Europe trip with my 15 year old daughter

Don't worry. Traveled extensively with 2 teenage sons and they wanted no part of the same things but I made them do it. Once we arrived at a museum, historical site, they rolled their eyes and humored me and once they got inside, didn't want to leave. To save money, we bought bread/sandwich fixings and had a lot of picnics.

She may have to give a bit on the museums and churches. I can't imagine going to Paris and NOT getting to see the Louvre or D'Orsay or Notre Dame. I mean, there's museums, and then there's these places. She probably won't want to spend a whole day in the Louvre, but a couple of hours might do.

You say you have a tight budget, but you're visiting a couple of expensive cities. If you want to keep spending down, minimize your time in Paris and Rome. Find family-run places to stay, or doubles in hostels.

Shopping is a big draw for teenage girls (maybe you can use that as a bargaining chip for some Louvre time). Monmartre has some good discount stores. We took my teenage nieces over with us last year, they loved the shopping, but they went along to all the other sights with us, too. I'd find the Let's Go books for the places you're visiting and have your daughter see what interests her.

Sons are night and day different from daughters. Our oldest daughter took a month long Mexico trip with us when she was 14. She was so horrible the entire trip that we left her at Grandma's for our month long family trip to Europe a couple of years later.

Our middle two boys were fine for both trips, very little complaining, and actually enjoyed themselves most of the time.

Our youngest daughter was too young for the trip to Mexico, so stayed at Grandmas. She turned 7 on our trip to Europe and was wonderful the entire time. Now she is 13 and coming into her own (in a bad way).

We're still on and off about bringing our kids. The expense is too great to include them if they aren't going to enjoy it - and way too much if they are going to keep everyone else from enjoying it.

Every once in awhile, I notice a family that has a blissfully happy teenage daughter in tow along with their other kids. I turn to my wife and ask, "Where do you get one of those?" Her response, "She's probably their niece, baby-sitter or au pair. She can't be their daughter." :)

While I have no teenagers, I'd suggest letting her decide what she wants to do sometimes and other times you get to choose. Have her research the cities you are visiting online or the guidebooks so she can pick some things ahead of time. That way the trip will be more meaningful to her and she'll start to learn the basics of traveling. At her age, I'd also consider letting her wander off on her own for a few hours. Europe is plenty safe and that will give both of you some separation and her some independence.

Words of wisdom from Brad! I took my two daughters when they were 12 and 15, thus missing the dreaded 13 and 14 years. At that age they belong in boarding school. I know I ruined my parents' vacation when I was 14. Karma.

I agree with Douglas about letting her go out on her own for a bit. Walking around the neighborhood of your hotel, going to a cafe or bakery, will give her a lot of bragging rights when she gets home.

I agree that you should get her into the "let's Go! series, mainly to have her invested in planning the trip. If you do all the planning and work, she has no investment in the trip at all. I would skip the overnight trains with a teenage girl-think about it--lack of sleep, toilet down the hall, poor lighting for make-up. It doesn't sound like fun to me.

Dawnya, I do not have a teenage daughter so take this for what it's worth. I totally agree with the others about getting her invested in the trip. My wife had allways done a majority of the planning on our trips and I would just give her a couple of my must sees. I started helping her the last couple trips and I have gotten way more out of them. I knew going to the Louvre and other museums I needed to look up this art stuff so I bought Rick Steve's Europe 101 Art and History for the traveller. Instead of looking at a painting/sculpture and wondering what was so great about it. I looked at it and knew why it was so special. The same with churches and other significant buildings. If she want's a French shopping experience take her down the Champs D'Elysse (SP?). She will be surprised at how in the American Styles are. My wife and I were shocked at how packed GAP was and how all of the teenagers were wearing North Face, Levi's (120 Euro/pair), Chuck Taylor's, Abercrombie, Hollister, and American Eagle. I asked a clerk in Rome about his AE sweatshirt and he said it was a total fasion statement and very expensive. Your daughter will be shocked at the prices Europeans pay for American brands and how popular they are. When we were in Rome the owner of the B&B got a package from her friend in the US and it was full of Levi's jeans and GAP shirts. She was so excited and we just laughed. We told her if we would have known we would have brought clothes for her and paid our bill in her prices. I would just say mix in some fun active things like you would do on a vacation here and your daughter should enjoy it. Good Luck

I'm laughing alot at these posts but also getting a little scared for our trip! Kelsie is a great kid, but is also a typical teenage girl. Hair, makeup and fashion are very important to her. I like the idea of giving her Rick's art book. Although she prefers to be on facebook and myspace to reading anything. I have already been to all of the places on our itinerary so my goal is to have a beautiful memory with my child. I want her to have fun, not be bored, sullen and grouchy. Anymore tips on ways to save money would be nice. My budget is tight but I know we can still have fun.

