Travelling with teens can sometimes be quite stressful. When faced with a long trip with their teenager, some parents simply toss an MP3 player, an I-pod or hand-held computer game into the back seat with their child, or allow their teen to invite a friend. While this may stop them from repeatedly asking, "Are we there yet?" it builds barriers between the child and parent, defeating the true spirit of the family vacation.

Here are some leads as to how to make traveling with a teen enjoyable.

Teens need Space

Teenagers need space like fish need water. Give them space by having your travel agent select accommodations that offer more than just one room, such as a suite, or book adjacent rooms if the budget permits. Mental space is important too, so do not plan a schedule jam-packed with activities for every minute of the day. Have plenty of time for relaxing.

Involve your teen while planning a vacation

Planning is an important step of every vacation. If you want to plan a trip your teenager will get excited about, the solution is easy: get them involved with the planning. Your teen will enjoy sifting through the guidebooks with you or researching activities online. Bring them to your travel agent's office and urge them to ask as many questions as they like.

Brainstorm with your entire family and listen to their input. Your teen may surprise you with some of things he or she might like to do on vacation. The more you show that you are listening, the more your teen will come forth with ideas. Take their interests into consideration, whether it's their love of the outdoors, history or music.

Give them responsibility

Once the family plan is in place, keep your teen involved by putting them in charge of at least one aspect of the trip. If they're good with maps, make them the navigator. Do they have an eye for photos? Make them the official vacation photographer, in charge of not only taking photos during the trip, but also of compiling the album once you return. They will enjoy the responsibility and do what is expected of them with great zeal.

Allow them the freedom to explore alone

Give your teens a night off. Allow older teens to go out alone for a few hours, to just hang out at the local shops, and trust them to be back at the hotel at a designated time. Give them your cell phone to stay connected.

Even if they don't feel like going out, you can still give them the night off to simply chill out in the hotel while you enjoy the nightlife. Let them rent a movie and order room service.

Give them money

Set a budget with your teens for incidental spending and stick with it. Tell them that they will get whatever money is left of the journey at the end of the vacation. This way their wants will reduce when they realize that they will get money which will be theirs when they get back home.

Sleeping Beauties

Let your teens sleep in as much as your schedule allows. It's a win-win situation. They happily get to sleep in, and you have time to do what you want. Teens love to sleep late, and research has shown that their body clocks demand it. Try not to think of it as wasted vacation time, for letting them sleep is an easy way to eliminate tension.

Food for Thought

Part of experiencing a new destination is enjoying the local cuisine. While most travelers look forward to this savory part of world discovery, teens often fear it. Especially during international exploration, where the food can range from the exotic to the bizarre, forcing your teen to experiment day in and day out may not yield positive results.
Give them some money and set them free. This will force them to find their way around, communicate with locals and handle money responsibly. And all the while, you and your spouse can sneak off for a romantic dinner.

Just be sure to discuss with your teens to respect and obey the local customs while they're out on their own.

Take a Cyber Break

As many parents can attest to, it's difficult at times to pry your teenagers off their computers. While a vacation is a great opportunity for teens to experience the World Wide without the Web, don't force them to quit it completely. Make it easy for them to stay in touch with their friends back home by visiting cyber-cafes.

Vacations are the perfect opportunity to bond with your teens, for how often do you really get a chance to spend quality time with them away from phones, TVs, video games and instant messaging? Once teens are in a different environment, even for a day trip, they often become more open and communicative. Even though you don't agree on music and movies with your teen, you will all agree that doing something different is truly enjoyable, like going on a vacation.

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