Time to take a deep breath, bite your tongue and get ready for battle. Or - just as likely- get ready to enjoy some really quality time with your pubescent progent and discuss things in a mature manner. Ha, who are we trying to kid? Joking aside, these years can deliver some genuinely fruitful, fulsome family travel. Your children are now of an age when they may start going on holiday with their friends' families, but while they're on your watch, here's a few ground rules so you don't have to ground them...
One Size Doesn't Fit All
Teenagers come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments (the full garment from surly to stroppy) and ages. After all, a 19-year-old and a 13-year-old only really have the suffix '-teen' in common, so while we've lumped them all in together for the purposes of this blog post, a holiday with multiple teenagers really needs to be a lot more nuanced, with the elders enjoying a modicum more freedom, particularly of an evening.
A Wildlife Programme
*Adopts hushed David Attenborough tones* As instinctive pack animals, teens gravitate to others of their own species. The ideal teen holiday would allow them to meet and interact with other adolescents, including ones of the opposite sex.
Say Cheeeeeese...Please!
Set your camera to the highest possible shutter speed if you want to capture the exact millisecond your teenager smiles in the family group shot. However amazing the trip (and it most certainly will be if you book through us), no self-respecting teen could possibly look like they're having a nice time.
Who Are You Kidding?
If you're going on a 'fly and flop' holiday and there's even a whiff of them being sent to a kid's club you may find your teens in open rebellion. That said, some clever places have excellent teen-friendly facilities (Exhibit A, Verdura Resort in Sicily with its mocktail making and teen hang out area) that don't feel too contrived.
Prove Your Purpose
Older teens might consider being seen on holiday with their parents akin to instant social suicide, but take them to a seriously cool destination and they may, just may, see that parents have some benefits. Besides, they can always edit you out of the photos on their Instabrag feed.