Nate's post sparked off an idea for Paris. Dawnya, if your daughter's into fashion, she could visit the top French fashion houses (eg. Chanel), might give her bragging rights at home. Girls of any age probably enjoy visiting chocolatiers too, take a look at this article for more information: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/travel/14journeys.html.

We took our kids (1 of each) to the UK and to Austria when they were around 11-18 years old. They didn't enjoy everything- especially sicnce their Dad walks faster than some cars (lol), but did enjoy most things. Maybe you can do some trade-offs with your daughter. For every "old church" or museum she visits (without griping), you'll take her shopping for X hours at her choice of market, shop, etc. How long is your trip? That can impact her enjoyment. Also- start prepping her now that she probably won't be able to text and might not get to email often. International phone service can be VERY expensive. I agree that hostels and doing some of your own meals (picnics, etc - or cooking at the hostle) can save alot of money. Plus daughter gets to meet some people her age. Get her to research the places you are going to for hostles, b&bs, etc. as well as for things she'd like to see/do.

Dawnya, I am trying to do the same thing with my 16-year old son. He has already said exactly what your daughter said: no tour bus (for the same reason) and let's keep the museums and churches to a minimum. The fact that he doesn't understand how important this kind of history is, is exactly why I want to take him to Europe! At the same time, I really do want him to have a great holiday and return with lifelong memories of a trip with his mom.

We're definitely on a budget, too, so I am going to try to follow Rick' "Best of Europe in 21 days" route. We'll travel through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. (Hey Rick - I'd give anything to go on tour that is geared to accomodate the 14-18 year old teenagers! Any plans for something like this?!)

Some of the things we're going to do include finding hostels that are in cool places, like jails, mills, and castles. We plan to go see Hitler's Eagle's Nest, go luge riding, hiking in the alps, and taking some cooking classes in Italy (my son loves to cook). I am certain we would get so much more out of this trip if we went on Rick's tour, but I'll have to save that experience for myself the following year.
I hope you and your daughter have an excellent holiday together that you never forget!
Best of luck - Heather

Dawnya,I have one question, who is paying for this trip? For everyone to enjoy themselves, I think you need to speak with your daughter about this being a trip for "BOTH" of you. Have her do some research too and pick several must sees in each city and you do the same. In addition to learning about European history & art she will also be learning a lesson in compromise and thoughtfulness.

I've taken my kids to London & Italy & before each trip I remind them that it is a family vacation and not everyone is going to enjoy everything, but we all get to choose things that interest us and to be considerate and not complain if they are bored with someone elses choices or next time I'll leave them home [INVALID] works like a charm and they usually enjoy more than they think.

On the lighter side, since she is interested in fashion the travelingprofessor.com website has 2 blog entries in August for the fashion lover. One lists a couple of fashion museums and another discount designer stores. Also it says that Galerie Lafayette runs weekly fashion shows. I believe you can reserve in advance if that works into your plan.

Go and have a great time, but don't let her put all the work on you.

When my daughter was 16 we went to Kirkenes,Norway (above the Artic Circle), Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, London and driving in the UK for two weeks, we were gone for 5 1/2 wks. She enjoyed it a lot. The one main thing she wanted to do in Paris was to go to the cemetery to see Jim Morrison's grave. While we were in Amsterdam, we went into a store they had at least 80 different colors of nail polish that you could test. Rachel put a color on one nail, then she proceeded to do another, a clerk ask if she needed help she said no, I kinda thought I knew what she was going to do, when we left the store she had a different color on each nail...simple thing, but she had fun. So if something comes up that you might think is silly, let her do it. Let your daughter read about where you will be and let her pick one or two things in each place that she wants to do. We also went to a Hard Rock Cafe for a meal in each city we went, which she enjoyed.

I took my daughter to Europe when she was 14, 16 and again this summer when she turned 18. She had the same attitude. (I'd been before and had seen all the cultural sights so was okay with that.) We did abbreviated visits of the "must sees" - saw only the Mona Lisa & Winged Victory at the Louvre, for example, and spent most of our time walking, eating, shopping, and just being there. It was really okay and honestly we didn't have enough time just doing that. Doing things like walking up the Champs Elysees and spending an hour in Sephora and having a snack at a German McDonalds were actually lots of fun.

