Pros and cons of holidays with teens

[Bretonbear]

Pros - they're old enough to go off themselves to explore

Cons - they claim they don't want to go out and explore

Arghhhhhh

Pros - they are old enough to stay in the accommodation alone so you can go off exploring

Cons - they can be in the most fabulous place in the world, claim the UK is "so boring and can't wait to travel" but don't actually want to get off their butt or phone to experience the new country

Pros - they can deal with their own jet lag

Cons - they can wake up the adults in the household who have to work thanks to staying up all night with jet lag

Pros - they don't need a bedtime that limits your evenings

Cons - any restaurant not serving burger or pizza is whinged about

Can you tell I just got back from a 3 week holiday of a lifetime with 3 teens?!

Pro - when removed from friends and off their own turf they often decide to come out with you, and you get some family time for once

Con - they take so long "getting ready" that it's lunchtime before you can leave the house, and you start to which they chose to stay at the holiday home so you can get on with what you want to do.

Pros They can carry their own bags

Cons They fill the one hold suitcase with 6 pairs of shoes and all their toiletries.

Pros You no longer have to scan every menu for chicken nuggets

Cons They are now vegan....

Pros You no longer have to worry about bedtime

Cons They want to stay out longer than you drinking Cocktails and you can't go to sleep until you hear them come in

Pros you no longer have to carry mountains of buckets and spades, inflatables etc to the beach

Cons They want their own sunloungers which you have to pay extortionate amount for

Pros They no longer ask are we there yet or want to play a never ending game of eye spy

Cons They are glued to their phones with headphones in so you have shout loudly and wave before attempting any communication

Pros We can have more adventurous holidays. We've had some great ones MTBing in Chamonix, Skiing in Austria, wild camping and hiking in Scotland, etc.
Cons It is bloody expensive paying, in effect, for four adults to do these things (Instead of just one, now that my two are adults and live elsewhere!!)

Wouldn't change it for the world though!

Pros: more adventurous palate so meals are more varied
Cons: I don't do this type of food. Pasta please.

Pros: you don't need to entertain them as they are so good at spending hours doing nothing on their phone.
Cons: I'm bored. I want to do nothing on my phone in my own room at home.

Pros: You aren't woken up at silly o clock each morning. You don't spend your day desperately trying to smear on sun tan lotion
Cons: DS gets up too late to do a days activities together and I worry how well he has applied his own sun tan lotion

Pro: They can wipe their own ass.

Con: The wasted time and effort before we've even left home.

I'd much rather go on holiday with a couple of manic toddlers, than teens who just drag everyone down with complaints, tbh!

100% agree

Pros - they can carry their own kit (and more or less pack it) and do fun stuff with or without you.

Cons - if it's a bit too windy you may find yourself squashed in the front of a Pico acting as intelligent ballast.

Pros - actually that's fun too.