Best holidays for teenagers

By William and Sally Gray, Editors of 101 Family Holidays

Looking for the best holidays for teenagers? We have compiled a selection of great family holidays that all of you will enjoy.

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Holidays for sporty teens

A Mediterranean beach club is a great place for teenagers to do their own thing without getting into trouble. Mark Warner’s all-inclusive Sea Garden Beach Resort in Turkey is just the job, the sailing, windsurfing and tennis on tap.

Sailing is a great skill to teach teenagers, and provides a holiday you can enjoy together for years to come. If you’re beginners head to Club Vounaki in Greece which has a new sailing school. Once you’ve learned the ropes, you can enjoy the freedom of flotilla sailing with Sunsail.

Powder Byrne has introduced Sports Academies for teenagers at resorts in Sardinia, Elba, Sintra and Crete – with luxury accommodation, great facilities and pro training in tennis, football, sailing surfing, scuba-diving and wake-boarding.

You can get your hair wet without going to the Med. The Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel is set in lovely grounds on the shores of a lake and offers kayaking, wake-boarding, windsurfing, water-skiing plus fishing and horse-riding.

PGL runs summer camps in the UK for kids up to the age of 17. It’s a great way for teenagers to develop their independence and make new friends. The company also good-value runs activity holidays for families in Britain and France. Details here.

We also recommend Camp Beaumont which has a dedicated holiday camp for kids aged 15 – 17. It is The House! on the north Norfolk coast and gets rave reviews from teenagers. The company has runs a ski camp in France. Details here.

La Manga Club on the coast of Spain is a great resort for sporty kids. It boasts a world-class 28-court tennis centre, plus three championship golf courses and coaching in cricket and football and dance.

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UK holidays for teenagers

Mile upon mile of beaches with watersports and cycle paths make any holiday on the Isle of Wight perfect for teenagers of all ages. Stay in a hotels, B&Bs, luxurious self-catering barn, camp site or be adventurous and hire a Mongolian-style yurt.

A holiday cottage can be an ideal solution for families with teenagers, giving your kids just the right amount of freedom and independence without breaking the bank. Try these cottages in Devon and Cornwall.

Rent a cottage in the Lake District and you’ll find lots of outdoor activities to keep teens away from their X-boxes. They can conquer challenging peaks, explore slate mines, go mountain biking in Grizedale Forest, and try kayaking and waterskiing on one of the many lakes. For a good value holiday, we recommend Sykes Cottages.

If you want to travel with a large group – perhaps two or three families with teenage children – it makes sense to rent a large house where parents and kids have sufficient space to do their own thing. You’ll find a great selection of properties at The Big Domain – also see their latest special offers.

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Activity holidays for families with teenagers

For an action-packed family holiday, we recommend Activities Abroad which has a range of group trips including surfing and orienteering in Portugal, white-water rafting in Slovenia, canyoning in The Ardeche in France and whale-watching in Iceland. Trips for older teens include tubing in Turkey and diving in Gozo.

Egypt is the great place for holidays with teenagers: spend days snorkelling, enjoying watersports or on a desert safari. Or join a family tour in Egypt for ages up to 17 with On The Go Tours. Check out the special offers.

Club Med has a great selection of all-inclusive holidays whether you want beach or winter sports. Its Juniors’ Club Med for teenagers offers a dazzling array of sports and activities. View the latest special offers.

Turn your teen into a cowboy on a dude ranch holiday in North America where they can enjoy any number of activities including horse riding, white water rafting and even camping out in the wilderness. Details from W&O Travel.

For budget family holidays in France and Spain, it’s hard to beat a self-catering apartment at a holiday village. Complete with aqua parks and slides, golf courses and tennis courts, these are great for young teenagers who can roam free within a safe environment. Check out Belle Dune in Normandy which is just an hour’s drive from Calais.

The French Alps are not just about winter slopes. In the summer, this is a great destination for an activity holiday with glacier skiing, mountain biking, white-water rafting and hiking. We recommend Esprit Sun.

If you’re a single parent with teens, try this great collection of ideas from Single With Kids.

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Beach holidays for teenagers

Rent a cottage in Cornwall, the epicentre of the UK’s surf scene. Opt for a chocolate box thatch cottage, a waterfront apartment or an authentic fishermen’s cottage to retire to after a day out on the board. Details from Classic Cottages.

Book a luxury villa in sunny Corfu and where the children can enjoy nature walks, a private plunge pool and nearby beaches.

Holland is a great summer destination for teenage holidays. Camping Duinrell is easy to reach by car ferry, just 30 miles from the Hook of Holland, and is next door to a water park. It offers indoor and outdoor swimming pools, rowing, scuba diving, pedalos, crazy golf, volleyball and a climbing wall. Find more camping holidays in France, Italy and Spain.

