Greetings Travelers, and welcome to my Journeys Beyond the Ordinary blog.  I'm taking a week off from my story telling to offer some travel tips for families with teens -- "5 Great Getaways With Teens (That Won't Bore You to Death)".  Ever taken a cruise with a teen, and all he does is hang out in the ship's game room?  Or visit a city with so much to see... if only your teen would take her eyes off her iPhone?

Traveling with your children is a great way to bond as a family.  It provides opportunities to educate, to broaden horizons, it offers  them experiences with other cultures, other peoples and other languages that will serve them all their lives.  But as your children get older, it gets harder and harder to find a destination or an activity that all of you can agree on.  Well there's a cure for that, and I've got it for you, below, in this "5 Great Getaways With Teens" issue.

Take a look!  And let me know your ideas for a great getaway with teens. 


5 Great Getaways With Teens (That Won't Bore You to Death!)

They're too young for that whisky tour of Scotland you've dreamed of... you've done Disney till you're dizzy... and if you think for one minute that they're gonna hang out on the beach with you...?!?!  Well believe it or not, there are vacations that will keep your teens entertained, while providing you an opportunity for relaxation and self-indulgence.  Here are my top five picks!

Rome & Pompeii 
We all know how teens love dead stuff. (Not to mention the un-dead -- "Twilight" anyone?)  So if yours are of a ghoulish mind, Italy has a lot to offer.  Foremost is Pompeii, just two hours south of Rome, an entire "city of the dead", wiped off the map by an angry Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.  Many of the bodies have been left in situ -- right where they fell, while others have been excavated and preserved in the city's marvelous museum.  Then head back to Rome for a visit to the truly creepy Catacombs beneath the Vatican. This one may be a bit much for some teens (and some adults as well!), but you can calm your nerves after with a shopping spree in one of the most fashionable cities in the world, followed by a dinner that will knock you dead!

Costa Rica 
It's hard to hit the buttons on an iPhone when you're whizzing along a zipline a hundred feet above the Costa Rican jungle.  And if that doesn't take your breath away, there's always bungee jumping, kayaking, wind surfing, rafting... the opportunities for activity are mind-and-body numbing!  Plus, the abundance of the Costa Rican wildlife and its varied landscape, from rain forests to volcanos, is enough to keep even your most
jaded junior wanting more.

The Dude Ranch Experience
Sleeping under the stars, roping horses, hiking the Rockies... Yeah, let the kids do that, while you indulge yourself in a day of fly fishing or a round of golf, followed by a massage and a gourmet dinner at the lodge.  No longer just for cowboy wannabees, dude ranches today offer a breadth of accommodations, from sleeping bags around a campfire, to rustic but comfortable, to the epitome of luxury.  And the "ranches" can be found from Carolina to California, so no matter where you live, there's likely a saddle to fit your seat somewhere nearby!



New York City
New York City?!?! you're asking... Yep, that's right, I'm crazy.  The most exciting city in the world, with America's best science and art museums, theater, ballet, music... every shopping experience you might imagine, from a personal shopper at Saks to haggling over prices at a sidewalk bodega in Chinatown.  Who would ever want to vacation there?!  Look, New York City isn't for everybody.  But none of the places I've offered are.  For the sheer variety of experiences, from shopping to eating to learning, there is simply no other city in the world like it.  For the perpetually bored, many of the city's hotels offer "Teen Concierge Service" -- by teens themselves! -- to help recommend things to do and places to see, to provide special menus, even arrange massages and facials.

Atlantis, The Reef & The Cove
Ok, last one, and this is the only time I'll refer to
an actual resort or company... but let's say that for you, a vacation just isn't a vacation unless you get to lie on the beach and bake. Then this is your place.  Thanks to what is, to be honest, a lousy advertising campaign, most people think of Atlantis as just a big water park. There is that for the kids, and it will keep them occupied and active, for a weekend or a week.  But just a few steps away, hushed by the buildings and the lush landscape surrounding you, are two of the most relaxing, indulgent, luxurious resorts you'll find anywhere.  Banish the kids to the water attractions that form the center of the complex while you lap up the quiet luxury.  They'll be safe and secure without you, while you indulge yourselves at the spa, then dine at any one of the resort's fine restaurants.  In the evening you can trust them to the teen "disco", where chaperones keep a sharp eye out for anyone sneaking in alcohol or drugs.  And the next day, you can all swim with dolphins!  For adults traveling with teens, Atlantis, The Reef and The Cove is a "win-win-win"!

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So there you go!  Five places you can travel with teens and ensure everybody has fun.  Hey look, you only have 18 summers with them, then they're off to school and on to their own lives.  Use your time wisely!  Until next week...