“Honey, when you take the kids, it’s not a real vacation, it’s just a change of venue.”
Aunt Ruby’s wise observation about traveling with teens forced me to rethink family trips, because she was dead right. An idyllic location does not reliably deliver relaxation or a warm sense of togetherness — particularly when the kids are teenagers.
However, traveling from above ground to undersea is a recipe for a successful vacation with teens. It’s not like I have it figured out – nothing is farther from the truth – but I will share my strategies… and the results.
Traveling With Special Teens: My High School Students
Your teenagers are probably very well behaved. Ours do not graciously put aside their rivalries and petty irritations in an effort to ensure that everyone has a good time.
Despite all our teen travel planning, these three high school students feel it is their mission to recognize and dissect the faults in our carefully laid travel plans.
Too many times, we brought three critics (and their danged phones) along on a change of venue, only to return home exhausted.
Family travel with teenagers meant dashed expectations of quality time together.
Top Travel Activities For Teenagers
Then, searching for connection and relaxation, we discovered that scuba diving reliably delivers a true vacation. Being underwater is not just a change of venue -– it’s a whole new universe.
Diving is one of the best travel activities for ages 12 and older. It demands responsibility, collaboration, engagement and — Hallelujah! — shared and unplugged adventures. It’s the ideal family vacation with teenagers.
What Aunt Ruby Did Not Teach Me About Traveling With Teens
As wise as she was, Aunt Ruby could not teach me everything about travel with teens. (Plus, she didn’t like them in general.) A few things I learned from experience.
1. The best travel experiences remove parents from the tour guide role.
All hail the guide who makes traveling with teens cool. It’s a great equalizer for the family to all be followers, adapting to the same set of instructions in an unfamiliar place.
2. Professional guides and instructors – especially members of the diving community — work well with teenagers.
Professional guides are passionate people who feel strongly about safety protocols and sharing their knowledge. They are adventuresome, friendly and take zero guff.
We have been diving for five years, and have worked with dozens of guides. Their level of know-how and steadfast calm has been consistently impressive.
3. You can connect with teens by learning a new sport.
Diving became our family sport to alleviate teen boredom. As my mother always says, only boring people get bored — and I’m more than happy to leave the kids on shore with a roll of tape instead of putting up with, “I’m bored” on vacation. Or, really, ever.
That initial dive was a remarkable opportunity to buddy up with my 15-year-old daughter and have her run through detailed safety checks on our equipment. It’s bonding, serious work to learn to breathe safely underwater.
All of us had to take the same online class, the same practical tests, and then go through the same training and practice dives. The kids step up or don’t dive, and the instructors are so keen to evangelize diving that they jolly everyone through the process.
Scuba Diving Reveals A Whole New World
Diving is always astounding. Our son likened scuba diving to visiting outer space: the weightlessness, the beautiful and curious topography and how profoundly self-contained you become underwater.
To even the most incurious and jaded teen, the vast array of sea life begging to be better known is inescapably interesting, prompting all kinds of great conversations. No more teen travel boredom; our kids can’t help but recap the dive and compare observations.
The world’s oceans boast endlessly captivating and vibrant ecosystems. We know this intellectually, but being underwater establishes a profound personal connection.
Once you swim among schools of fish and carefully avoid brushing against fragile corals, the demand to protect our oceans becomes tangible. It’s on all of us to ensure that the next generation feels strongly about ocean ecology. If the side benefit of making a case for marine protection is a number of great conversations with your teenager — score it as a win-win.
Diving And Underwater Exploration Promote Team Work
For those new to the sport, diving works on a buddy system for safety. As part of the training, divers learn simple hand signals to indicate issues with equipment and identify sea life. The buddy pairings usually change day to day, depending on what people want to see and the dive conditions.
There is no bickering underwater; everyone has the same view, room to move, and time to absorb their surroundings. It’s a constructive exercise for a family to work together as a group amid a vast ocean.
Diving, like many sports, demands that each person behaves as a part of a collaborative team.
Real World Education Is A Travel With Teens Bonus
Becoming PADI-certified scuba divers was an unexpected learning experience for my husband and I. Neither of us had taken an online class with real tests in years, and we dutifully knocked off sections and reviewed for quizzes well before the trip.
Our teenagers procrastinated until the last minute, literally working through test chapters on the plane. We thought that the law of natural consequence would apply, for there was nothing we could do if they didn’t complete the course work and pass the tests in time.
