Traveling with teens isn’t always easy. There can be unexpected delays, unknown menu options, spotty Wifi (gasp!) and museums or activities that just don’t land. So over the years, as we’ve traveled in the U.S and internationally with our three boys, we’ve tried to find ways to make exploring new cities a little more fun. A trip to a museum across town can be a lot more fun if you get there on an electric scooter and stop for local gelato on the way home, right?
As a family of five, here are three of our tried and tested ways to add a little adventure and fun to exploring new places with kids and teens.
Explore By Wheel
When we travel, one of my favorite ways to explore a new area is on wheels. From a tuk tuk tour in Porto to renting Lime e-scooters in London to a downhill trottibike in Grindelwald, exploring a new area by bike or scooter gets you out into the fresh air, lets you experience the sights, sounds and smells of the city and helps to tire out teen travelers who have been cooped up together for too long.
This summer we were in Copenhagen, Denmark where bikes outnumber cars five to one.
Bike tours – especially e-bike tours – allow you to get your bearings in a new city, provide an overview of many of the major landmarks and history, and help you discover what you can check off your list as seen and done and what you want to go back to and explore more. Plus you have pedal assist or even a throttle! Hilly inclines, bumpy cobblestone roads or the distance of the tour matter not when you are on an e-bike.
Granted, Copenhagen is flat enough that a regular bike would probably be fine, but e-bikes are just more fun! As a mom of three boys, keeping the journey fun and active are always key to a successful travel day.
We partnered with Copenhagen E-Bike Tours that offers ebike tours and per-day rentals as well as Segway tours. After meeting our tour guide, Pierre, at the Copenhagen E-Bike storefront, we were fitted with bikes and an over-ear headphone that allowed Pierre to share fun facts, history and local lore with us while we all rode. We opted for the two-hour e-bike tour which allowed us to explore about 10 miles of the city and over a dozen different landmarks and must-see sights.
Finding active, outdoor activities that fit the whole family when you travel can be tricky. One of the things I love about an e-bike tour like the one at Copenhagen E-Bike Tours is that kids as young as 12 can pedal their own bike, those ages 6-11 can ride in an iconic Christiania cargo bike and kids down to the age of 2 can enjoy the journey in a child seat or cargo trailer. Talk about whole family fun!
Learn more about Copenhagen E-Bike Tours or book your trip here.
Explore By Water
Exploring by water is another favorite way our family likes to explore new areas. In Copenhagen, we rented an electric FriendShips to explore the waterways. You can drive the boats yourself (no experience needed!) or opt for one with a guide. The boats also come with tables and allow you to bring food and drinks to enjoy while you leisurely cruise the canals.
During our time in Odda, Norway, we opted for something a little faster and booked a R.I.B. tour, or Rigid Inflatable Boat tour, through Trolltunga Active to see the fjords. Yes, you can see the fjords from a cruise ship, a ferry boat or a car, but a RIB is a fast, fun, family-friendly way to explore them. These high-speed, open-air boats offer an adrenaline-pumping way to get up close to the towering waterfalls, hidden coves and dramatic cliffs of the Norwegian fjords.
After getting fitted with life vests and forgoing the waterproof onesie since rain wasn’t in the forecast, we boarded our 12-person boat and headed out with our guide. The tour included an hour-long ride along the Hardangerfjord with stops to hear more about the history, geography and people of the area.
You can take the boat round trip in about 90 minutes or you can get off at Nå, a village with some of the best local and award-winning cider producers of Hardanger, where we got a tour and taste of the family-owned Store Naa Siderkompani. With both low alcohol and non-alcoholic options to try, the cider tour was a tasty stop to add to the boat trip. You can add on up to three farm tours and then select from multiple pickups for the boat back home.
On the ride back, our guide gave us some sharp turns, a fun 360° loop and got my sons very up close and personal with one of the waterfalls! Visit Trolltunga Active to see all the activity options in the area.
Explore By…Something Wild
Traveling often puts you in places and environments that allow you new experiences. As a family, we love taking advantage of activities and experiences that help us see the area and learn about the culture in a new way that we don’t have available back home. Yes, sometimes they are a bit more expensive, but we file them under once-in-a-lifetime opportunities since we don’t often travel to the same location twice.
These have included experiences like:
- Scuba diving to explore a sunken ship near La Paz, Mexico
- Paragliding off the cliffs of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
- Camel rides outside of Tangier, Morrocco
- Kaiseki, a traditional, multi-course dinner in Tokyo, Japan
On our recent trip to Norway, we were excited to have booked a dogsledding adventure with Folgefonna Husky Camp (which kids age 3 and up can do!), but unfortunately the weather became too warm and there wasn’t enough snow left to sled. (Be sure to check them out if you’re in the area!) Luckily, we found a Plan B with a blue ice glacier hike with the Folgefonni Glacier Team.
The glacier hike was located on the Juklavass Glacier, the northern arm of the Folgefonna glacier system, the third largest glacier in Norway. Complete with crampons and ice picks, this tour gets you up close and personal with the glacier – exploring crevasses, traversing snow bridges and belaying up ice walls. If that sounds a little daunting, keep this in mind: the Folgefonni Glacier Team specializes in personalizing their guided tours for everyone and the blue ice hike is open to kids 10 and older. Exhibit A: my 16-year-old was in an arm cast for our trip, and they were still able to adjust the trip so he could participate.
While Norway has over 2,500 glaciers, many of them are melting. To see the surrounding area from that height, to learn about the impact of melting glaciers and to see the beauty and magnitude of them up close was a powerful experience. Folgefonni Glacier Team also offers ice climbing lessons and multi-day glacier treks as well as opportunities to explore the area by bike and kayak.
Whether you are exploring locally or going international, traveling with kids is rarely easy, but it is always an adventure. And it doesn’t hurt to have some tricks up your sleeve to make it a little more fun for everyone. I’ve come to believe that fun and the family memories are always worth it.
What are your tricks for making family travel more fun?
Read More about Family Travel
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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are the authors. This was not a sponsored reviewed. Thanks to Trolltunga Active and Copenhagen E-Bike tours for discounts on our adventures.
