Holiday for 15DS after his sister ran away

[Moomoola]

Hi , we’ve had a bit of a time since Xmas when our DD vanished from home to live with medicalised f to m partner and their mum. Thanks mns who have been so supportive!
now we are all exhausted and need - some sort of holiday, that’s a bit unusual, where DS, DH and I won’t be rattling around thinking of DD.
DS is 15 and has been hiding in computer land, so could do with a bit of confidence building. DH knackered and stressed, I need distraction/adventure too as I’m fed up with DH!
i guess I’m thinking of some sort of adventure that’s tame enough but stops us thinking of DD.
we have 2 weeks. Not massive budget, but reasonable.
sorry to ask, brain is frozen with overwhelm.
many thanks.

Neilsons beach club holidays are great if you like activities and everything is taken care of re. transfers etc. The teen “kids club” was good too so you’d get couple time and DS would get to hang out with people his own age. Or Mark Warner is similar.

Thanks, I am panicking now. The activity holidays are 2k each! And DH is nervous about active stuff after brain hemorrhage. I’ll get my big girl pants on. Just hate feeling responsible for DS. He seems to just stay in his room playing computer games.

As your husband likes the idea of Italy and you're getting stuck, I'd say book 5 nights in Rome and then 5 nights in a smaller town/rural or coastal place in Italy.
Rome has so much to see and do for your teen and amazing food etc. You can't really go wrong with Italy!

Verbier or one of the ski resorts. Loads to do in the summer (mountain biking swimming hiking, paragliding!) and chalet hire really reasonable

I just used to wander up mountains have a coffee then get the cable car down. Dd and dh hired fat tire bikes which couldn't be easier. Dh and dd2 did more hard core mountain biking.

And being in the mountains is unbelievably restful
There's still some snow on the top when we went. We've done it a few times now and would highly recommend

We drove and stayed a night there and back

aw thanks terryer am looking right now. I’m getting myself into a right state . So coffee and ..breathe!

@Moomoola

pass it over to DH. He's the one making this SO stressful.

I haven't read your other threads, but I hope things 'come good' with your DD.

The West Coast of Scotland is fab. Ayrshire is beautiful with Alisa Craig seen from the shore and the lovely Isle of Arran, which along with Bute and Cumbrae are just s very short ferry ride away. A bit further north is Mull, which has mountains, rivers, beaches and the colourful Tobermory; from Mull you can get to Iona and Staffa by boat. If you are interested in wildlife, plenty of seals, otters and puffins ( on Staffa). Use the website Visitscotland for more info.

We had a great holiday in lake como.
Rented a Airbnb so was cheap
One day we did canyoning (your hubby could sit out)
One day we hired mopeds (your DS could sit on the back)
One day we hired a boat and went out on the lake swimming
You can take a boat between Bolagio / varena / menaggio - so three towns - all different day trips.
You could spend the first few days exploring Milan. Really easy to get the train to como. We just flew to Milan and booked the train on the day.

If it helps the first time we went we were gifted a week in a chalet by a friend who owns it as we'd had an awful time.

I didn't even google it we just went. It was easy to get everything we needed in the town when we got there (but food is very expensive so if you do go and drive I'd take some). All you need really is the daily lift pass thing.

After the stressful time you've had I wouldn't go for anything too challenging, either in the doing or arranging. @TheYear2000's idea seemed good ..or any two centre ...or even one centre holiday in Italy. You could do a city and coast or city and lake or just one central base to go out from. Sometimes it's good to just unpack in one place, go out every other day from there and chill the other days Does you good after a problematic time not to have to organise as much. 🤔

https://www.booking.com/Share-MClu1d

About 1100 for a week in August

Why don’t the three of you make two suggestions each (make sure that they are achievable!) and put them into a hat! Get ds to pick one.
Takes the drama out of choosing and you’ll get a decision.

You have had a shit year and you deserve this.

You could go on an Explore or Exodus holiday - one where the stress of where to stay and how to get around is taken away from you, but there's quite a full schedule of trekking, kayaking, sightseeing etc.

You don't say what your budget is but they have e.g. a last minute discount on a holiday to Turkey - sea kayaking, snorkelling, medieval castles, for £799 per person. Plus flights.

If that's over budget, maybe somewhere fairly near but very different - Budapest is amazing - everything from a secret wartime hospital hidden in caves to beautiful ornate cafes with fantastic cakes, gorgeous boat trips down the Danube to Margret island where the water fountains play rock music and you can hire huge tricyles to cycle around as a family, incredible outdoor spas all over the city - too many to mention, the ruin bars, the House of Terror museum, trips out to the bear sanctuary to hand feed honey to bears. (It is a happy place not a tourist trap) You can just book an airbnb.

Our Morocco holiday was with explore.
I second taking a look, a week organised and well priced company. Lots of choice too!

Lake Bled in Slovenia is absolutely stunning, it's like something from a fairy tale. There's lots of hiking trails, rowing and paddle boarding on the lake, a crazy toboggan track and an amazing spa on top of the hill to unwind afterwards. Also cake, so so much cake.

I hope you find something that works for you all

Would love to go to Slovenia!

FAmily member is just back from the TUI resort of Plimmiri in Rhodes. There was LOADS for the 12yr old to do re watersports, archery, snorkelling etc but also plenty of chillout spaces for the adults. Food was really good considering it was AI, the pics of the buffets etc and the greek nights were really impressive.
Id defo give it a look.

a Baltic trip? We went to Latvia, Estonia and Finland - flights in and out and coach and ferry in between. Beautiful capitals, fabulous food and so much history and art. Cycling and scooters too. Apart from Finland, really cheap. Would thoroughly recommend. Could add Lithuania at the start.

hope you find sth good OP x

Thank you! You are lifting my heart, am so anxious that DS on computer for all hols and DH close to breaking point.
He has taken Thursday off, thank goodness. He looks dreadful. I’ll present him with options then- he hasn’t got the mental space to deal at the moment. He often doesn’t, I think he needs to reprioritise his work v family life.

Thank you all so much! Everything seems so pricey . DH very concerned we’d spend a lot and just be aware of DD not being there. So DS and I are going to stay with a relative - she lives abroad and we’ve never been able to afford it with 4 of us. So silver linings I guess. DH is being very noble and staying here, poor chap. I will look up a cheap easy jet , though I secretly think he doesn’t like flying.
can I say thank you so much. Brilliant ideas .

Japan would be such a fantastic cool place to visit. Plenty to look up before you go so that would keep you busy and the whole experience would just be amazing.

I am really really glad you three are getting a break. I followed your previous thread as well. My heart went out to you.

Thank you determined
anyone reading this, please do me a favor, and pop over to genspect and bayswater group. And just find out where innocent use of pronouns can lead! I know this isn’t the right thread, and I thought our daughter was too sensible to get sucked in, but no. Please do some research and don’t be naive and laid back like me. ❤️

And I love our child, however and whatever she - or they- does. Just missing them.
we’d love to go to Japan, am considering it for Xmas. As Xmas here won’t be great.
just want to invite them!