Bucket List Family Travel for Familes with teens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also went to Tanzania with HS and MS aged kids. It was awesome! Flew directly into Arusha- stayed there to get over jet lag, and then 7 day safari to Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater. Most expensive trip we’ve taken, but also, I think, most inspiring and memorable for our kids.

Great to hear!!
Where did you stay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tanzania travelers…how did you get there and where do you stay? Need more info because I would love to go! Thank you!

We booked with Tanzania Choice Safari, a company owned by a husband/wife team (she's American; he's Tanzanian). They arranged guides and hotels. I cannot recommend them enough.

Which safari lodges did you stay at? So hard to get real insight…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol, with middle schoolers, for example, you should have amassed $200K per kid by now

$350K per kid to be somewhat safe

Who is “you”? You realize not everyone is UMC, right? You really think the average American has 200k saved per kid? We don’t and we are still taking trips. Not too far away places and luxury resorts, but domestic and a couple of international ones. Not everyone is loaded Susan.

You don’t have to be “loaded” to save for college. Twelve years ago when my spouse and I were each making under $50k, we started saving for college for any future children we might have. Just putting aside $200/month. Our children are 8 and 6 now and we have $125k and $100k in each kid’s account. It’s a start.

Is this a 529? Bc ours have not yielded that much $$ and we put in a similar amount per month and even started saving more in the past 2 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol, with middle schoolers, for example, you should have amassed $200K per kid by now

$350K per kid to be somewhat safe

Who is “you”? You realize not everyone is UMC, right? You really think the average American has 200k saved per kid? We don’t and we are still taking trips. Not too far away places and luxury resorts, but domestic and a couple of international ones. Not everyone is loaded Susan.

You don’t have to be “loaded” to save for college. Twelve years ago when my spouse and I were each making under $50k, we started saving for college for any future children we might have. Just putting aside $200/month. Our children are 8 and 6 now and we have $125k and $100k in each kid’s account. It’s a start.

Is this a 529? Bc ours have not yielded that much $$ and we put in a similar amount per month and even started saving more in the past 2 years.

We’ve upped the amount over the years as we started earning more. I also think starting to save a few years before our children were born has helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tanzania travelers…how did you get there and where do you stay? Need more info because I would love to go! Thank you!

+1. Would love specific tour company and travel agent recommendations.

[Anonymous]

would love for you to stop posting over and over again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To add to the list : Brazil. And Bhutan. Or Nepal.

Brazil is awesome and there is so much more than Rio.

[Anonymous]

My teens loved Galapagos, Costa Rica, Hawaii. But we buffer expensive trips with years we go to the beach, and they like those trips as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tanzania travelers…how did you get there and where do you stay? Need more info because I would love to go! Thank you!

We booked with Tanzania Choice Safari, a company owned by a husband/wife team (she's American; he's Tanzanian). They arranged guides and hotels. I cannot recommend them enough.

Which safari lodges did you stay at? So hard to get real insight…

I recommend talking to Tanzania Choice safaris. They will create a sample itinerary for you for free based on your budget and what you like. We stayed at a number of places, including the Serengeti Bush Lodge, Elaine's Trees, Simba Lodge, the Rhino Inn, but this is not a trip you should book on your own, imo, because you will need a driver/guide to take you through the parks.

[Anonymous]

Do whatever you can while they are still under your roof. It’s way too hard to coordinate with different college schedules, internships once in college. You will regret not doing it if you can afford to do so.

This 100%...mine are now seniors in college....and of course they never had the same spring break so even that was out....and summer...between jobs/internships that became almost impossible too.

Whether you call it a bucket list or time with the kids....it doesn't have to break the bank, it doesn't have to be outside the US, and it doesn't have to be for a week or more. I am blessed that as they got older mine still wanted to even travel with mom and dad -- I spoke to someone whose teenage son refused to go on vacation with them unless he was able to bring a friend along.

Bucket List locations over the years has included:
- Paris (waited until they were 16 and could appreciate it and thankfully before the tragic fire at Notre Dame)
- Grand Canyon/Las Vegas
*Trips to Portugal excluded here as we have family there so wouldn't call it a bucket list location - but it should be on everyone's bucket list if you haven't been as it's a beautiful country all year round with castles, beaches, and of course great food and wine! There's my plug for my home country!

..and planned for this coming winter break....New Orleans...which thankfully my kids agreed to...although just a little more reluctantly than in the past.

[Anonymous]

I love this post and agree with so much of the list. My kids spent 4 years of their (early) lives living in Europe, so got to do a ton there. Our near-term bucket list largely involves North America. I like to use as many non-sports filled weekends to see parts of the US and Canada as possible, so we almost never revisit the same place twice (with the exception of visiting family). We're doing a weekend in Pittsburgh over Labor Day!

But otherwise on my North American-focused list for my family:
Grand Canyon
Upper Northwest
Alaska
Hawaii
Montreal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We'd like to do the Galápagos Islands but not sure yet what our college bills will be so holding off. I'd like to do it right. we have rising junior twins and a third a year later.

We hiked Patagonia with them when they were younger and that was the most "bucket list" vacation we've taken. it was the most gorgeous place I've ever seen.

did you plan these via a travel agent, or on your own? would love advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Do whatever you can while they are still under your roof. It’s way too hard to coordinate with different college schedules, internships once in college. You will regret not doing it if you can afford to do so.

This 100%...mine are now seniors in college....and of course they never had the same spring break so even that was out....and summer...between jobs/internships that became almost impossible too.

Whether you call it a bucket list or time with the kids....it doesn't have to break the bank, it doesn't have to be outside the US, and it doesn't have to be for a week or more. I am blessed that as they got older mine still wanted to even travel with mom and dad -- I spoke to someone whose teenage son refused to go on vacation with them unless he was able to bring a friend along.

Bucket List locations over the years has included:
- Paris (waited until they were 16 and could appreciate it and thankfully before the tragic fire at Notre Dame)
- Grand Canyon/Las Vegas
*Trips to Portugal excluded here as we have family there so wouldn't call it a bucket list location - but it should be on everyone's bucket list if you haven't been as it's a beautiful country all year round with castles, beaches, and of course great food and wine! There's my plug for my home country!

..and planned for this coming winter break....New Orleans...which thankfully my kids agreed to...although just a little more reluctantly than in the past.

Agree agree agree!!!
There won’t be time after college/life. If you CS. Do it while they are in HS and somewhat hostage, do it….

Best memories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. We have a long bucket list.
One in college and 1 soon to be (junior now).

Trying to book a condo in USVI for winter break, one week July 4th beach vacation for us and any child that wants to join, and also hoping we can continue to entice them to travel with us for one other week a year, but it’s becoming harder to execute with different schedules.

Do whatever you can while they are still under your roof. It’s way too hard to coordinate with different college schedules, internships once in college. You will regret not doing it if you can afford to do so.

I have a lot of regrets now about waiting to do certain things. Spend every high school break that you can doing something - it doesn’t have to be bucket list travel every time. Make it different and memorable.

Great advice. All these parents focused on teen life should read this.

[Anonymous]

Greece
Thailand
Japan
Turkey
New Zealand
Bhutan
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Rajasthan, India.
Costa Rica
Egypt