Happy Holidays

If the prospect of your teenager slamming doors, getting bored and skulking away with friends every weekend looms on your horizon, rather than spending quality time with the very people who brought them into the world, take heart!

Amongst the recent trends to emerge in travel, trips for parents to spend more one-on-one time with their teenage children during their fraught high school years are becoming popular.

There is an increasing demand for packages which cater to the specific needs of parents wanting time alone with their teenage children, often away from the pressure of school, peer groups and even the competition for attention from other siblings.

Once children become young teenagers and enter their high school years, it becomes harder to find a window of opportunity to incorporate meaningful, one-on-one time with their parents to strengthen their relationship, away from the distraction of homework, domestic routines, sports training and the considerable influence of their peers.

Mother/daughter shopping and spa trips and father/son adventure trips are currently becoming more and more popular with families with teenagers. What teenage girl would knock back a shopping trip to Hong Kong or Melbourne or a week at a spa retreat in Byron Bay? The boys love to be active and a fishing trip up in Kakadu or watching your favourite tennis, golf or rugby stars live are great options for father/son breaks.

When it comes to a family holiday with teenagers, planning is the key ingredient to success. Parents need to involve the children from the early planning stage.

The recipe to a successful teenage holiday:

• Plan the trip at least 6-12 months in advance
• As a family decide on where you would like to holiday.  Are you an active family, enjoy history, appreciate wildlife, beach lover, shopaholic or a theme park junkie?
• Decide on the family budget. Have your kids financially contribute to the holiday by giving up that new pair of jeans or have them do a part time job. They will have a far greater appreciation of the holiday.
• Apartments are a great option with teenagers. They offer separate sleeping areas, lounge room and kitchen facilities and often 2 bathrooms. Who wants to share a bathroom with a teenager! Teenagers love to talk and be social so choose accommodation that offers a pool, games rooms and a gym.    
• The one day on and one day off rule. Every second day is an adult day and the other a teenagers/child day. 
• What did we do before Wi-Fi? Ensure your teenager is on mobile phone prepaid and research prior where free Wi-Fi is available allowing them to catch up with friends back home.
• Prepay and pre-book! The more you prepay in A$ the more you will cut down on arguments about what to do on the trip. Meals, transport, accommodation and tours are able to be prepaid for most destinations.
• Involve the children in setting a daily budget.
• Each family member has their own back pack with a bottle of water, a good book and iPod.
• A relaxed and positive attitude. The most important ingredient to a successful family holiday with teenagers which will grow organically if you follow the recipe.

• Feedback from parents and their children is that these holidays are some of the most enjoyable and fun filled of their lives and brings them closer to their teenagers through shared interests and experiences. Whether that is a week in Bali surfing, shopping and lazing by the pool or hiking up Mt Blanc in France you will create a lifetime of memories for the whole family.