Spain’s Costas are well known to Brits but the coastline of Northern Spain is more a secret. It has stunning beaches, but also lots of activities to keep teens busy, from mountain biking to rafting. It’s less expensive than the south, has wonderful food and you can fly or take an overnight ferry. Book with Casas Cantabricas which has a great range of accommodation including self-catering cottages and traditional small hotels.

Italy has some great rental properties – villas, farmhouses and cottages – that provide the independence that teenagers crave along with lots of improving culture, fun activities and great food. See the latest special offers.

The Caribbean island of Tobago has the perfect mix of beaches and activities and is perfect for teenagers on family holidays. Snorkel and dive amongst shipwrecks, tropical fish, rays, turtles and sharks.

In Antigua the all-inclusive Verandah Resort & Spa is big enough to give teens some limited freedom while offering kayaking, windsurfing and sailing – with free instruction – all in the price.

On the gorgeous west coast of Barbados, Cobblers Cove is a small elegant hotel that has great family deals over the summer holidays.

At Round Hill in Jamaica, you can stay in your own villa with private pool but with all the hotel services on your doorstep – it’s stylish, chilled and teenagers will love the sense of freedom within the resort while you can relax back at base.

Rent a stylish villa with CV Travel on any one of the Caribbean islands. Sleeping from 2 to 20, this is a great holiday for a family or friends and a gentle introduction to freedom abroad for teens.

Oman in the Arabian Gulf is a fabulous choice for winter sun. It’s a fascinating country steeped in history with authentic villages, forts, deserts and wild beaches. Treat yourselves to a stay at Six Senses Zighy Bay.

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Teenage adventure holidays

The world’s most exciting biology lessons awaits in the Galapagos Islands. Enjoy close-up encounters with seals, turtles, iguanas, giant tortoises and exotic birdlife. Journey Latin America has a great range of options including a Land and Sea holiday that combines time aboard a small boat and a few days in a hotel.

For the ultimate sailing adventure, we love the look of Tiger Blue, a 34-metre yacht that sails amongst the pristine islands of Indonesia. Your crew can arrange anything from reef diving and snorkelling to picnics on deserted beaches, encounters with Komodo dragons, a volcano hike or a visit to join a traditional village ceremony. It’s out of this world!

We love this selection of teen adventure holidays which give your kids plenty of independence, fun and excitement within a secure environment. Book with The Adventure Company where options include this 8-day Active Cappadoccia trip in Turkey with mountain biking, horse riding and three days trekking in the Taurus Mountains.

Powder Byrne has a collection of Air & Space family adventure holidays that include this trip to Oman that features a desert safari camp, learning to drive a 4×4 in the desert, wild swimming, snorkelling and stargazing at night by the campfire. Or how about this one to the Canadian Rockies that includes a seaplane to Vancouver Island, a sleeper train to Jasper National Park, horse riding in Banff and a helicopter flight over the Columbian Icefield.

We also recommend Families Worldwide which has a wonderful selection of small-group tours and tailor-made holidays in destinations such as Egypt, Thailand, Morocco and Sri Lanka. Check out the special offers.

Not exciting enough? How about trekking the Inca Trail in Peru or exploring the Okavango Delta in Botswana in dug out canoes!

If your teens love walking, how about taking a trekking holiday in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco or take on the challenge of an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa?

You could treat your teenagers to this 12-day wildlife and beach family safari in Kenya where they will come face to face with the Big Five, visit the Masai Mara and even stay in a tree top hotel. Or visit Tanzania for a safari and beach holiday – venturing out on game drives at the tented Selous Impala Camp then relaxing at The Tides, a charming beachfront hotel.

Zambia is one of the world’s greatest safari destinations. Stay in a luxury lodge in South Luangwa National Park where you can experience the thrill of walking safaris in the bush, then head south to Victoria Falls where you can have a go at white water rafting. Details here.

For a safari with a difference, go on horseback. A family riding safari in Kenya or Botswana is a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience, whether you are experienced riders or first-timers. Details here.

Teenagers love America. If you value your freedom and don’t mind living in close quarters, you can rent a motor home and go where you please. We also recommend this self-drive holiday in Ontario and Québec.

South Africa is an excellent destination for a self-drive holiday. Start at Cape Town, head along the Garden Route, see whales, African Penguins and Cape Fur Seals, stay at the charming Grootbos Nature Reserve then polish it off with wildlife safari.

South America is an exciting destination for teens, a world of sights, sounds and new experiences. Top of the pile are Brazil and Peru. Book your ideal trip with Dehouche, an expert British operator based in Brazil.

