Tweens & Teens 2022 (Island Parent)

Fly-by-the-Seat-of-
Your-Pants Teen Travel
My son has just left on an epic
backpacking trip through Europe
starting in Paris. He’s thrilled. I’ve got
that feeling similar to when you binge
eat a tub of espresso chocolate-chip icecream—happy,
excited and then jittery
with a heap of insomnia.
In my pre-COVID career as a filmmaker,
I travelled for much of my
work. I was organized, I carried a
binder with flights, hotels, directions
and often, restaurant recommendations.
When things got delayed, it was
a scramble to make back the production
time. I’ve lost luggage (with audio
equipment), got stuck in Belize for an
extra week because of snow in Texas
(not as fun as most would think), and
have been detained in the Philippines.
When it comes to travelling, I come
with a lot of baggage—literally and
figuratively.
My teenager has been insulated from
that type of experience. He’s had parents
who have kept the trip organized
and him entertained and distracted
when things went sideways. Hungry?
Mama has snacks. Bored? Here is a
movie. He’s had the 5-star bubblewrapped
experience.
He’s jumped into this trip with a
general plan and a fly-by-the-seat of
your pants attitude that is way outside
my comfort zone. Deep down I know
that the beauty in his experience is the
simplicity and the freedom and I expect
that his trip will be a truer cultural experience
than anything I’ve ever done,
but I’m adjusting to this understanding.
Before he launched, I was a very active
part of getting him ready. Here are
some things that worked well for us:
Travel with a carry-on backpack so
you don’t worry about missing luggage.
There are good-sized backpacks
that will meet airline specs. Start packing
your new backpack weeks before
your travel date and think about how
much you really need. Repack several
times and evaluate the items. Then, at
11pm before your early morning flight,
do one last panic purge and repack.
Get all the apps and put in your
information at home. Flight information
is often updated quicker in the app
than in the airport. Many companies
have priority calling through their apps.
Do a trial run with your gear. Encourage
your teen to practice wearing
his backpack and carrying his passport
with his wallet and phone with him to
get comfortable with the new items.
Lack of sleep and jet lag is not the time
to start thinking about where your
passport is or struggle with how easy
it is to carry your backpack through
transit.
Research! Things have changed, especially
with hostels. Read the guides
and find out what you need, and don’t
need, on a trip.
Ensure that there is at least 1.5
hours between flights. It is not a great
time to count on making tight connections.
You can also call the airport to
find out if you have to go through security
again or how big of a distance it is
between gates.
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