Family Vacations for Teens and Parents

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The vacations my family has taken together have been some of the best, most memorable, times we've ever had. Vacations became even more important when my sons became teens and spent less and less time with us. While traveling, it was just the four of us, and for better or worse, it was like old times again. Some of our best conversations are bringing up highlights of past trips.

When our sons became teens, there were many more things we could do on vacation, but we also kept in mind that they liked fun. Therefore, if we were going on a sight seeing trip, we would plan stops at amusement parks or things they enjoyed to break up the trip.

One of our favorite vacations was visiting the Canadian Rockies. We all had a great time hiking and everything was breathtakingly beautiful. Most people fly in and out of Calgary for this trip. We flew into Calgary but home from Edmonton. Why? Because Edmonton has the largest mall in North America. The West Edmonton Mall contains the following attractions: Galaxyland, the world's largest indoor amusement park; World Waterpark; the world's largest indoor waterpark; a sea-life water habitat with sea lions; Ice Palace; mini-golf; movie theaters; bowling alley and many restaurant theme areas. My sons looked forward to this the entire trip.

When my kids were younger, we took them to Disney World every few years, since we were often in Florida visiting relatives. Once they became teens, we found that Universal Orlando was a better destination for us. In addition to Universal Studios, the second theme park at Universal Orlando is Islands of Adventure. This park is perfect for anyone that loves thrill rides. There are many types of roller coasters that my sons love. There are also great special effects and water rides. The park is so scenic that I never minding sitting out the scarier rides. One of Universal's on-site hotels is the Hard Rock.

If you are looking for some new travel ideas and want to try something different, I highly recommend the book Off the Beaten Path. A newly revised and updated edition just came out and it is a great travel guide. It not only offers suggestions on over 1,000 interesting places to visit, but Off the Beaten Path includes maps and magnificent pictures. Travel with your teens and create memories that will last a lifetime.

See also: 
Harry Potter and Simpsons Universal Park Pictures
Best Vacation with Teens - Universal Orlando Resort
4 Fun Nonfiction Books For Teens and Tweens 
5 Reasons National Parks are Perfect for Parent Teen Vacations