It was important to her to spend a little time every other day or so at an internet cafe to check email and communicate with her friends. The occasional treat (we were on a budget too) like the Hard Rock Cafe were fun for her. You will find plenty to do without spending hours in museums and churches, but brief-ish visits will be fine with her once she's there, I'm sure. Make sure she eats regularly whether she's hungry or not (we picked up sandwiches and ate outside a lot) and gets to sleep in late sometimes. My daughter is a great kid and fun to be with but she IS a teenager and they do have their own set of needs! The cranky times were when she was tired or hungry. (..or maybe it was when I was tired and hungry.) Enjoy the memories and just relax about what you think you "should" do.

(Also, I tried to get her to help plan the trips and do some reading but failed totally, so I made all the plans and it worked out beautifully. Be realistic about who your kid is regardless of all of our advice.)

Maybe we are just lucky or maybe we are benefitting from our long history of taking trips as a family from the time our youngest was 6 weeks old, but our children (14, 12 and 7) are great travelers and we don't plan our trips around them - seeking out "child-friendly" sights. We see lots of old churches and museums, to say nothing of the dozens of castle ruins. That's child-friendly enough for us. Not every day is golden, but overall, it's been very educational and rewarding.

Bottom line; going to Europe (or anywhere else similarly far away) is a big deal for most families. She should be thankful for being invited along. Give her a chance to surprise you with how much she grows to appreciate doing the things YOU (the one paying for all of this) like. If she doesn't - if she brings you down and taints the memory of the trip for you - the solution is pretty simple; leave her home the next time.

Most of the traditional high tourist Cities in Europe are fun to just walk around in and absorb the culture and atmosphere. Window shopping trips on the Champ Elysee, Regent and Bond Street, people watching in Munish and Amsterdam. Wandering through stores like Selfridges and harrods, are all fun. Finding tiny parks and green squares in the middle of town, or down some side street. In sarlat we found an artict who did metal sculptures pyrely by chance. Shopping in street markets for a picnic with local ingrediants

We've learned from trampsing days on end in places like Disney World and Europe: the 2 phase day is really a great method for sightseeing, esp. if it's hot. Get up and get breakfast (esp. if it's free), sightsee 3-4 hours then return to base for downtime, cool shower, sunbathe, whatever. Then make a 2nd circuit after at least 2 hours of rest. This schedule fills your days with activity but makes them so, so much more liveable.

Dear Dawnya,

I love my 2 daughters MADLY, but they are now 36 & 34. At 15, I would have paid someone to take them off my hands. Your daughter has told you HER ground rules and they don't sound conducive toward you having a good time.

From the heart, and for what it's worth................

I did a 10-day rail trip in Italy w/ girls 17 and 15 last summer. Good news was that pizza was excellent and cheap, really undercut what I had expected to pay for food/day. Bad news was that out itinerary was a bit too intense, should have had more downtime, time to just kick back and enjoy the atmosphere, watch life go by.
Find relatively safe places and let her shop and hang out on her own. Space & freedom and makes teenagers happy.

I'll add a few things on trying to save money. Eat lots of street food. She'll probably like that more than formal sit down restaurants and its cheaper. Eat lots of gelato. You'll both walk it all off anyway. Get things for a picnic at the local food markets. The markets alone are an adventure and probably something she has never really experienced. Most markets also have express food service for a cheap but tasty lunch. And as someone else said, eat or snack often to avoid getting grumpy. Let her sleep in some mornings while you go off to do something on your own that won't interest her.

Thank you everybody for your advice. Kelsie is my baby, the youngest of three. So, I do have a tendency to give her whatever she wants. I think the best plan of attack is to have a loose itinerary and then just go with the flow. I will make her go to to Orsay and the Prado because both of those museums had works of art so beautiful they brought tears to my eyes. I felt so lucky to be there. Now I feel lucky to have the time and the money to take my daughter to Europe. We will only stay at places with wifi and I have a global phone so she will be able to text from where ever we are. This will make her happy.

