway app we uploaded to our phones. You can also use popular ride-sharing apps if the city has them.

1. 1. Purchase in advance – Often you can save money by purchasing tickets in advance. Sometimes people believe they can catch a great last-minute deal on tickets but that is usually not the case when dealing with transportation. Choosing to travel by train or ferry for part of your trip? Advance tickets can save you money and bring peace of mind.

Book Places to Stay

Teaching your teens about the varied possibilities for stays will help them save money in the future. Do they want the traditional hotel, an Airbnb-style home, or camp under the stars? What do they appreciate about the types of stays you’ve done in the past? Getting a list of the pros and cons of each type of stay and showing them prices teaches them to adjust their expectations based on a predetermined budget.

After narrowing down your options, walk your teen through these three considerations.

1. 1. What do the guidebooks say – Are there local neighborhoods that put you close to most events, attractions you want to see? Or do you plan to do a lot of walking to your attractions so you can immerse yourself in the local scene? Thinking about where you want to stay can help you create a realistic idea of how much time you need to get to each event.

1. 1. What do the user reviews say – teaching your kiddos to take a look at how others have rated the places you are considering is a life skill they won’t regret learning. You can look through multitudes of listing ratings and get a stronger more confident sense of what you are booking.

1. 1. Compare your options – determine the pros and cons of each type of accommodation. What impact does your choice have on the budget? Think about your priorities. If you are determined to hit the local markets and try your hand at making a meal but your living space has no kitchen, is it worth keeping on your list? Will you need A/C during your trip? Should breakfast be included? Answers to these questions will help you choose the best option for your family.

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Build an Itinerary

Now that you know exactly what you’d like to do and how you’ll do it, it’s time to teach your teen how to build an itinerary. Take yourself through each day. of your tribe’s adventure.

1. 1. Outline Each Day – Where do you need to be and when? Take a look at downtime. Are there windows of time with nothing to do? Use this information to build a daily route for the number of days of your trip.

1. 1. Be ready to adjust – by cutting out some items when you realize you’ve booked too much, you allow your tribe to have downtime. Or can the budget allow for an additional day to be able to fit some of those items in?

1. 1. Sharing is caring – Once settled you can share the itinerary with others so they know where you are expected to be and when. Major life skill development here because in a very short amount of years these teens will no longer be in your house. When they’re jumping all over the place you’ll be glad you taught them to share their plans with others!

Figure Out the Details

Now is the time to work out the things that will make a trip go that much more smoothly. Use the tips below to help your teen think about the little things that make a stay just that much more enjoyable for everyone.

1. 1. Eating options – If you are staying at a home, or a hotel with a kitchen, figure out where the closest grocery store or market is.

1. 1. Packing lite – can you get what you need into a carry-on bag? Having a washing machine and dryer in your accommodations can help keep clothing demands down.

1. 1. Money needs – do we need to exchange money? Determine where that will happen to get your tribe the best rate.

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Keep Copies

Teaching your teen to keep copies of important documents can save so much worry and time.

1. 1. Passport – If your passport is lost, or worse stolen, you’ll be grateful to have printed paper copies with you. One option is to keep the copies in the safe in your hotel room. While traveling keep them in a separate bag or even with another member of your tribe. Having a copy, along with those extra passport photos that you’ve stashed away since they were taken 8 years ago at Costco, allows you to go to your nearest embassy and get another reissued relatively quickly.

1. 1. Car Rental Agreement and Travel Insurance – Keep a copy of your car rental agreement and travel insurance information. While I know a lot of this information can be available on your phone, it’s a big assumption that your phone wasn’t lost with your wallet/purse. If you’re a victim of a pickpocket you’ll want to have a backup. As mentioned above you can keep a copy in the room safe, or with another member of your tribe. But don’t forget the value of saving a copy of your documents in the cloud.

1. 1. Credit Cards – Keep the number of your credit cards in a safe place (don’t need a copy of the actual card) or with a trusted tribe member at home. You want to be able to reference the number, expiration date and the number to call if your wallet is stolen or lost.

Using this guide to involve your teens in the planning process will help everyone feel actively involved. Even if they just take a piece of this guide and contribute their thinking around one point of the planning process, you’ve empowered them to take care of themselves and their own travel in the future.

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