How Can I Inspire My Teen to Love Traveling?

Unpacked is Dinogo’s advice column, featuring quarterly insights from Dr. Anu Taranath. A Seattle-based speaker, facilitator, and educator, Taranath focuses on racial equity and social transformation. She authored Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World (Between the Lines, 2019). If you have a query you’d like to explore, send it to unpacked@Dinogo.com.

After an incredible trip to Spain with my teen, I found myself reflecting on the travel habits I’m demonstrating (both positive and negative). My goal is to nurture a passion for travel while ensuring he approaches it with intention, respect, and resilience. What suggestions do you have for our upcoming adventures?

Family trips can bring immense joy and excitement, yet keeping a trip enjoyable can be more challenging than it seems. Will your teen appreciate it? Will family dynamics remain harmonious? How can you concentrate on the wonderful experiences ahead while avoiding unhelpful interactions that could dampen everyone’s mood? To foster a love for travel in your teen, let’s explore some key aspects.

Embrace the beauty of change

Travel's purpose is to transport us away from the familiar, which inherently involves change. This can be challenging for many, especially adolescents dealing with significant hormonal and social transitions. Be gentle; the discomfort of being away from home, friends, and routine may overshadow the thrill of travel.

Engage your teen in a conversation about the changes that travel brings. Share your own feelings about how shifting routines make you uneasy to encourage them to open up. Let them know you’re also learning to adapt. Teens often view their parents as cringe-worthy while trying to assert their independence, but even if they don’t express it in detail, they are usually listening closely to us.

Empower your teen to express themselves and have a say

Reflect on your travel planning, itinerary, and activities. Does your teen feel involved in the decision-making while traveling? Is it primarily your trip, or do they have a voice in where you go and what you experience? While you shouldn’t indulge every whim just to gain their approval, they shouldn’t feel like mere passengers in your spontaneous plans.

I've found that my best experiences come from treating my teens as equal participants and co-planners. This can manifest in various small or large gestures. For instance, during a recent trip to Vancouver, we detoured to a charming boba café for my older teen, even though no one else in the family drinks bubble tea. On another trip to India, we dedicated a day to exploring a forest, knowing my younger teen would love the wildlife. Although I might not have chosen these activities on my own, both teens appreciated being involved in the planning process and having a stake in our adventures.

Asking your teen, "What is one small and big thing you'd like to do on our trip?" and "How can we plan this trip to reflect your interests?" can serve as impactful starting points for co-creating your family's adventure. By encouraging our teens to engage, we must genuinely consider their ideas, recognizing that their involvement will enrich the experience for everyone, rather than merely viewing it as a favor to them.

Expand your perspective beyond travel.

Let's reflect on your relationship with your teen beyond the travel context. What positive experiences do you both enjoy and want to nurture daily? How do you communicate, make decisions, follow through on plans, and listen to one another?

The dynamics of our family relationships can greatly influence our mood, energy, and behavior, whether at home or traveling. While our journeys introduce us to new sights and sounds, the family dynamics often accompany us throughout.

Share the reasons behind your travels.

To inspire your teen's love for travel, share why it holds significance for you. Talk about what ignites your passion and the cherished memories you have. Avoid overly sentimental phrases like, "Travel broadens my perspective," and instead, be specific, open, and authentic. For instance, "Strolling through that open-air market in Guatemala made me reflect on the upscale grocery stores we frequent. Travel sometimes challenges my comfort with what I have access to, but it's a positive discomfort."

Is it crucial for you that your teen shares your exact feelings about travel? Or are you willing to let them lead and help them find what resonates with them? We can't impose our views on travel, but if we embrace our teen's perspective, stay curious, and explore together, the possibilities widen. This journey begins at home, long before any flight. Look for opportunities to connect and share experiences in daily life, allowing those moments to blossom into broader explorations of the world.