I agree with earlier post from Brad. When I said I went with my two sons, it worked out fine. In June, we went to Italy (Rome, Pompeii, Naples, Positano) and then on to Frankfort with 15 year old granddaughter who just wanted to go home to see her friends. She also wanted an "American hamburger" so we treated her to one at an Italian restaurant while we ate the Italian food. Before we knew it, she was eating off our plates. I think some of the posts are great about letting her see how much European pay for clothes versus us. As far as museums, let her pick what she would like to see, Dutch masters or sculptures and then focus on that, that worked well for us. As a parent of a teenager, I am sure you realize they will have "meltdowns", just grin and bear with it and look at the bright side, someday they will look back on the experience and be able to laugh at it. Our first trip to Europe was in February over Valentine's Day. How was I to know my youngest had just met the "love of his life" and would be away from her on THAT DAY. Picture us in a phone booth trying to call the states with a phone card that didn't work and the fit he had, his life was over. We still laugh at it now as a great life experience. You will have the same memories. Enjoy your trip.

When I went with girls 15 & 17, I fixed in my mind from the start this this was OUR trip -not my trip taking the girls. We made the plans, and against "I dunno" and "whatever" answers I made decisons but I asked their opinions and listened to what they did and didn't want to do.
What if this were your fiance making the plans: how much would you expect her/him to take your interests (and disinterests) into consideration? Act like that.
And you don't have to agree. You can do the Louve by yourself if you're the only one that wants to go. Your kids are better left with happy memories of sitting in a park feeding french fies to french pigeons than ugly memories of fighting and being dragged around.

I just spent three weeks with my 15 year old daughter in Europe. We started in London then to Paris, an overnight train to Milan (which was fun as I spent a little exra to get a double for safety and sanity reasons), and from there we stopped in many italian towns/cities and ended up in Naples & Pompeii. We had an extremely tight budget and still had a ton of fun. I was lucky that my daughter loves museums and churches, but we did alot of other things as well that I think may work for you. Feeding birds in Paris, french bread and frites in the park was a blast (believe it or not). Hanging out in the park next to the Eiffel Tower was great (she did ALOT of boy watching while I rested my feet). Boat tour down the Seine was fun and not too expensive. There are great pastries and gelato in Paris as well as Rome, so we would get snacks and hang out in the squares or parks and people watch. In Rome, be sure to hang out on the Spanish Steps as there is alot going on which a teenager would love to see. Also in the evenings there are plenty of side shows (performers) in the summer (not sure when you are going). The Roman Forum and the Colosseum are outdoor museums and very impressive, so that would be a must (this was my daughter's favorite). When shopping, make sure you check out the smaller young/hip shops, there are tons of them and my daughter loved looking at all the fashions. Be sure to do some of things you want to do and ask her to be respectful of your choices, since you are doing the same for her. I had this talk with my daughter before we went and when things went south (due to being tired or hungry), I would remind her of our talk. It worked out pretty good. You should do some research and look for some funky museums she might want to check out - who knows what she may want to see (like a Crypt full of skulls in Paris). Good luck!

Have your daughter read Jackie Steves' (Rick Steves teenage daughter)blog. She can read about Jackie traveling to Europe. She was older than 15 but still a teen. This is a fun read for any of us!

http://www.ricksteves.com/jackiesteves/

Just got back from Rome and although it involves a church, your daughter might like going up to the cupola at St. Peter's. It's quite an adventure and once you get to the top, the view is amazing. You may want to consider doing a bicycle or a segue tour, again it would be quite the adventure. Definitely sit down with her, have her do her own research so she can plan and get excited over what she would want to do.

Having traveled with my daughter quite a bit, what she likes to see and do are things that she is interested in. What is your daughters favorite school subjects? What are her hobbies? If she is a musician, then go to some concerts or an instrument museum. If she like architecture, see what you can do with that. Most kids like going to tops of things where you can get a good view. So consider climbing to the top of St. Pauls dome.

I would also recommend doing some bike tours or walking tours. Most teens love these, as they present the history of the city in an entertaining way, move quickly and can be lots of fun. Prices are cheap too, usually less than a boring old Hop-on Hop-off bus would be.

I recommend cutting the 'virtual cord' (for the most part) that keeps her constantly connected to everything 'home' - ever seen 'Audrey Griswold' in Europe LOL ?!? "Hello, Pan-o Am-o?" It's difficult to be in the moment in Europe, or anywhere else, if you're mentally somewhere else. She'll live...;-) , and enjoy her trip better.

I agree about not doing too much 'planning around a child' (unless they're babies, etc.). My parents didn't ask my opinion about much of anything (Thanks, Mom & Dad!), because THEY were the adults. When I became an adult I could do what I wanted.

