Travels with Teens: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly.

The idea for this post was born on a family bike ride on Sanibel Island in January of 2015. Biking behind my “new” teen, I had a few aha moments about how our family vacations were evolving as the kids were growing up. Our oldest was being particularly stinky about our bike ride – something we had done almost every trip to Florida. It was a tradition! But this time, it was like we were torturing him. By biking . . . in the sun . . . on vacation.

My Travel Bucket List

I have always had a few travel ideas in my back pocket, but have never put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) to draft up a more complete list of all the places in the world I would like to visit . . . from vague to specific . . .

Disney Cruise: Norway

A 10-day trip in and out of Copenhagen, Denmark – with a 7-day Norway Disney Cruise in the middle. Travelers included 4 families – 7 adults with 7 kids from 8 months to 12 years old. Month of travel: June.

Just the Two of Us

This guy. He’s my Valentine, and husband of 16 years (and counting). Hands down, he’s my #1 favorite travel partner. We went on plenty of trips together when we were first married: honeymooned in Hawaii, explored Belize, camped in the Black Hills, road-tripped to Banff, relaxed in Carmel.

We are a good match, travel-wise: we prefer active excursions, adventurous dining and live music. We visit museums, hike up mountains and swim in oceans.

The Grouse Grind (Grouse Mountain, Vancouver)

One of our favorite family memories of our family trip to Vancouver: conquering the Grouse Grind together: 2,830 steps. 1.8 miles long. 2,800 foot elevation gain. This climb is no joke – and absolutely beautiful.

It was a proud parenting moment also – the older two kids disappeared on the trail ahead of us (clearly forgetting their Harney Peak experience) and our youngest completed the whole route himself with some fierce determination. Video proof.

FOOT + (body of) WATER + BEVERAGE

In your mind, what image epitomizes “vacation”? Is it putting your (preferably bare) feet up after a long week at work? How about putting your feet up and enjoying a gorgeous view? For us Minnesotans, this scene generally includes water of some kind: lakeside or poolside during our glorious summers – or next to an ocean, during the months of December through April, with our feet touching warm sand. Because WINTER.