Blowout holiday with teens.. where?

[Mayaj1]

My dc are 9 & 12 but we want to do a huge holiday with them in their teens & start saving in the new year for 2 or 3 years!
Where to go?!
Safari?
South Africa?

America
Mauritius is lovely
Mexico has some oustanding hotels

Brilliant thank you! Daydreaming this morning but want to get a plan in action for next year!

We did a west coast USA driving holiday. Brilliant.
Also New Zealand and Australia.

We’re doing similar, so far suggestions include…

Alaska cruise & Canada
US road trip
Japan (poss cruise)
European multi city maybe by rail

watching with interest

Depends if the older one will be a grumpy teen by then... they can 'turn' 😆
A USA/Canada trip could be amazing... I did a tour with my DD2 and we 'did' America. A few days in Las Vegas (cringeworthy but for a couple of nights it's fab) and the Grand Canyon while we were there on a tiny terrifying airplane. Then onto LA, then Hawaii for a week .. swam amongst turtles.. best part of the trip for me. San Francisco, onto Banff mountains in Canada..then Niagra Falls (also tacky but stunning). We travelled a fair number or States, starting and ending in New York and it was amazing. It was like visiting lots of different countries as each State is very different. We did 7 weeks!

Route 66. On my bucket list and loads to do on stop off points for teens.

I think it depends how much you are willing to spend our can save in that time and what your interests are. We've done an expensiveish holiday to Mexico which was amazing but I wouldn't have called it a blow out holiday but there are only 3 of us. My son and husband are both keen divers so we have already started saving a for a huuuge holiday to Australia the year I turn 50 and our son turns 18 so they can dive off the coast of Australia and we will also have a 3 week holiday there exploring. It also depends what time of year you want to travel. If it's in the summer hols I would avoid Mexico as that's hurricane season.

What are they interested in? With DT’s we did trips to South Africa (Garden Route and then Kruger and Chobe), India - Delhi, Amritsar and Shimla, Nepal (travelled around), Cambodia and Vietnam and numerous fly drive trips around the US and Canada.

They love shopping & American culture😅 I would love to go on safari!

www.clubmed.co.uk/s?search=maldives&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SEA_BR_DESTINATION_UK_EN&CMCID=PS_SEA_BR_DESTINATION_UK_EN_GOOGLE_SEA_BRAND&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAiA6t-6BhA3EiwAltRFGKxDZbpwpNmFdAAJ5hTBmHgcJOF-c7euZ4SjXTpcA9sHnAsZ7LJbfhoCfWoQAvD_BwE

This is on my wish list
www.affordableluxurytravel.co.uk/multicentres/siyam-world-maldives---lagoon-villa-with-pool--slide?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=siyamworld&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAABxNKrONcHxJtKZB5nZqwwNPyhDq0&gclid=CjwKCAiA6t-6BhA3EiwAltRFGAXFMP9HdZAzGbw1t4bbRWbjtCleOLZQu4w6o89s_HOu7Tq1hTF_ghoCSDYQAvD_BwE

If you’re thinking of safari then research companies very carefully. We went last minute a couple of years ago with a group of friends who had a couple of drop out places in the group, and I found it quite underwhelming: the guides clearly knew where all the wildlife hung out at particular points of the day and were seeking out the best Instagram photo opportunities, and it felt more like a grandiose tour of Longleat than actually exploring and encountering wild animals.

How about Costa Rica?

Everyone I know who’s been was blown away by the jungle and the wildlife. The sort of thing you remember for a lifetime. The teens loved it just as much as adults, and it’s such a massive change from anything they’ll experience in everyday life.

Ours are similar age and we are thinking on similar lines. I think we’ll do one of the following
-safari in Africa. DH and I went on our honeymoon and it was the most incredible experience ever
-jungle in Costa Rica. My favourite idea but both DH and one DS seem particularly prone to insect bites which puts them off. They’re always seen as extra tasty.
-road trip around western US

Safari without a doubt

Wow my experience couldn’t hav been more different but admittedly was before the days of the Instagram influencer. We took phones (this was 2011) but there was no internet or phone reception. Sat phones only!

Depends if the older one will be a grumpy teen by then... they can 'turn' 😆

Yes this. I booked a fabulous holiday for mine that they would have loved at the time of booking. But when it finally rolled around, all they wanted to do was stay in their rooms. It may seem impossible to you now, but it can happen so quickly!

Uruguay is meant to be fantastic, and the Galápagos Islands.

If I were going to do a big, once in a lifetime, holiday experience these would be what I’d be researching.

I would be wary of a safari too - travelled all the way there, took malaria tablets, bought extra camping kit the lot - and I remember looking out of the truck at our first lion....rep looks exactly like the lions in the zoo or on TV. Travelled 8hrs to next park on a bumpy road....yep this lion looks exactly like the other lion in the last park. There needs to be more than just seeing animals in parks. I was also struck by how similar the landscape is to parts of Australia.

California - LA, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, San Fransisco and the Pacific Coastal Highway. There's a lot of driving involved but it's a spectacular holiday - throw in a baseball game or a theme park if you fancy?

17 mile drive is definitely worth including.

I would choose Thailand or Vietnam - lots of history, animals, beaches and fun activities such as boat trips and zip wires. However - they're also budget friendly. Eating out as a family of 3/4 can come in at less than £25. Countries such as the US are similarly priced to here and eating out, entry to attractions & sundries add up very quickly on a long trip.

Start by thinking about what you like to do on an ideal holiday - are you beach bums or do you prefer having something to look round (or a mix)? Do you like theme parks and attractions or do you prefer to just explore? Can you all cope with long car journies or will you get bored and feel youlre wasting your holiday / not getting time to relax? What are your children's main interests? Let us know!

Japan is what I would choose especially if they have any interest in anime/nintendo/etc type things. It also has great temples and stunning scenery. The fact it's very clean and the locals are incredibly honest and helpful is such a plus too.

It's also inexpensive if you want it to be.

Places like California are very expensive these days. We thought the Sphere in LV was mind blowing and the scenery is incredible.

They love shopping , are active so enjoy swimming & kayaking. They also enjoying skiing but in cheap resorts so maybe a trip to Aspen or Canada could work too..

I think safaris could be quite boring for kids.

We went to Vancouver and Vancouver Island and then drove up the coast - stunning, especially if they like outdoor stuff.

The classic Californian road trip - but San Diego rather than LA (the traffic is so bad).