We don’t want to trot out that tired cliché about how fast time flies, but it’s true – especially when it comes to families. Seize the moment this summer and travel with your teenager. Build the kind of bonds, the sort of memories, that really can last a lifetime.
First off, center the trip on something you have in common. Here’s a trio of ideas:
- Bike Yellowstone National Park. Rent a bike, or bring your own. Ditch the distractions and take in together of the beauty of this singular national treasure. You’re going to want to know the safety rules thoroughly before you head out. Roads can twist and turn, shoulders can be non-existent. The elevations of those roads range from 5,300 to 8,860 feet. The pay-offs, however, can be spectacular: majestic views, common triumphs, and the sort of mutual mind meld you just don’t get at your favorite theme park.
- Get lost in the rock ‘ roll and drift away together at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. One way this reporter’s family has grown closer over the years is a mutual love of The Beatles. Pull out the iPod, punch in some tunes and head for the Cleveland. Lose yourselves in the music. See John Lennon’s iconic Sgt. Pepper uniforms, Paul McCartney’s famous collarless jacket. Weep gently together at the site of George Harrison’s electric guitar. Rediscover the soundtracks of your lives together at the Rock Hall.
- Rev up your collective vroom, vroom genes at the National Museum of American History’s Transportation Hall. When families visit D.C. together, they typically try to cram as much living as they can into the trip. Bad idea. People get tired and cranky, especially teens. Focus on one or two things and do them right. Teenagers love cars. See a slew of them in this 26,000 square-foot enclave. It puts getting from there to there in historical context – from streetcars to automobiles.
The great intangible about traveling with teens is that you both learn something – not just about the places you see, but about each other.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: jeffgunn)
