Park City First Class vs Europe (Avoriaz, Megève, Zermatt). Worth it or will the teens just care about Wi-Fi and space?

[Anonymous]

I’m planning a family Christmas ski trip and leaning heavily toward Park City. At first, I thought Europe would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with places like Avoriaz, Megève, or Zermatt. But when I actually talked to my kids, I started wondering if it’s really worth it right now.

Family setup: Two teens, 14 and 17. They are all about modern, comfortable spaces with ample room. Everyone needs their own room. We like newer interiors, hot tubs, and good amenities. When I asked them what they thought about skiing in Europe, their first response was "Will the Wi-Fi and internet even be good?"

Park City
First class flights from DC: about $900 per person
Lodging: ski-in ski-out near Silver Star or Town Lift, $10K to $20K for a large, modern home or condo
Lift tickets: Epic Pass options with military discount, about $2K to $3K total
Transfer: 45 minutes from SLC, $200 to $600
Total trip: $18K to $26K

Avoriaz
Business class flights to Geneva: about $3K per person
Lodging: ski-in ski-out places like L’Amara, but fewer modern large-unit options, $5K to $8K
Lift tickets: Portes du Soleil passes, about $1.6K to $2K
Transfer: shuttle plus snowcat, $600 to $1K
Total trip: $19K to $22K

Megève and Zermatt
Harder to find large, modern ski-in ski-out options
Transfers take longer and are less straightforward
Lodging can be pricier and more traditional

Here’s the dilemma: Europe has incredible scenery, culture, and huge ski areas. But for my kids, it may not matter. They want modern comfort, their own space, a hot tub, strong Wi-Fi, and food they like. If that’s what makes the trip fun for them, is there any point in dragging everyone across the Atlantic right now?

Would love to hear from anyone who has done both with teenagers. Did Europe blow them away, or did it ultimately not matter because all they wanted was space, comfort, and internet?

Should we save the Europe trip for when they’re older, or even just for the two of us? The last time we took an international trip, the kids were more excited about the free all-you-can-eat room service at the resort than touring Bali. It was honestly ridiculous. I hope they gained something from it. I think they did, but still.

[Anonymous]

If you get good snow, Park city has some very good skiing especially for older kids who can do canyons side. If you don't want cute towns for spares ski and alps views just stay stateside.

[Anonymous]

If my kids complained about hotel wifi I’d take their devices away JFC

[Anonymous]

Sounds like great inspiration for a future episode of white lotus.

Do you want to take your kids anywhere if their connectivity and devices are more important than their connection to you?

[Anonymous]

Your kids sound incredibly spoiled. They wouldn’t be able to appreciate Europe so I’d go with Park City.

[Anonymous]

My kids love ancient comfort, not modern.

[Anonymous]

Park City. We've decided to do most of our vacations in the US for the next few years. More value for your money, shorter flights with less jet lag, and our kids won't appreciate what we like about Europe just yet. There's so much to see in America, including national parks.

[Anonymous]

This is really hard to answer, because you haven't said what you are trying to accomplish.

Is this trip about incredible skiing, incredible scenery, novel culture, or luxury accommodations. None of these is wrong, per se, but you might not be able to afford all of them at once.

We have a vacation home in a premier US ski destination. So if we travel to ski, there has to be some other draw. But a lot of our friends and family pay expensive airfare to travel to stay in our vacation house. And we also travel to other places. Just depends what you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is really hard to answer, because you haven't said what you are trying to accomplish.

Is this trip about incredible skiing, incredible scenery, novel culture, or luxury accommodations. None of these is wrong, per se, but you might not be able to afford all of them at once.

We have a vacation home in a premier US ski destination. So if we travel to ski, there has to be some other draw. But a lot of our friends and family pay expensive airfare to travel to stay in our vacation house. And we also travel to other places. Just depends what you are looking for.

I'm unsure of what to accomplish. What got me wondering about Europe is that the pricing for Park City is almost the same, as Airbnbs are at the 15k mark, which then makes travel to Europe more accessible. However, will the extra travel and hassle be worth it? I feel like if i am dropping 18-20k wouldnt' it be better to go to a foreign country than the US? But then I have my kids, and they are probably going to like being in the US the most, ughh. LOL, I can't wait not to have kids because, if it were up to my parents, it would be Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is really hard to answer, because you haven't said what you are trying to accomplish.

Is this trip about incredible skiing, incredible scenery, novel culture, or luxury accommodations. None of these is wrong, per se, but you might not be able to afford all of them at once.

We have a vacation home in a premier US ski destination. So if we travel to ski, there has to be some other draw. But a lot of our friends and family pay expensive airfare to travel to stay in our vacation house. And we also travel to other places. Just depends what you are looking for.

I'm unsure of what to accomplish. What got me wondering about Europe is that the pricing for Park City is almost the same, as Airbnbs are at the 15k mark, which then makes travel to Europe more accessible. However, will the extra travel and hassle be worth it? I feel like if i am dropping 18-20k wouldnt' it be better to go to a foreign country than the US? But then I have my kids, and they are probably going to like being in the US the most, ughh. LOL, I can't wait not to have kids because, if it were up to my parents, it would be Europe.

Sorry for the typo not up to my parents, up to the parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is really hard to answer, because you haven't said what you are trying to accomplish.

Is this trip about incredible skiing, incredible scenery, novel culture, or luxury accommodations. None of these is wrong, per se, but you might not be able to afford all of them at once.

We have a vacation home in a premier US ski destination. So if we travel to ski, there has to be some other draw. But a lot of our friends and family pay expensive airfare to travel to stay in our vacation house. And we also travel to other places. Just depends what you are looking for.

I'm unsure of what to accomplish. What got me wondering about Europe is that the pricing for Park City is almost the same, as Airbnbs are at the 15k mark, which then makes travel to Europe more accessible. However, will the extra travel and hassle be worth it? I feel like if i am dropping 18-20k wouldnt' it be better to go to a foreign country than the US? But then I have my kids, and they are probably going to like being in the US the most, ughh. LOL, I can't wait not to have kids because, if it were up to my parents, it would be Europe.

Sorry for the typo not up to my parents, up to the parents

Then go to Europe. It's your money. Enjoy it. I've learned that I my kids and I all have more fun if we are doing things we all enjoy. So when we travel, we stop for nice meals. They don't care, but I do.