I just don't understand all of these kids being so whiny in Europe. It's Europe, for cryin' out loud! I'd have been ecstatic at having the opportunity to travel! Nothing would have bored me (but then again, I WAS an exceptional child...).

"You can do the Louve by yourself if you're the only one that wants to go. Your kids are better left with happy memories of sitting in a park feeding french fies to french pigeons than ugly memories of fighting and being dragged around."

...that may be true, but I'll go one better; let the teenager feed the pigeons at home and go yourself, if you think this is what they would prefer. Feeding pigeons may be a lovely memory in a family with plenty of money to throw around, but it's a sad waste for most families. You can't force them to appreciate their surroundings. If you suspect they won't, leave them home. You won't be doing either of you any favors by force-feeding the experience.

A funny thing is that Rick Steves went to Europe with his Dad when he was 14 and he really didn't want to go!
But it happened to be he loved Europe and caught the travel bug and has gone into the travel business and makes millions! The rest is history. Funny how things work out sometimes!

I've been to England and Italy with my teen daughters (England when they were 16 & 13, Italy 17 & 14). We do a quiz before leaving (based on sites we will be visiting, basic history, traveling skills - euros, pounds etc.), the better they do on the quiz, the more spending money they earn for the trip (and the more knowledge they have about what we'll be seeing). Days are planned to have 3-4 hours of museums, churches and history, other time is spent window shopping, finding food for a picnic (lots of samples in many store - try cheeses, meats, and things unusual to your diet), eating gelato, chocolates or pastries. We always buy Rick's books (and usually one other) and they can choose sites/restaurants that sound interesting to them - we try to make the schedule "ours." We've never had any issues or meltdowns (of course, the girls have traveled since they were little throughout the US)...

I remember the first time I took my 14 year old to London. First stop was the Tower of London and she didn't want to go inside...Afterall, it was just jewelry (The Crown Jewels) that I wanted her to see as well and everything else. Before we left, we had to visit the gift shop where she had to buy a tiara she was so impressed with the Tower and the " just jewelry" that she had the pleasure of viewing. We full grown adults usually know better for the teens- that's why we are the parents and they are the children. Remind them in the cathedrals etc just how hard it was for the people to build those beautiful buildings without the methods we have today. How they could be standing where queens and kings stood or the forces of the allies in WWII, etc.
OR, if nothing else, tell them how important it is to YOU! Enjoy.....

Believe it or not, I took 14 teenaged Girl Scouts to Paris and Switzerland, with 4 other adults. And survived! No tour groups, but we did stay in a GS center in Switzerland. But in Paris, we were on our own, arriving at 6AM Paris time. We dropped our bags at the hotel, and then to a nice breakfast. Food is the way to a teenagers heart. Then off to Sacre Coeur. There were lots of shops and food vendors in the area, and a cute little merry-go-round that the girls just had to do. When we made it to the church, those who wanted to climb to the top, did, and others just took in the sights. We did a mix of different things, from the Eiffel Tower at sunset (if you are going, make it exciting), to walking in the Tuileries Gardens for ice cream and people watching. Went to the original Statue of Liberty, Notre Dame, doing the walk up to see the gargoyles was great! River Thames cruise, some did the Louvre (where we took time to have a coke at the cafe over looking the Pyramid), some did the Hard Rock Cafe. They all enjoyed sitting at a side walk cafe on the side street near Notre Dame and ordering...pasta. We did do the Orsay, but also spent time being entertained by the street musicians afterwards. The Catacombs were "interesting", and appealed to the teens, but there was a long line. The train trip into Switzerland was a learning experience for us all, but a good one. It certainly got them out of their comfort zone, and all have wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. I found with both this trip, and personal trips with my 3 kids, they enjoy stopping at little shops. One time in Rome, the highlight was buying a flour stuffed balloon from a Gypsy vendor. For 2 euro, it was a deal for them, and eating Gelato while sitting at the Trevi Fountain was amazing. Biggest suggestion: No matter what you do, you're spending time with your daughter in Europe, eat it up!

Good topic with fun and useful info. My teens are generally good travelers (and it's the boy who gets bored far quicker than my museum-loving daughter). But one thing I constantly forget teens needs lots of sleep. Really. It's not ALL laziness. Our doctor compared the sleeping needs of growing teens to a young child. So I just TRY build in some relaxing down time and stay away from very early morning sight seeing and all generally goes well. I'm also a big believer in including kids in the planning and doing some of the things they want to do. Yes, the adults foot the bill, but that doesn't mean that the kids should be denied input. It's their vacation too.

