To think holidays with teens/preteens are just rubbish

[ExtrovertedIntrovert1]

Paid a fortune because it's summer holidays.
UK holiday because they both weren't keen on the idea of abroad and it was too expensive anyway.
Everything is "boring".
Tried visiting towns looking round shops. Boring.
Theme parks? No, boring.
Beach? Pointless
Castles or things of historical interest (Ha, absolutely ridiculously boring)
Museums? Haha
Every time we attempt at outing it's just miserable faces then the oldest will eventually pipe up "can we go back to the caravan".... so we can just sit around, on phones, doodling, etc. Basically stuff they would be doing at home.

I know this is probably within the realms of normal, but it's so pointless and boring. Spent a fortune and time/effort researching things that might be fun to do but it's just a waste of time. I even ended up suggesting that I'll just holiday on my own next year but in reality that won't happen. Does anyone do that? I love holidays, beaches, visiting different places. It's depressing to think holidays won't be fun again until they're old enough to leave at home.

Pointless thread but just needed to vent.
Please don't reply if your preteens/teens just LOVE holidaying and you always have a tonne of fun. I don't want to hear it 😂

DS was never an issue but he really loves food so going out to dinner every day made him very happy. I appreciate there is a cost involved in that. He also loves swimming so there was also a lot of that featured and like me he will also go in when it’s cold. DH won’t, I have been swimming in the sea when it’s been snowing. DS has inherited a high internal furnace from me.They also used to build amazing sand sculptures, to the point people would come over and would joke about charging. We had a UK holiday last year and his GF came, we were in the sea and DH and DS GF were rolling their eyes on the beach.

Best was when he was 16 and then 17 and we did cruises each year. He loved the unlimited food and using the gym.

I have good memories of our low budget family holidays growing up and loved the cultural visits. I especially liked things like cheese farms or sheep activity centres or castles or things like that. I was easy to please! Even as an older teen. Canoeing was a treat.

My dh and I both love museums, country houses, zoos... all sorts and we take our little one so hopefully she inherits our genes and doesn't become blasee.

The Big Sheep? Fabulous place .

Oh yes I can relate to this totally
Four teens here and all we have is moaning
Do we have to
How long for
Why didn't you ask
Not today surely
Not again
No
Not now, later
Boring
Why do we always have to...
So what I do now is prebook things, eg buy tickets and generally do guided/prepaid/bookable activities, put thrm on a family chat and say 'these sre things I want to do/I have booked' and of you want to do something happy to add. Doesn't always work but they at least know it's happening
Also bringing a friend on holiday... they seem to not moan as much
It is hard work though

At dinner last night DC16 asked what our top holiday destinations for 2025 are. DC16 and DC13 have been appalling recently - horrible to each other, extremely difficult, messy, disrespectful, generally argumentative/moody. I cheerfully replied that I couldn’t possibly answer as DH and I had rather assumed all holidays were off the cards given they couldn’t get along together and so we were getting our heads around making the most of staycation opportunities. Absolute silence. Food for thought though, eh? Pass the salt please!

( I have thought about it. It’s a tucked away villa near the sea in either Crete or Kefalonia. Just me and DH. Out of season so won’t cost me another mortgage. Seemed churlish to mention that, though. And a waste of a good opportunity to plant the seed that holidays are not guaranteed, especially if you are behaving like dicks)

Don't most teens just want wifi no matter where they are? From what my clients tell me, unless they are going to do something on holiday that the kids are obsessed with then they are pretty hard to please and just want to be on devices.

I hadn't really thought about mums who want a holiday because they don't get to enjoy one with their teenagers. You may want to join one of my solo holidays - which initially I created for single friends and solo parents who want a holiday when they don't have the kids!

Bring friends! Go on holiday with friends.