Anonymous wrote:No need to panic -- there are still many opportunities ahead for travel with your young adult kids. The key is flexibility and not laying guilt on them if they can't join you. Our youngest is in college and older two are in grad school. In June DH and I traveled to California with the youngest, in September we had a long weekend on Cape Cod with our oldest and his partner, and in October we met up in California with our middle kid who had gone out there for a wedding. DH and middle kid will have a few days of skiing in February and I will meet up with our youngest in March in London for a few days. We'll see what the summer brings -- the middle kid wants us all to do a family vacation in the Pacific NW. (The oldest is a medical resident as is his partner, so their schedule makes it tough to do much more than a long weekend.)

OP here- that's so nice to hear. I am panicking a bit because the dynamic in my own family was so different when I was that age. We were off on our pretty much when we left at 18. My husband was the same way. I feel like I need to cram all these experiences in (she is an only) while she's still at home. I don't want her to feel like she has to come with us either. She will have her own life to live.

No need to panic -- there are still many opportunities ahead for travel with your young adult kids. The key is flexibility and not laying guilt on them if they can't join you. Our youngest is in college and older two are in grad school. In June DH and I traveled to California with the youngest, in September we had a long weekend on Cape Cod with our oldest and his partner, and in October we met up in California with our middle kid who had gone out there for a wedding. DH and middle kid will have a few days of skiing in February and I will meet up with our youngest in March in London for a few days. We'll see what the summer brings -- the middle kid wants us all to do a family vacation in the Pacific NW. (The oldest is a medical resident as is his partner, so their schedule makes it tough to do much more than a long weekend.)

Our DC likes to travel. And will always be welcome to come with us, on our dime, if she wants to and her schedule permits. We've had lots of wonderful trips together and I hope to have more, if possible and she want to.

Anonymous wrote:During college Winter break was always a family ski trip. Spring break they did things with friends. But they are now in their 20s and we still do family trips. They are happy to have a free vacation!

We did winter break half us and half w her college friends

Summer she’d come for a long weekend and we are in a great area in the summer. Sometimes the kids would bring friends.

High school is busy and often their sports teams need them for both breaks. We try to do one summer family trip to a new place, or have to visit family but in nice places for then.

Guess you really mainly have k-8 to get in more frequent travel before sports and studying and contests ramp up.
However I did know a high achiever family who continued to always get to their mountain house each winter, spring and August break. For all of middle and high school. You just put your foot down with the coach and go. Scratch that- the youngest got recruited to boarding school for his sport so who knows.

We do a mix. Kids are currently college freshman and junior. We've traveled on winter break and this year appreciated the flexibility since they both had long break at the same time. We'll do another big winter break trip next year before our oldest graduates. Their Spring breaks don't line up. Last year one of them came with me on a visit to my mom during Spring break.

We do a week long trip with my extended family in the summer and so far the oldest has been able to come although a similar age cousin had to skip last year because of an internship. This year the junior has an internship but can work remote so he plans to come and see when it's closer to starting if he can take any days off. The freshman is job search and may or may not join depending on how things work out. I'm thinking about scheduling a long weekend beach trip in August right before they go back to school.

Outside of that DH and I are taking our first empty-nesters trip this Spring and I travel alone to CA to visit my mom a few times a year.

Depends on kid and if they have gf/bf and how much money they have.

Yes. They are actually more appreciative of traveling now. In high school they really didn’t want to and wanted to be around their friends.
We do a trip over winter break. We don’t over spring break because we have younger kids also and breaks don’t line up. We sometimes do a week in the summer usually in August.

Sometimes. It has to be their idea.
You may get a lot of indecisiveness, and not get clear signals, if they want to avoid telling you, "no". Or they just don't know their own mind. Not sure they want to be committed to the idea. It may be very frustration for you, making travel plans. The only time is has worked seamlessly, for us, was when it was their idea, when it was them that said, "I'd really like to go to X during Y time."

Otherwise, on a small scale, for smaller events than international travel, DH and I plan for our ourselves, plan that they *might* come, but know they also might not.

Def Allow them to have fun with friends during spring break if that’s what they want to do. But yes, mine likes a free trip and still likes hanging out with us! Just be mindful that as they progress in college summer internships may also impact summer trip planning, but it can be done with good scheduling then as well, and of course winter break getaways are fun

During college Winter break was always a family ski trip. Spring break they did things with friends. But they are now in their 20s and we still do family trips. They are happy to have a free vacation!

OK, that's good to know. It seems like a lot of people I know who went off to college rented apartments and then worked in the area over the summer since they had a place to live.

I would have done the same thing if I didn't live in a dorm.

Yes. Sometimes they travel a day or two later or don’t come home to get on the plane with us and just meet up at the destination.

My college kids always go with me on trips and my oldest still goes who lives in Boston and is 24. Who turn down a free trip?

Depends. Once your student has internships, some companies ask them to make a specific time commitment.

I have a high schooler now. We planned on taking an overseas trip every year when she was in HS, but now we may not be able to like I thought. When she is in college we could take them when she is on winter or spring break, but do college kids do that? I went home for the summers in college and winter break, but only because I had a job to go home to and earn money. My sibling left for school at 18 and never returned home.

I just wonder what is typical now. I'm starting to panic now that it seems like her time at home is running out lol.