I’ll reveal my secret to tween/teen travel a little later but, in the meantime, let me say that, I hate groundhogs. Well, at least the one that said we were having an early spring. Seriously, just yesterday I was looking out my window and there was a blizzard out there! This March Break was colder than I can remember in a long while. I really cherish those warmer, sunnier few days that often surprise us during the kids’ week off as they help me to look forward to the summer fast approaching.
So, what does one do to avoid wallowing in the grey haze of Toronto’s winter? What to do in the cold with the whole gang? Well, why not wrangle up another family and hit the road! We did just that with Jen from Trend Watch and her gang.
There are lots of options for skiing in Ontario but at this time of year they can be expensive and the hills are packed. So, we decided to branch out a bit, hit the road and drive to a place we had never been. I was surprised to see that just over 3 hours from Toronto in upstate New York is a hill twice the size of our largest hill with great terrain for all levels at Bristol Mountain. After some last minute back-and-forthing we found a rental home on VRBO for our group of 9, booked in for two nights and headed down for some fun on the slopes. The trip was a blast for everyone! (Read the review of Bristol Mountain here.)
GIGANTIC ice cream sundaes after a full day skiing.
The key to the success of traveling with tweens and teens has become clearer and clearer to me as my children get older. Want everyone to have fun? Bring friends. Despite the 4 year age gap and the difference in gender my children get along quite well but I find that they can get bored of each other pretty quickly and that can cramp my vacation style. Sometimes this is a non-issue, if there is a lot to do or a kids club or even just other families around they make friends on their own. However, in the last few years we have gone on a few road trips with other families and it has made all the difference – the kids have buddies to keep them occupied and the parents have fun hanging out too!
This summer we have a week-long getaway planned to the beautiful Bald Head Island, NC and we are thrilled to have Jen’s family join us again here as well. We will be staying in a fabulous home that sleeps up to 14 people through Wendy Wilmot Properties. (Check out the feature of Bald Head in our Best Beaches article.) We know from our recent ski trip that the kids have a blast together (we barely saw the boys on the hill!) which means more time for the adults to relax and take advantage of the time off. Plus, for a home like this you have enough space for 2 or 3 families which means dividing the cost and making it much more affordable!
We will all be there soon, Bald Head Island!
I am a big believer in making travel fun for everyone and sometimes another family is just what you need. There are, however, a few things to consider before taking on a trip like this:
- Make sure there is plenty of space and insure that everyone can find a spot for some private time if needed.
- Do a “test run” with the family ahead of time to make sure you are compatible. We are a pretty relaxed group so a family with a really regimented routine would not work for us. If you can’t, select someone you know very well and make sure you have similar parenting philosophies.
- Wait until your kids are older. We rented a cottage with a few families when our son was 2. It was terrible. He was too young and his lack of sleep and fussy mood impacted everyone.
- Decide in advance how costs, cooking, etc will be divided.
- Layout any non-negotiables before you commit. If you don’t want your children out unsupervised and your friend is keen to give her’s some independence this could cause some stress and that is the last thing you need on your vacation.
- Relax, enjoy each other’s company and have fun!
Have you ever done a multi-family vacation? What is your advice?