Time is of the Essence
When my son, Miles began university, I knew our time to travel together would be limited. Between college, summer internships, co-ops, and a new girlfriend we didn’t have much time. But it was important to me to make the most of my time traveling with my son.
Miles always was a mild mannered, thoughtful child. The complete opposite of my daughter. He rarely got himself into trouble. One time in the 4th grade, he was suspended for one day. Not for skipping class or fighting other students. He got suspended for playing his saxophone on the school bus.
whenever we traveled, I really was mindful to make sure my son choose a few activities during our travels that were specifically for him.
Miles was into music and the arts and I made sure I researched a few artsy things he would enjoy seeing and doing on our trip.
And we all like riding on trains and ferries when we travel, so whenever we are able to ride a train or ferry.
Overall, it was a great travel activity that we all enjoyed.
How to Travel with your College-Aged Son
Taking the Slow Train
Instead of taking a quick flight from Malaysia to Thailand, we decided to take the overnight sleeping train. This is the perfect opportunity to slow down a bit and check in with your son. Talk about what future plans you’re both excited for on your trip. Now when we travel, checking to see if there’s a train option is one of my favorite ways to switch things up on a trip with my son.
Son Approved Destination: Cuba
My son isn’t very picky when it comes to activities on our vacations, but I made sure on our trip to Cuba we incorporated fun specifically with him in mind. When we were in the city of Vinales, Cuba, we had a chance to go on a guided horse back riding tour through the countryside. Even though this wasn’t my idea of fun, it was a simple compromise for some memorable moments.
Since Miles likes to dance, we went to a disco night club in a cave in Trinidad, Cuba. Now it was quite a hike to get there, but its was nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Lights, music, tv screens all carved into the side of a rock. It was pretty cool to say the least.
When I was researching this trip to Cuba, I heard about the town of Regla. This Cuban island is known for its Santeria culture. Santeria is an African diasporic religion. As a family we took a quick ferry ride over and it was perfect. My son really enjoyed all the history, museums, and art on the island. We even ran into a woman who gave us a peak into her office where she still typed up documents on her typewriter.
Now Havana had its own great history and fun for older kids. He really liked going to the canon ceremony at the Morro Cabaña Fortress. Every night at 9pm in a reenactment, they fire off a canon to represent when they would protect the harbor, in the colonial times.
Other Special Moments
When we visited Ghana back in 2015, we turned our market day into a fashion trip for the family. We bought kente cloth and material at the local market. We had outfits made with our fabric at a tailor. It was a fun activity for the whole family. And everyone got a special outfit as a keepsake of our family trip.
Ultimately, knowing your son’s likes and dislikes are the best insurance you have for planning a fun trip. Traveling with your son is a special experience. Having specific activities in mind for him will make it even more special.
Now that my son is in his 30s and starting a family of his own, I look forward to making more memories with him as an adult and my future grandchildren.
If you enjoyed this blog, be sure to check out, how to take a successful mother daughter trip abroad.
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