MAKING THE MOST OF THE TEENAGE YEARS
For Michael and Anna Singer, and their 17- and 14-year-olds, travel offers a way for them to connect—especially while juggling four different schedules.
“[Travel] instills a sense of adventure and gives our family a singular purpose, both of which are absent in our hectic work and school lives,” explains Michael. “With teenagers and my wife and I working, there is little time to communicate, let alone connect. Mobile devices in everyone’s hands all the time exacerbates the situation. Traveling creates a common focus for us so that we can leave behind all distractions. Better yet, it allows us to revert back to when the kids were younger and we had more frequent family outings.”
And with their eldest headed off to college soon, the Singers say it will be even more challenging to carve out time to travel together. “When we look back and talk about past times together, it always is about our family trips and rarely about the minutia or other events,” says Anna.
Over the holidays, the family went to St. Lucia for an incredible stay at the Viceroy Sugar Beach Resort, arranged by Stacy Weigant, co-owner of S & L Journeys, Inc., a First in Service affiliate.
The family enjoyed breakfast together on the patio, with gorgeous views of the mountains and ocean—and says the resort did a great job maintaining Covid-19 safety protocols. Then, they’d head out to enjoy a number of planned activities, from driving ATVs and going to the local mud baths to spending time on a catamaran and scuba diving.
“Our days were full of day trip adventures, after which, we would enjoy dinner together talking all about it—and then play board games back in our villa. That is a perfect memory,” says Michael. “Said another way, although the scuba diving was intense, it paled in comparison to the game of Trivial Pursuit that night.”
As you plan your next family trip, your advisor can suggest specific kid- or teen-friendly options, which can range from resorts with kids’ clubs to ranches with lots to do outdoors. For some ideas, here are a few resorts that offer lots in the way of family fun:more family fun, try thes kid and teenager-friendly resorts:
Brush Creek Ranch, in Saratoga, WY, for active families who want to try ice fishing, snowmobiling, archery, mountain biking, and so many more outdoor adventures
Auberge Esperanza, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for activities for kids (like ice cream lab and mermaid parties) and teens (like SUP lessons and ‘Soccer Saturdays’).
Rosewood Little Dix Bay, in Virgin Gorda, BVI, for the kid-focused ‘Rosewood Explorers’ program—and lots of parent-friendly amenities like baby monitors and baby proofing.
