Help choosing a holiday please for 2 adults and a grumpy 13 year old

[Jopo12]

The world is offering me too much choice for a holiday and I have no idea where to start!
There are 3 of us: Me, DH and DS, who is an extremely grumpy 13 year old who hates everything.

I prefer to go in the summer, but last couple of weeks of October also ok.

I would like there to be plenty to do beyond sun/sea/sand/pool, in fact a beach isn't important. If it's somewhere hot though I do like a pool.

I wouldn't mind somewhere with a guided tour - Safari or other place interesting to teens. (He likes animals and computer games, and vaguely interested in history, and that's it)

Thanks for any ideas!

Go to the Alps. https://www.alpineelements.co.uk/activity-holidays/france/morzine. Activities all included: whitewater rafting, paddleboarding, mountain biking, lift passes, aqua park, high ropes...

My grumpy nearly 13 year old has suggested a Nielsen /mark warner holiday - we’ve done them in the past and my younger one didn’t enjoy the kids club but last year quite a few friends went on them and did the sailing courses, came back raving about them and having group chats with their new friends. Would something like that, where there’s other teens same age or older suit?

would he like to do anything like learn to subadive? If so there’s lots of good October locations and he could learn over the summer first in the uk.

or yes, any package beach holiday with another family /take a friend!

Oh and now I’ve never done a cruise and will not on the grounds that I just have to look at a boat and I’m vomiting- but friends have had good family holidays with teens on cruises. Again lots to do on board but with the added bonus of ended up in a new place each day for most of it. wouldn’t be for me but other families seem to have enjoyed it.

In late October I recommend India, book a tour with a private driver, include the tiger sanctuary or even better Gir National Park, you can do a safari. It’s reasonable costs and food is amazing (as long as you like Asian cuisine of course) we mostly ate in “family restaurants” though if you include lucknow you must go to the Royal Cafe and order basket chat, honestly so tasty that Bollywood types fly in just to eat it (call ahead for a table in the air conditioned restaurant). We used Le passage to India to fix it all though you can do it independently, a flew Virgin to Delhi and Indiago internal flights.

if you aren’t feeling as adventurous Sri Lanka is a bit less crowded, bit less crazy though no tigers or lions

Yes, impossible to he bored in the alps.

or Greek islands with hikes & kayaking & historical sites.

or somewhere with a massive water park, vineyards

what do you like to do?

We also have Ds 13, he isn’t too keen on pool and beach holidays as would rather be seeing and doing. We’re taking him to Vietnam (also have 18 ds) and flying via KL for 4 days. It was the same cost as 2 weeks in Europe

Thanks for lots of fantastic advice. DS will love theme parks, high ropes etc but DH won't and DS won't enjoy them without a friend. I will do some of the adrenaline activities but I really do have a limit.

There's an awful lot DH won't do.(Hiking, kayaking, climbing, diving, sailing) and and it's a similar list for DS, and it's very limiting. I've had a chat to dh this evening about compromises. We'll see what he thinks when he's mulled it over for a bit.

DS's best friend has very little money so I put the idea to DH that we pay for him on the basis that we will all have a better holiday as a result. The mum might not be keen to accept that, but it's something we can consider.

I wouldn’t overthink the money too much. If you invite someone, you pay for them - though I’d expect her to provide him with (some) spending money and maybe a bottle of wine or equivalent for you. Tell her the truth, which is that tbh the friend will make the holiday enjoyable for all of you.

Cyprus or Ibiza Holiday Village. Both have kids clubs for teens upto 16...my grumpy teen loved it...activities and stuff to do with like minded other teens. Even at night tons to do.

I remember taking a very grumpy teen on a long haul holiday that involved a fabulous road trip. On one day we were sitting on the most amazing hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, watching dolphins in the sea, and all she could do was sulk and ask us when we were getting back in the car. I could have strangled her!
She now refers to this as the holiday of a lifetime and is planning on returning to take the same road trip with her husband!

Sounds like the fishing trip on Gavin and Stacey 🤣.

Trips our grumpy teen has enjoyed;

Athens - Hyatt hotel with rooftop and indoor pool. Surrounded by history in the city then a day trip to the monasteries and caves.

Cannes, medieval area and shopping with day trips to St Tropez, Monaco and Nice. We flew into Nice, spent 9 days then train to Paris for 2 nights and Disney for 3 then flew home. Would consider doing it in reverse if there was a next time to enjoy the rest at the end.

Yes our son when a teen enjoyed both those - he also really enjoyed 4 nights in LA staying at the Montrose followed by California coast road trip , stopping off for 2 nights here and there

take the friend and go to a French campsite. One of the better more luxurious ones. You can book lovely chalets or mobile homes, no need to camp in a tent. They have tons of activities for teens and I was surprised how happy the teens were to participate in all of them.

I fancy that trip myself, I just need a changing of the guard in The White House first!

yes exactly - it’s a really fun holiday ( if pricey) - and great with a teen we’ve done it both going north of LA and going south -we used to go every 3 years but haven’t been since 2023 and won’t till DJT is ‘out’

@SkinnyOatFlatWhiteForMePlease forgot to say our son also enjoyed a Rome/Sorrento combination we did but made sure we had a nice pool as Sorrento doesn’t do beaches -he really enjoyed pompeii etc - was 14 when we did that