I have enjoyed my time as a mom of teenagers. Currently, I have 3 teens - 18, 16, and 14 years old. I honestly love traveling with my teenagers as life is simpler and we can move faster in theme parks and airports, but there are a few important tips I'd like to share if you will be traveling with teens anytime soon.
Tips for Teens in the Theme Parks:
1) Give them a responsibility. Our go to is technology!
Teens of today are generally good with technology because they have grown up in today's technology driven world. This means they can be helpful with booking Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues at 7am each morning as you head out to the parks, as well as throughout the day. After discussing family attraction priorities, I have my kids sign into my Disney account and assign them attraction(s) to book at 7am. With more people working on booking Lightning Lanes with quick fingers, you can secure better time selections.
2) Rope dropping is a must do!
Although many teens do like to sleep in, motivating them with coffee or food can help them rise out of bed in the mornings for Rope Drop. Teens can conquer many attractions in the morning while the parks are not as busy. We take a midday break so my teens can rest and unwind back at the resort before heading back to the parks for evening or late-night fun.
3) Take advantage of After-Hours Events
It's no secret that teens like to stay up late while at home, so of course they would enjoy late nights in the park. Because you most likely aren't worried about bedtime routines on vacation for teens, you can take advantage of special events that run later into the evening that many young children cannot.
4) Make sure to take your teens interests into account when creating an action plan.
Many teens may think they are not theme park people, but with some consideration to your teen's interests, like shopping, eating, or watching shows, instead of running continuously to attractions, can go a long way in making everyone happy.
5) Account for space when booking your lodging!
Make sure that everyone can sleep comfortably at the resort and room type that you have booked. Rested people = happy people and can in turn give you more hours of fun in the theme parks. For example, if you have 3 teens who are 6 feet tall, you probably don't want to book a 5th sleeper room at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort or Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort.
General Travel Tips with Teens:
1) Define expectations
When traveling with teens, compared to toddlers or elementary school kiddos, is fantastic because they can help you with luggage and you move faster throughout the airport, however, I find that you need to communicate with them about what they are responsible for and what your expectations are from the start. They are not good at reading minds and don't see parents' frustration easily.
2) Don't be afraid to give them a little freedom
Teens get tired of family time pretty quickly and they are used to having privacy which can be hard in a single room with everyone staying in it. Even allowing them to be in the room on their own for a little bit while you go for a walk or even grab a snack and be beneficial. If you have more than one teen and they are familiar with a safe destination like Walt Disney World, allow them an hour or two by themselves (traveling in at least a group of 2).
3) Account for downtime during your day
Even though teens don't require naps and they can move faster while traveling than younger kids, take my advice and build in some downtime in the afternoons/evenings. My kids aren't big into social media but they still value watching videos or just chilling or listening to music.
4) Utilize packing cubes
My teens pack themselves, but I find that using packing cubes helps them to be more organized in their suitcases and not have to tear their suitcases apart to find things in their luggage. Confirming with them that they have packed an appropriate number of shirts/shorts or providing a checklist is also beneficial the night before travel.
5) Create responsibility in staying charged
With 3 out of 5 people traveling being teens, we pack lots of cords, watch chargers, and external portable batteries with every trip. We have little cloth/reusable zipper bags that each teen is responsible for packing their electronics inside it. It also teaches responsibility and helps us as parents, too.
Michelle McKnight, Travel Advisor
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