- My twins are teenagers and they still love going on family vacations.
- We recently went to Saint-Martin and loved every minute of it.
- I hope they continue to love our family trips as they grow.
When I was pregnant with twinspeople said, “You won’t be able to travel anymore.” But I proved them all wrong.
My twins are now 19 and we have gone on family vacations every year since they were born. When my younger daughter arrived 16 years ago, we continued to travel.
Most people assume that once your the children are 18 years oldThey won’t want to travel with you anymore, but that hasn’t been the case with my kids. I hope it stays that way.
Our last summer adventure was in Saint Martin
This summer we visited the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin. The reason there are two similar names listed with different spellings is because it is actually a single island with two countries with open borders. The Dutch part is called Sint Maarten, while the French part is called Saint-Martin.
One of my child’s favorite aspects of our family vacation is that they had their own room. Every evening, they bonded over watching YouTube videos, from cat grooming to gamers playing Observation Duty.
Although I didn’t identify with their late-night entertainment choices, I loved hearing them recap the videos over breakfast each morning, laughing at the details. Even today, six months later, they still talk about the fun they had watching YouTube videos together.
One of our favorite activities during the trip was a night swim in the hotel swimming pool – something we have also done on other vacations. The pool, usually crowded during the day, was entirely ours at night. Swimming after sunset meant we didn’t have to worry about sunscreen or sunburn. My daughter was on the swim team, but we all love spending time in the pool. It is undoubtedly a memorable bonding experience and a treasured family tradition.
I try to include my teenagers in the planning process
When we travel, I’m usually the one who plans and researches everything. But I always offer options or ask for feedback from my teenagers and my husband.
An experience in Saint-Martin (Dutch side) that kept coming up in my internet searches was a zip line course. I was hesitant to mention it due to safety concerns and the high price, but when I did, my adventurous teenagers immediately wanted to go. They justified the cost by suggesting it might be an early start. Christmas present. Since it was difficult to know what to buy from them and it seemed like a unique experience, I gave in and let them go.
This turned out to be the highlight of the trip. My kids said it was one of the best experiences of our vacation.
I hope that by including them in planning our family vacation, they will remain interested in traveling with me.
We are already planning our next trip
My three teenagers loved Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and said it was the best family vacation and their favorite. travel destination. Whether it’s swimming under the stars, laughing at YouTube videos or braving a zip line, it’s the shared moments that matter most.
My daughter is planning to study abroad in Italy next year. We have already started looking at where we could stay when we visit him. I hope that even when they graduate from college, they will still want to travel with us.
Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll invite me over when they have their own family. Of course I’ll join the group provided they agree that I can have my own hotel room so I can watch weird YouTube videos too. A mother can dream.