Maybe it would be a great lesson for someone to have to sit on the dive boat while the rest of us shared an adventure below?
Never Underestimate Your Teen Travelers
We flat out underestimated our kids. They banged through the material and testing with ease, mastering dive computers and the dive vests attached to intricate hose connections. It was a pleasure to see them emerge as fully capable individuals embracing new tasks.
The truth is, they brought us up to speed. They set up and translated our dive computers, helped fit the masks, vests and fins and made sure we were ready to jump in.
These kids, who attend an endless number of activities, can run with a set of fresh instructions far better than their routine-bound parents. They’re adaptive and capable – it was a wonder to witness, and darned helpful.
How We Make Our Family Travels With Teens Successful
Here are some more hard-earned tips for making your family dive vacation a success.
4. Location, Location, Location
For a family it is probably best to learn to scuba dive in warm water, in a location with a number of PADI dive shops and a range of nearby accommodations. The Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, Bonaire, Aruba, Fiji, Florida, and Cozumel all fit the bill.
5. Pick a great dive operation from the PADI site.
There are varied levels of service. The budget way is putting together and hauling your own gear. Or, be pampered by merely bringing a sunhat on the boat with you because the gear is already sized and loaded for you (known as ‘valet’ diving).
6. Interview the dive shop before making a selection.
PADI dive shops are rated one to five stars, and all respond well to inquiries. Ask questions ahead of time and get to know what a dive day looks like, what the staff consider to be highlight dives. You may want to know how big the dive boat is, how far out the dive sites are, and how often they refresh their diving equipment
7. Consider the local weather during your travel period.
Research the local weather. Yes, you can dive in the rain, but there is less light filtering down. That diminishes the colors and how far you can see.
Wind can be a real challenge. It’s harder to see divers as they come up and more difficult to maneuver the boats. Rough weather also stirs up the water and makes it cloudy.
8. Plan For Comfort And Set Everyone Up For Success
Food. Warmth. Sleep. All the things that matter to your teen’s general sociability take on increased importance when diving.
Bring protein bars and reef-safe sunscreen to prevent a serious burn on the boat. Bring dry, cozy layers, for even in the tropics it can take a while to warm up after a long dive.
Choosing The Best Family Dive Resort For Teens
Diving locations are naturally teen friendly. Whether the group is diving from shore or a boat, the likelihood is that you’re at a resort on the water.
Book accommodations that are protective of everyone getting great sleep, because the boat typically leaves early and a grouchy, tired teen is always a challenge.
Most offer a variety of activities and a pool — many offer spa services and other water adventures teens love.
Think about what your family will want to do in the afternoons, as most dive operations have you back on land, tired, wet and hungry by 1pm. My crew wants warm showers, a good lunch and time by the pool, but there is usually plenty of time for an afternoon activity.
Teens And Screen Time: About Phones And Diving
Few dive boats offer connectivity. For the most part, cellphones have no reception and the boats are not friendly places for fragile technology. They’re slippery, wet and full of moving equipment.
It may not be ideal, but five hours of phone-free time together is a decent window to remind everyone that life exists away from a screen. If you like, get a GoPro camera and record the dives, so that phones can be left on shore and the photos can be shared afterward.
My Most Important Teen Travel Tip – Is This Sport For You?
Parents are charged with serious thought around maturity when it comes to scuba diving.
You know your teens better than anyone: will they follow the rules when it matters? Most people understand and lean in to the responsibilities of diving, but we all know kids who wander off or don’t fully recognize danger.
To protect their safety and your sanity, make sure they are mentally ready to dive.
Divers must be at least 12 to undertake the process of becoming scuba certified. Many resorts now offer “resort courses” taught in the swimming pool. It’s a great, friendly way to start the process — but all certification starts in the pool for a couple of practice dives and must include two or three (also practice) dives in open water. There’s no halfway about it. You do it or you don’t, and you can’t sign up for a half course.
Additionally, for those families with a variety of children, there is the option to snorkel — but one adult usually has to stay with the kid(s).
Of course, one on one time between parent and teen is its own reward.
Ashley Spencer writes about travel and food for the joy of messing with words and tracking down good meals. Thirty years of work travel in high tech, automobile manufacturing, US & UK media, and professional sports honed an easy comfort with navigating far flung locations — but really, she prefers traveling by train while reading restaurant reviews and looking forward to lunch (in a window seat, facing forward, please). Ashley lives in Santa Cruz, California, with her husband, three near-adult children and hundreds of cookbooks.
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