I toured 6 EU countries for 3 wks last summer with 2 teenage girls and their mother. The girls generally enjoyed themselves, but there was a fair amount of whining. Overall, the trip was successful for them as they both want to go back to Europe, with one of them planning to do a college semester abroad, and my goal of broadening their understanding of life beyond our state and increasing their level of independence and sophistocation was met. Teens need more sleep than adults, so you'll need to factor that into your plans. Their mom and I usually had breakfast before them at the places we stayed, with them joining us towards the end of the breakfast period. They also had food issues as their mom isn't much of an adventurous eater and one of the girls pretty much boycotted everything except pub food & hamburgers (in Paris, no less!). They whined about all the walking, the stairs in the hotels, the small hotel rooms, and the lack of telephone access to their friends back home (they were able to check their email at most places we stayed). They loved seeing the sights and shopping. Their big splurge was shoe shopping at Harrod's in London. Make sure you have a plan of where to meet up wherever you are, should you get separated, including on the subway systems (e.g., get off at the next stop and wait for the other person). Interact with as many local persons as possible. You won't have the same experience as you would if you were staying with local people, but it will give your daughter more insight as to how people in other places do things differently and think about things differently.

Thanks to everybody for your suggestions! I really want to include London after talking more with my daughter and reading RS's latest newsletter. I think Rome and Italy should be saved for a future trip. I know how important sleep is to teenagers (she is my youngest of three) and have no intentions of making her get up early. This is why an RS tour wouldn't work. We will take RS books and gypsy spirit on this trip.
The only problem with adding London it is so expensive. I will really have to be creative in that city to not blow the budget.

My husband and I took our 14-year-old granddaughter to DC in 2009. We planned the trip around a similar one we took years earlier with her then nine-year-old brother. Big mistake. After two days of general grumbling, while standing in line in the National Archives she told us she could care less about historical documents. At first I was mad; I'd blithely planned the trip without asking her what she wanted to see. Then, I calmed down and did ask. "Grandma," she said, "you know I love animals and science, can we go to those kinds of museums?" I did know that, so we spent the rest of that day and the following day in the Natural History Museum. From then on, with the focus on her interests (the reason we took her there anyway), the trip became fun for all of us.

What about Rick Steves family tour? There will be other children and she may enjoy that. Maybe you may want to look into that!

A couple of ideas for Paris.... the outdoor markets are wonderful. Besides food they have cheap clothes, scarves, and neat little kitchen gadgets. You all can get your lunch there and she can learn some French culture , too. If you need a list of some I have all of them. Also ... if you walk down the Champs Ellysee, the Largest Sephora cosmetics store in the world is there and most girls really go for cosmetics. She can spend some time alone in there,,, there are many items in there that are not expensive. Lots of cheap lipstick etc. The flea markets are neat- Porte de Vanves. Pere Lachaise Cemetery has a lot of neat graves. I taught a French class yesterday and the high school kids wanted to know all about the people who were in the cemeteries.More cheaply, does she sketch or write . Get her a journal or sketchbook. Ask her if she is interested in any of these.If she is a foodie, she can get books..... there are many ....on the best bagette store, the best chocolatier, etc.Visit some.

greetings! while i don't have kids of my own, i do teach 8th grade (which maybe is why i don't have kids of my own?) and i have to wholeheartedly agree with posters who suggested giving her a guide book and telling her 'go for it!' an additional suggestionyoung adult novels that feature travel. sharon creech's 'bloomability' has the europe aspect you're looking for, and autumn cornwell's 'carpe diem' is a fantastic YA book about travel and its ability to create fun where you thought there'd be no fun (though it is set in southeast asia, it's still a good message). if your daughter is a reader, private message me and i'll send you a more complete list of book suggestions.

Something that your daughter might enjoy in Paris are the free fashion shows at Galleries Lafayette and at Printemps. Each is on a different day of the week and at a different time. My wife want to see one and I "went along." We both had fun. Additionally, for Paris, their prices are pretty good. There are some good "sites" in the areas near both for visiting as well. Enjoy a great trip and an opportunity to share some fleeting time with her. All too soon they are gone.

