Our daughter is heading out soon for her first big teen travel adventure. Alright, she isn’t traveling alone but it is her first real travel experience on a plane without a parent. She has been to church camp a couple of times and attended her theatre conference the last couple of years. So teen travel without us isn’t a completely new experience for her. But, this time, we are taking her to the airport where she will fly to NYC with her high school theatre group.
There may be a few tears shed on my drive home from the airport.
But, she loves this group and is excited, albeit a little nervous, about this exciting opportunity.
I’ll admit… I have been called a helicopter mom a couple of times in the last 16 years and I can rarely argue the point. But, I have done my best to make sure she is prepared and am making my best effort to let her spread her wings.
Here are the Top 5 Things to Cover Before Your Teen Travels Without You.
1. Teen Travel Budget
This was a big discussion point. She will be traveling for 6 days and responsible for ALL of her meals. That’s a big budget undertaking for a girl who is barely 16 and is used to not questioning where her next meal is coming from. We have discussed cost, tipping and the time involved in a full sit down dinner vs. grabbing a slice of pizza.
We got her set up with a Bank of America Visa Debit Card.
Here’s why:
- I already have accounts at BofA so it was very easy for us to add her as a teen account.
- Visa Debit allows her to use her card anywhere like a credit card
- The app allows her to keep track of her spending as well as immediately lock her account if she “misplaces” her card or if it’s taken.
- There are SO many Bank of America ATMs and Branches in the mid-town Manhatten area. This will allow her to only carry a small amount of cash on her and easily get more when she needs it.
2. Packing for Teen Travel
Our daughter has been very lucky in the travel department. We started traveling regularly when she was around 6 years old. You would think by now she would be a little packing ninja, but…not so much. And, honestly, I can’t help myself from stepping in to double check everything she’s packed. (Should I insert helicopter emoji here?) She’s such a smart young lady but sometimes she will get everything packed and somehow completely forget something huge like…pajamas…or her contact solution.
Maybe I just love the time together when we sit in her room and contemplate the best choice for shoes and ideas for layering.
It’s probably obvious by now that I LOVE packing but…I REALLY LOVE my girl. Even though we have entered the age when she rolls her eyes at me at least once a day, she’s still my sidekick and I love her to pieces.
For this trip, we walked through her itinerary and discussed the best options for sightseeing, Broadway shows, and her theatre workshop. So fun!
Here are a few items included on her Teen Travel list
- Portable Charger – she’s taking two because she knows I do not accept the “Mom, my phone was dead” excuse.
- Charging hub – they have 3 or 4 teens in each hotel room so you can imagine the “need” for more outlet charging options.
- Pop up hamper – we are used to taking these on our cruise vacations and I think it will really help keep the tiny NYC rooms a little tidier. (maybe) It’s so easy to pack because it folds up into a little disk.
- Lightweight jacket – the weather is looking a little iffy, so this will not only provide an extra layer but a water-resistant layer in case of rain. It is also compact so it will pack easily.
- Sneakers – this is no time for high fashion, high-heeled sandals. This is hours of walking and sightseeing in NYC.
- Water bottle
- Snacks
- Back up contacts/solution/glasses
Then, of course, the obvious: toiletries, jeans/shorts, shirts, 3 casual dresses for Broadway shows with flat sandals, pajamas, etc.
Backpacks are not always allowed in shops/museums in NYC so she is opting to take a medium crossbody bag with several zipper pockets.
3. Teen Travel Itinerary
Speaking of the itinerary, it’s important to discuss and have a good understanding of their itinerary. Will they be walking and sightseeing most of the time? What will the weather be like? Will she need layers? Also, what will be considered “appropriate attire” for each situation? Her school theatre department gave everyone a day by day tentative itinerary for the week. We have it proudly posted on our family planner board!
They have so many exciting things planned including attending Broadway shows, a theatre workshop, museums, World Trade Center Memorial, Empire State Building and touring Central Park.
I love NYC! Why didn’t I go with her? Ahh! Oh yeah…because she needs to spread her wings without me. This parenting business is tough.
4. Safety for Teen Travel
Our teen travel kiddo (excuse me, young adult) is traveling to NYC which is a little scary…but frankly, going to the movies now gives me pause. I choose to believe that people are generally good and bad things can happen in NYC or in your own front yard. So, we have to keep on living. But, that doesn’t mean that this worrier mom doesn’t have plans in place for the “what ifs.”
Life 360 app or Apple’s Find Friends
Fortunately, I have a teen who thinks me being able to track her location is a “safety issue and comforting” rather than a “super annoying intrusion on her privacy.” I’m sure that will change soon but for now, I’m riding this calm wave for as long as possible. I just tell her that I’m not stalking her. It’s in place for the unlikely event that something bad happens and I need to find her and make sure she’s safe.
These apps are not perfect but they do give me a little peace of mind. I first used Find Friends when she was traveling back from her theatre conference in the middle of a snow/ice storm…on a school bus. Seeing her little blip on the map pass every town and getting closer to home was comforting to me. I’m not ashamed to admit it!
Find Friends is pretty basic but works as long as the phone is on and in a service area. Life 360 can even track their driving history and some other parenting stalking features. You may want to check out one of the many family tracking apps and see which one is right for you.
Q & A – Probably even more important than location stalking 😉 is having a discussion about several possible hiccups to the teen travel master plan. For our discussion, we ran through several scenarios and worked out a solution for each that made sense to us. This helped me feel a little better and I believe it gave our daughter the peace of mind that she feels prepared.
Can I just throw out a “God forbid” here?…but we talked through everything from missing your subway stop to a real threat to her life or safety.
I let her lead this conversation. Whatever was a potential concern for her, we walked through it. I never want her to live her life in fear, but living her life prepared isn’t bad.
5. Trust (what my heart chooses to call Faith)
At the end of the day, I have to have faith. I have faith in God to be with her no matter her circumstances. I have faith in the people, both teens, and adults, that she is traveling with. And, most importantly, I have faith in her. She’s a great kid. She’s a little anxious, a little risk-adverse but very much in love with musical theatre and excited for this adventure.
This trip is a wonderful opportunity for her to have a week full of something she is passionate about and to share it with others who feel the same way. She has an opportunity to learn and grow…and gain confidence. She may stumble a bit but she will learn how to stand up and have the opportunity to carry on. It’s possible that she will overspend on one meal and have to adjust the next…but she will learn. She will grow and I have to let her.
She will come home a little more confident, a little more independent and, hopefully…a little happy to see her mom.
Stay tuned because she is anxious to share with you her top teen travel favorites from the Big Apple. You can subscribe here. Do you have a great tip for Teen Travel? Please comment below!
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Happy Travels!
Jillian
These are some great tips, and I can relate to the whole “helicopter mom” ,as my daughter has gone with her music dept from school now twice to NY and once to Toronto. I slept with my cell phone next to me the whole time, but she always came back with nothing but great stories.
Thanks for sharing that Jessica. It’s hard but I guess that’s our job to let them grow to be independent. I’m with you on the cell phone next to the bed and ringer on high! Have a great week.
These are fantastic ideas to get a teen (and helicopter mom 🚁) ready for traveling without parents! I totally relate to being a hover mama…if we don’t protect our babies, who will!?
Thank you, April!