Iceland where you’ll find a spectacular landscape of mountains, glaciers, volcanoes and geysers. Probably the world’s most exciting geography lesson and if you go in winter you have a chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

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Culture holidays

Russia is a fascinating destination for teenagers, many of whom will have studied Russian history or the Cold War at school. Head to the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg where the many highlights include the Cosmonaut museum, a visit to a Cold War bunker and a backstage tour of the Mariinsky Theatre.

Vietnam is a fascinating country where ancient and recent history can be found at every turn. The cities of Saigon and Hanoi ripple with excitement plus there are beaches, temples and the tunnels at Cu Chi and the turtle and primate conservation centres at Cuc Phuong.

Archaeology holidays may sound dull but they are a great way to learn about history with the help of a guide. With sites of interest all over the world, chose from anywhere from Albania to Iceland. Details from Andante Travels.

For a trip to tell their school friends all about, take the kids on a tour of Jordan to float in the Dead Sea, explore Lawrence of Arabia’s Wadi Rum and visit the rock-carved city of Petra.

Culturally, Cairo is a winner. With Pyramids, camel rides, museums and markets to educate the younger ones, parents can enjoy the quiet and sanctity at one of the cities many luxurious 5 star hotels.

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Something different

Las Vegas is a great place for families with teens. Themed resorts, great weather all year round, helicopters to the Grand Canyon and jeep rides across the desert are just some of the things to do.

Rent a Chateau in France – great solution if you can gang up with another couple of families, as the kids will have lots of freedom while remaining without the grounds of the house. We particularly like Chateau de Tille in the Loire. It sleeps up to 16 and has a swimming pool, tennis court and separate coach house.

Take a family volunteering holiday which gives you the best of both worlds: the chance to do some useful work such as feeding and building shelters for animals before they are returned to the wild, along with relaxing time on the beach. Check out this amazing trip to Costa Rica. More ideas from Hands Up Holidays.

Set sail on a tall ship sailing adventure around the Caribbean, Central America or the Mediterranean where you can help haul in the sails, snorkel in warm seas or simply lounge in a hammock on deck and practise shouting ahoy. This is a truly unforgettable teen holiday.

Tailor made trips to Australia mean you can really make the most of the vast continent and enjoy the things that interest you the most. See mountain ranges, wildlife and stunning vistas that pepper the Southern Hemisphere.

Although maybe not the first choice for a trip with teenagers in tow, Rio de Janeiro’s heady mix of gorgeous beaches, breathtaking landscapes and captivating culture is a perfect way to show a different side to the world.

On the Cayman Islands, the beaches are superb, the diving is world class and there are lots of amazing things to see such as Stingray City. It’s also a safe destination and great for families.

>> Find more ideas at 101 Family Holidays

Teenage diplomacy: Advice from a dad

By Mark Hodson, Editor of 101 Holidays (and father of a 16-year-old boy)

We’ve all been teenagers but until you’ve been a parent of a teenager on holiday you might not understand the tension that can be created by inflexible attitudes on both sides. Here are my tips:

1. Give them space. Teenagers need their own rooms where they won’t be nagged about making their beds, drawing their curtains, etc. I think self-catering holidays work well in this respect.

2. Don’t plan too many early mornings. Most teenagers have been working hard at school, getting up at what seems to them like a stupid time of the morning. On holiday they deserve a lie-in. If you do plan a family day out that requires an early morning, discuss it with them beforehand.

3. Accept that they won’t want to do the same as you. Some days they may prefer to stay in bed all day. That’s fine. Enjoy the time without them, as they will enjoy the time without you.

4. Many teenagers prefer not to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular times. They will starve themselves for hours then pile into the fridge. Another reason to opt for self-catering accommodation (with a well-stocked fridge).

5. Get them involved. Ask them to join you on a food shop so they can help plan the catering, and invite them to cook dinner one evening. Let them plan a day out, researching the route and things to do online.

6. Talking of online, you might feel that a fortnight without the internet is a treat. A teenager will regard it as torture. Make sure there is wifi at the villa / hotel / campsite. Perhaps make some ground rules on its use (eg daily Facebooking is fine, but five hours on a multi-player online games site is not).

7. Depending on the age and attitude of your child, you might want to allow them to drink alcohol at meals. In moderation, of course. This is a much better result than them bingeing in secret. Ask the French – they give their kids wine from an early, and that appears to lead to a healthy attitude to alcohol.

8. Have fun. That’s what you’re there for.

Try our family holiday quiz

If you’re still not sure where to take the kids on holiday, why not try our family holiday quiz. Answer 10 fun questions like the one below and we’ll tell you what kind of travellers you are, and give you a list of personalised recommendations. Try the quiz now.