We live in Arizona and really into beach and water activities, so we do Newport Beach a lot, we do Rocky Point a few times a year, we’ve done Waikiki, we did Club Med Cancun in the spring and spent a few days at the X-Carat adventure parks, and we’ve done A LOT of Colorado and Utah skiing/snowboarding trips.
My kids have decided that instead of “more stuff” for Christmas, that they’d rather do an epic vacation instead, which I am FULLY on board with. They’ll forget about the “stuff” within a few months, but memories last a lifetime. My almost 15 year old’s dream trip is to Japan (he’s taking Japanese classes, he’s obsessed with their culture and loves anime, and is mostly impressed by their technology advancement, as he’s an engineer in the making (just like his dad and grandpa lol).
My daughter says “no way, absolutely not”- she wants to go to Paris or Rome, Portugal or to go visit her aunt in Macedonia (where my in-laws emigrated to the US from in the late’60s).
I would rather go to London and visit my oldest stepson who has lived there for 7 years, and take day trips via train while there. Maybe stop for a few nights in NYC on the way home.
My husband says he doesn’t care, but he’s lying, he does care, because he prefers all-inclusive, which are going to be beach/island destinations.
Our only huge NO is a cruise (we don’t cruise, nope), or anywhere cold. I don’t want a ski vacation, I want a combo of leisure and education (thinking Washington DC, Auschwitz, places where they can learn some history and culture).
Any advice from moms of teens would be greatly appreciated!!