Holidays for teenagers
By Kate Leahy
Looking for teenage-friendly holiday ideas? Our editors have compiled a selection of great family holidays that all of you will enjoy.
Activity holidays for teenagers
Head to Wales for the ultimate activity holiday in the Brecon Beacons National Park and try out rock climbing, caving, gorge walking, canoeing, kayaking, high-level ropes, raft building, a climbing tower, land carting, archery, orienteering, clay shooting and abseiling.
Take the children on a self catering holiday to Lundy Island where they can enjoy rock climb or diving in the Marine Nature Reserve during the day and then hit the hay in a 13th century castle, a fisherman’s chalet, a lighthouse, a converted pigsty, a late Regency house or just a simple campsite.
Famed for the Red Sea, Egypt is the great place for holidays with teenagers: spend days snorkelling, enjoying watersports or on a desert safari. If you’re serious about discovering the underwater world, take a family diving holiday. It’s a great bonding experience and teenagers can become fully-qualified scuba divers.
Learn to sail with Devon Sailing along some of the most picturesque coastline in the UK. There is a chance to spot dolphins and whales and, if the kids do well, they could even become part of the crew.
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.
UK holidays for teenagers
Beautiful white sands and cobalt blue seas sounds more like the Caribbean but in fact they can be found on the Scilly Isles, just off the tip of Cornwall. Experience beaches, snorkelling, rock pools or see the island by boat.
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 yurts.
Camping has moved up a gear these days. Spend a weekend under cotton canvas in a traditional tipi tent in Cornwall and even get to row a boat on the lake. Great for teenagers wanting to camp in style.
Leave the books in the classroom and enjoy a far more fun lesson at Surf School in Cornwall. Learn to surf, paddleboard or kayak in an ocean canoe with a range of courses to suit all abilities.
Fresh air, a chance to make friends and learning something worthwhile is a great way to spend a weekend. National Trust working holidays are run up and down the UK and are an ideal way to keep even the most bored teenagers entertained.
Possibly every teens dream is to stay in an enchanted wild wood at least once which is lucky as Wildlife Holidays in Dartmoor offers just that. Expert courses range from wild wood foraging, bush craft and fire craft so youngsters will have some useful skills to tell their classmates back home.
Beach holidays for teenagers
Rent a cottage in Cornwall, known to be a UK surfing haven. Opt for a chocolate box thatch cottage, a waterfront apartment or an authentic fishermans’cottage to retire to after a day out on the board.
Book a luxury villa in sunny Corfu and where the children can enjoy nature walks, a private plunge pool and nearby beaches.
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.
Rent a stylish villa on any one of the Caribbean islands. Sleeping from 2 to 20, younger families can holiday together whilst there is enough to do for older teens to enjoy a first holiday away with friends.
Adventure holidays with teenagers
Pack the kids off for a once in a lifetime safari holiday to Kenya where they will come face to face with the big five, visit the Masai Mara and even stay in a tree top hotel. Combine with a beach trip to Mozambique, Zanzibar or the Seychelles.
Try something different with a trip to Ecuador and a cruise around the Galapagos Islands. See dramatic volcanic landscapes and islands, mountains and glacial lagoons. Something to make their friends truly turn green.
Set sights high with a trek up Kilimanjaro in Africa. Not only a great holiday opportunity to see something different but also a chance to come home with a great sense of achievement.
Holidays for sporty teens
An excellent way to experience the outdoors, horse-riding holidays in the UK and Europe offer tuition for all levels of riders and all ages of children so it is perfect for a group of friends to spend days pony trekking or riding on the beach.
With almost no time for the beach or boredom, the Greek Island of Kos is an activity hot spot. Days can be spent getting wet in the water on a dingy, windsurfing or back on dry land playing tennis or hopping on a mountain biking.
Introduce the children to an open water swimming break in the UK in either the Lake District, on the River Thames or on the Norfolk Broads where they can splash about with friends and not have to worry about the normal swimming pool rules.
For an eggs-in-one-basket weekend getaway, an activity break in the Cotswolds should be top of the list. With a water park close by, umpteen watersports and fishing trips available, youngsters can enjoy a little bit of everything.
Go skiing in France on a budget. Slope off to any of the major ski resorts across France for some piste action by day and the warm retreat of a chalet or family run hotel for apres.
Great for parent and teenager bonding, combine a love of sport with an escorted tour of Australia on The 3 mobile Ashes series. Taking in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, watch the game as well as seeing beaches, reefs, vineyards to rainforest.
Culture holidays
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.
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.
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.
If it’s good enough for James Bond then the GoldenEye Bungee jump in Switzerland is good enough for most James Bond wanabees. Adrenalin junkies will be in their element leaping into the air and, best of all, they can return home with bragging rights.
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.
Pack the kids off for a supernatural weekend in a haunted country house hotel, castle or manor house in the UK or Europe. Expect to see ghosts and ghouls as well and other paranormal activity but most of all just have fun.
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.