Back in June I posted about severe buyers remorse in the run up to our summer holiday. We went DIY to Northern Spain for 2 weeks stating in 6 different locations. I was stressing about cancelled flights, covid, difficult teenagers, the cost ( around £4000) and secretly wishing I’d never bothered. So here is my feedback, which might be of interest to those who are planning holidays with their teens. I have 2 boys 19 and 15.
what went well:
No cancellations! We were travelling early morning both times so maybe that helped. But I was bricking it as we were with easyJet
No covid issues. At the Spanish end we had to show our certificates. To enter Britain no one cared. We didn’t get covid! ( we’re all vaccinated and everyone except me has already had it)
Taking coaches from place to place was fine, however I would advise anyone travelling in summer via the national coach system (Alsa) to book in advance as journeys can get sold out.
Hiring the car for week 2 was fine ( cost £600 though) it enabled us to access places such as secluded beaches and national parks. The scenery was stunning in places
As for the teens, here is what worked:
they always had their own room ( shared)
Wifi always available, although quality was poor in a couple of places
Food- had to access it when hungry or grumpiness set in. I actually found this quite challenging , paying for each and every meal, constant topping up with snacks, Tapas soon wear thin and beyond that it’s not always easy to eat well in Spain especially if you are vegetarian and trying to keep the budget under control. However all towns have markets where you can stock up on fruit.
On the whole it was ok with no tantrums, sulking etc. We have them space, organised activities ( booked into a guided nature trail, set some research for DS19 who is interested in history - I asked him to research what happened in the civil war in the towns we stayed in ) .
I think the beauty of places we went to, plus the appreciation of Spanish culture ( just the Spanish sociability and liveliness and some sense of the history ) did make an impression on them. Not the most restful of holidays but I’m glad we did it!