Traveling with children who are becoming teenagers means experiencing another form of adventure: one of sharing, dialogue, and discovery through their eyes as explorers in the making.
At this age, they no longer just follow — they participate.
They want to understand, debate, take photos, find their way on the map and, above all, live authentic experiences.
It’s the perfect time to turn a family trip into a shared experience, where everyone finds their place between autonomy and togetherness.
A successful trip with teenagers is a fine balance between freedom, rhythm, and sincere moments of exchange.
And to go further, discover at the end of this article our practical downloadable guide, filled with checklists, tips, and tools for all age groups.
Teens don’tlike it when decisions are made for them — and that’s a good thing!
Involving 10–17-year-olds in the preparation of the trip means making them active participants:
- Compare destinations and possible activities together.
- Ask them to choose an activity that reflects who they are: surfing, hiking,photo exhibition, food tour, escape game…
💡Universal Tip :
Turn planning into a shared project. Use Google Maps, TripIt or Notion Family Travel to organize the stages and share your ideas.
Before closing the bags, take a few minutes together to sort through what goes in the suitcase and what stays in the backpack.
In the backpack, keep the essentials for the journey: headphones, phone, charger, a comfortable piece of clothing… and of course, the favorite candy pack (essential for good vibes 🍬).
A small reminder from experience: passports and ID cards are still your responsibility, parents! Believe us, it saves a lot of panic later…
And for everything else: clothes, accessories, documents, and small essentials =>find our practical guide with the complete checklist of must-haves at the end of this article.
Trips with teens are no longer a test of endurance, they’re part of the journey to share.
The idea is no longer to keep them occupied, but to involve them as co-pilots.
Create a family playlist together with everyone’s favorite songs!
Golden rule: listen to everything — even the other’s questionable choices...
Here’s a classic!
The rule is simple: each player adds an item to the list, starting with “In mysuitcase, there is…”
The next one must repeat the entire list in the correct order before addingtheir own item.
Everything is allowed: “a giraffe on roller skates,” “a singing pizza” — themore absurd, the funnier!
Make it a game! Let them guess the directions: which boarding gate? which terminal? where’s the right baggage carousel?
💡Tip:
Why not make them the trip’s reporter? Let them film the behind-the-scenes of departure, the views from the airplane window, or the laughter in the car =>guaranteed memories!
With 10–17-year-olds, forget about tours where you just watch. They need to live what they discover: touch, test, create, move.
Head to interactive museums, craft workshops where you really get hands-on, or activeo utings — by bike, on a trail, with feet in the sand or in the forest.
Local markets or cooking workshops are also perfect for stimulating their curiosity without losing their attention.
💡Tip:
- Pour les 15 ans et + laissez leurs des “pauses libertés” pour se balader seul, prendre des photos, s’acheter un souvenir avec leur argent de poche, découvrir la vie et se découvrir !
- Pour les - de 15 ans laissez-les choisir la prochaine étape, guider le groupe, prendre un goûter ? Une petite glace ce n’est pas de refus non ?
Teens love independence… but without giving up comfort!
Good news:all that’s already planned.
Find our OIQIA Practical Guide: it reveals how to choose the right accommodation, enjoy autonomous check-in, cook freely, and discover the best teen-friendly activityi deas.
Even older kids have moments of fatigue or sulking: too hot, too early, no Wi-Fi...
- Flexibility: the unexpected often makes for the best memories — leave room for surprise.
- Lightness: sometimes, a sandwich by the water beats any perfect plan.
- Humour: laughter solves far more than long speeches.
💡Tip: For good teen/parent relations
Value theirideas: a restaurant found on TikTok? Super cool! A breathtaking viewpointspotted on Instagram? Follow them!
Create an “anti-drama” code: a funny word or gesture that means stop whentension rises!
Exercise proposed by “Mind Day”
Every evening, take 5 minutes together to reflect on:
– three positive things that happened during the day,
– and one thing you appreciated about each family member.
10–17-year-olds have a thousand ways to keep a record of their travels… if they can do it their way.
Create with them a creative travel journal — a notebook where they draw the most unexpected thing they saw, or a small photo album with funny captions.
To help them create easily:
Let them tell their travel story online, in their own way — then show you (yes, you have to keep up, it’s the new generation!):
Instagram stories with their best photos, TikTok videos in vlog style — like “vacation food vlog,” “a day on holiday with me,” or “top 5 best things to do here.”
For more privacy, they can create a private Snapchat story to share the trip’s bloopers with their closest friends 😉
Forget the too-serious questions and try instead:
“What’s the moment you’d have posted if you were a super-famous influencer?”
“What are the 3 things you liked the most — and the 3 you liked the least —about this trip?”
“If you could have brought one thing back from there, what would it be?”
Sharing a trip with a teenager means seeing the world differently — through their curiosity, their fresh perspective, and sometimes their quirky sense of humour.
It’s also a great exercise in trust: you give them a little more space, and you realize they know exactly what to do with it.
Between laughter, discoveries, and quiet moments, these breaks become solid memories —the kind that bring families closer for years to come.
To download
Find our PDFGuide with:
✔️ Detailed checklists for each agegroup (0–2, 3–9, 10–17 years old)
✔️ Practical tips and useful tools
✔️ Cultural advice for traveling smoothly in France and beyond
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