Coming-of-Age Adventures | AAA Club Alliance

As our grandchildren aged, my husband, Jeff, and I noticed that they no longer ran to us, but instead ran past us to their friends. It’s a natural part of child development; still, it was a notable shift from the squealing and hugging of earlier days. Because we wanted to remain significant in their lives, especially as they launched into the turbulent teen years, we decided to plan a trip of their choosing for each of their 13th birthdays. After having taken four of these coming-of-age adventures (six more to come!), we’ve found that the two-on-one time builds forever memories at a crucial point in their transition.

The author’s eldest grandchild, Ellie, captured this moody image of the Lincoln Memorial; photo by Ellie Davis

Washington, DC, and New York City

Our first grandchild, Ellie, now 19, wanted to experience the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. So, she chose Washington, DC, as her birthday-trip destination. And while she was deeply moved by the cemetery’s solemn commemoration, her favorite attraction was the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (not surprising, since both of her parents are aerospace engineers at Boeing).

Her love of history also led us to the Museum of the Bible and Ford’s Theatre, where President Lincoln was assassinated. A budding photographer, Ellie spent an evening taking nighttime photos of the illuminated monuments. She later told us the trip was all the sweeter because we also shared our cherished places with her. That included eating lunch at the historic Willard InterContinental hotel’s Le Café, where we dined close to well-known politicians and television news anchors.

boy inside the empire state building — Grandson Jace channeling Buddy the Elf at the Empire State Building; photo by Shelly Steig

Our grandson Jace, now 17, approaches life with an engaging grin. Jace had watched our favorite holiday movie Elf so many times that he chose the Big Apple as his destination. He wanted to see all the iconic locations in the film, and he even reenacted Buddy’s long stride through the lobby of the Empire State Building and located Central Park’s Pinebank Arch, the site of the snowball fight scene.

girl in central park — Granddaughter Livie in Central Park; photo by Shelly Steig

Urban and rural

Last year, our granddaughters Olivia (“Livie”) and Danni celebrated 13th birthdays only nine days apart. Even though they are close in age, they had very different trip preferences. A Korean pop music fan, Livie wanted to stroll the streets of Chinatown and Koreatown in New York City, so we tailored her spring break vacation to include as much Asian culture as we could. Chinatown’s lively markets were a big draw, as were Koreatown’s storefronts selling K-pop posters and mementos. While I struggled with chopsticks at Jongro BBQ, a popular Korean restaurant, Livie wielded hers deftly and gracefully.

We also fit in must-do tourist spots such as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Statue of Liberty,Times Square and Central Park, where Livie spent hours climbing the rocks as if she were playing out the last gasps of childhood.

An outdoor enthusiast and animal lover, Danni wanted to visit the Canadian Maritimes. She appreciated the scenic drives to Nova Scotia’s wind-swept beaches and colorful fishing villages. She even plunged into the chilly waters off Prince Edward Island’s Rustico Beach to catch crabs bare-handed.

girl cuddling goat — Danni cuddling a goat on a beach on Prince Edward Island; photo by Shelly Steig

Danni’s favorite experience by far, though, was paddleboarding with a water-loving goat near St. Chrysostome, Prince Edward Island. The experience with the company Beach Goats also had her cuddling week-old kids and laughing at the relatable antics of sibling goats on a trampoline.

Because Danni had been playing violin for years, we also tapped our feet at a Ceilidh—a traditional Scottish-Irish social and musical gathering with lively fiddling—at St. Michael’s Parish Hall in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. “I’ll remember this trip for the rest of my life,” she exclaimed at one point.

Their gifts to us

Traveling with a new teen is like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a toddler, and their curiosity and excitement reminded us to keep open minds and enjoy learning about new destinations (or new things about the tried-and-true ones). After taking our grandkids on these trips, we feel we know them better as individuals. And while they may not run to us in excitement any longer, they still reach out regularly with phone calls and texts to express their love and appreciation.

girl, man, and woman in front of New York City skyline — Shelly, Livie and Jeff in New York City; photo by Livie Davis

Tips for Traveling with Teens

Here’s what we’ve learned after four grandparent–grandchild excursions.

Allow your grandkids to express themselves through their choices.
To avoid separations due to cancellation or delays, meet your grandchildren at their local airport, then fly together to your final destination.
Let them make mistakes on your travels. (And then they’ll let you make them, too—which is bound to happen!)
Save room in your schedule for surprises. For example, Beach Goats was a lucky discovery.
Recognize that no vacation goes perfectly. On our NYC trip with Jace, our rental apartment was the heat conduit for the entire building. Together, we had to come up with creative ways to cool the place down. We used our travel hiccups to bond—and as fodder for inside jokes.
Finally, take lots of pictures and create a custom photo book as a treasured gift for your teenage travel companion.