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has design on the mind
Join TeenTravelTalk.com and three teenagers to talk about traveling with your teens this summer!!! Share your stories, your greatest challenges and get tips and tricks from the (real) experts.
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Traveling With Teens
Jun 28, 2010 Monday, 1:00pm EST - Add as Favorites
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- Emily 16 comments
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Question for the teens!
Lots of parents like to disconnect from the world on their vacations and want their kids to do the same, so turn off the cellphones, txting, computer games, etc. How do you feel about that?!?
about 1 year ago
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- Janie Reinart 12 comments
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What are some tips for packing light and just with a carry on?
about 1 year ago
RobynsWorld
Janie - if you haven't bought luggage for a while. Get the maximum measurements for a carry-on from the airline websites and write them down. Take your tape measure with you to the store and find one that matches those. The newer pieces of luggage seem to be maximized for storage much more so than older luggage.
about 1 year ago
Alex
Haha I do the same with books and clothes. For our two-week trip to Cape Cod every year, I brought about 5 or 6 too many outfits and about 6 books (ridiculous I know...I'm always over-prepared). However, if you are going to a beach location or a place where there will be down time, maybe more than one book will be a good idea to bring.
about 1 year ago
Janie Reinart
So what would you pack and what kind of luggage do you use--back pack or little suitcase with wheels??
about 1 year ago
Justine
Alex, I do the sausage-rolling thing too! Also, I tend to leave things at home that I know other people or the hotel will have. This includes a lot of toiletries, towels, and snacks/books. I always bring too many books and too many clothes that I don't end up reading or wearing anyway! Limit yourself to the pair of shoes you wear there, and only bring one book-- trust me, unless you stay for more than two weeks, you won't have time to read more than one.
about 1 year ago
Ginny
I like to wash everything that I usually wear and pack it. It's good to go light because then you can move around the city better once you land. We often take public transportation when we are in a foreign place and traveling light makes it easier.
about 1 year ago
Emily
I'm interested in what the teens have to say on this! My trick is to plan outfits so I don't take way too many shirts or other items. A friend told me about this a few years ago, and at first it seemed so strange, but it's cut my packing list in half!
about 1 year ago
Deborah
Here lies my problem....I think I need it ALL!!!!!
about 1 year ago
Alex
I am NOT the person to answer this (neither is my mom!) I overpack whenever I even leave the house! But a trick I learned for fitting more in a suitcase is: try folding up your clothes and then rolling them into little sausages. It sounds silly but it is an easier way to fit more clothes in a suitcase (usually without wrinkles).
about 1 year ago
RobynsWorld
Plan what you really need, pick items that can be worn in multiple ways, think thinner fabrics - not necessarily lightweight, but thinner (less bulky).
about 1 year ago
Luisa
Me too -- and I travel for a living...
about 1 year ago
Janie Reinart
Me too!
about 1 year ago
Deborah
I'm waiting for this answer....I'm the BIGGEST over-packer EVAH!!!!
about 1 year ago
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RobynsWorld
Maybe we should try reverse psychology and let the teens pick something and just pretend to be annoyed or unpleased while we do it? (j/k)
about 1 year agoEmily
SO TRUE, Alex!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
about 1 year agoLuisa
Robyn: We moms have to remember what Alex said here about how teens sometimes don't like anything they are SUPPOSED to be doing. I'm going to write that down and plaster it to my forehead! :)
about 1 year agoAlex
Hey Mom, teens are not always the culprits of technological overdose on family vacations. Sometimes parents have to watch their intake as well. Haha.:)
about 1 year agoRobynsWorld
Luisa - yes I bought 100 minutes of internet for $55 on our cruise for me. Son decided it wasn't worth that much to him - I told him he could get it if he wanted to spend his spending money on it. We went to Alaska so we did have some times that we could use our cell phones as well. The internet cafe was only $6 for the hour - he felt that was a bargain :-)
about 1 year agoLuisa
Most cruise ships these days have internet cafes and many have tech so you can text from the ship. Both are VERY expensive though so make sure you give your teen a budget for the trip.
about 1 year agoRobynsWorld
When we were on our cruise my son didn't have internet access on the ship, but I did take him to an internet cafe in one of the ports. I think for him, that was just a really cool part of the vacation. Something to say that he has done.
about 1 year agoGinny
Often, the only way to get my brother to go on a vacation with the family is to give him the opportunity to go to an internet cafe for at least one day of the vacation.
about 1 year agoAlex
Yeah, isn't no-technology the point of vacation anyway? Maybe I'm different than most kids my age but I do like not staring at screens when I'm on vacation.
about 1 year agoRobynsWorld
My teenage son is totally connected nearly all the time and his computer is really relaxing to him. I let him bring along whatever tech he wants and hopefully we have enough fun doing other things that he doesn't use it as much. However, it is his vacation too
about 1 year agoDeborah
Though, I think one of the weirdest things I've witnesssed is a young boy about 12 walking through Disney playing his DS.
about 1 year agoDeborah
I think Alex is right. :)
about 1 year agoJustine
It's funny, because I'm such a technology addict at home and during the school year-- I wake up and check my facebook, don't go anywhere without my iPod, and text my friends a whole lot. When I go away, however, I find it's really nice to take a break and live life away from any sort of screen. My family rented a house on the beach this summer and it doesn't have wireless internet, but I'm totally fine with that. You're not really on vacation if you have access to everybody and everything that's going on 24/7. If my parents tried to take away my phone, however... there might be issues.
about 1 year agoCheryl
i found that if i make a big deal about my girls texting or talking on their phones...they want to do it more...so we don't really mention it, and they hardly use them.
about 1 year agoCristina
On fun, engaging vacations (like Hawaii!) I have no problem disconnecting; I actually prefer it. But on more mellow vacations with a lot of downtime, being able to talk to friends from back home really helps pass the time.
about 1 year agoAlex
I feel that it probably is a good idea. However, if enough activities/fun times are taking place, said teenagers will probably forget about their technology and friends back home and actually enjoy what they're doing. What I'm trying to say is: parents shouldn't force it to the extreme...it might naturally happen.
about 1 year ago