Last summer my family went to France (Paris, Loire Valley, Mt. Saint Michel, Arromanches) for 2 weeks with 3 teenagers (18,16,13). As we planned our trip, each family member was able to suggest 1 place or thing that they really wanted to do in that 2 week period. Each family member got to do and/or see the 1 thing that they wanted to do, i.e. Chambord, Chenoceaux, play on the beach in Normandy, visit Mt. Saint Michel, and shop in Paris. We also did things we hadn't expected, i.e. rode the ferris wheel outside the Louvre, ate ice cream, walked the Champs-Elysee where we bought a few things since it was the sale season. My 16 year old also enjoyed coming back to school in the fall and telling people that she shopped on the Champs-Elysee. So, ask your daughter to give you 1-2 ideas of what she really wants to do/see. Tell her what you really want to do/see and make compromises. My oldest who lived in France for the year said that the Dordogne was nice and she saw chateaux, the caves, and ate foie gras. We're glad we did it. Good luck!

Dawnya, you mention sleep is important to your daughter & some posters suggest letting her sleep in, but I noticed you mention you plan to take overnight trains to save $$. Have you and your daughter ever been on an overnight train? A lot of people have difficulty getting a decent amount of rest on a moving train, & nothing makes a teenager nastier or more whiney than not getting enough sleep! You also mention you are dropping Italy to add England. You may want to give her a little freedom in England to do what she wants on her own for a few hours. There is no language barrier for her to overcome. Let her go see a matinee London theater performance or go shoe shopping while you check out a museum or church nearby. (continued...)

(continued...) If you go to Barcelona, spend part of a day at the beach if your daughter enjoys that. Get her excited about seeing stuff before you leave by having her read or watch DVDs set in Europe. For example, if she read "The DaVinci Code" or saw the movie with Tom Hanks, or any of the Jason Bourne books or movies with Matt Damon, or "Harry Potter", maybe she'd want to find some of the places featured prominently in those books or movies. I used to roll my eyes when my mother wanted to drag me into churches or most art museums because I didn't enjoy medieval or renaissance art - but because she dragged me there anyways, I discovered other things that I enjoyed, like seeing what famous dead people might be buried in the church or climbing 300+ stairs to the top of the church to get a view of the city. I hated looking at painting after painting of Madonna & Child, but I loved all the stuff in the museum's Egyptian wings - mummified cats & people, an elaborate sarcophagus - and I discovered I liked photography, impressionist & modern art. Finally, consider hostels over hotels. She may enjoy being around other families with teens, or young adults traveling on their own and getting to meet different people from all over the world. Many hostels also have nice tv & internet lounges which give her a little space from being with you 24/7. And you can save some money by preparing a few meals on your own instead of eating out all the time. Hostels also have coin-op laundry so you can avoid some of the fighting now about how many shirts she wants to bring in her carry-on.

Can we stay in hostels? I thought you had to be under 30 years old? Our travel plans have changed again. Kelsie and I talked more and she wants to see the Anne Frank Museum, so we will go to Amsterdam and then on to Vienna and Prague. More castles for my baby! I have been on an overnight train and was able to sleep. Depending on the distances we may not need them. I still want to go to London, but we only have 15 days. I want at least three nights in each destination. I did one and two night stays on my RS tours...no bueno....unpack and then pack again the next morning made for an unhappy Dawnya. Spain was so amazing, I want a full two weeks to share that beautiful country with her. Maybe in 2012?

Amsterdam is a wonderful place to walk. the canals and canal boats near the Anne Frank house are so fascinating to see. The bridges over the canals. there is one area with flower sellers along the canal (I hate to call it a flower market). In fact the entire inner canal zone. be sure to try the crepes at night. Also their small sandwich "broodje" lunches, much more interesting than ours. And you must do a touristy canal boat ride - more for the different aspect on the scenery. (also day trips to a number of different places, whether on your own or with a tour company). you shouldnt be bored. I prefer London, but thats me

If you go to Amsterdam find the hidden church in the canal house museum (google it) and also if you see Anne Franks you should also see the resistance museum and if you are over at the restistance museum you should go to their great zoo - which is across the street. I love Amsterdam! Beautiful city! There is lots of weird red light district but she is old enough to handle that at 15.

Dawnya, We live in Naples, Italy and have been subjecting our kids pre-teen and teen to the museums and churches all over Europe for the last 2+ years. The best time they've had so far are the bike tours. This is when they've gotten a good overview of the city we are in. Then when we're done they can't wait to tell us what they want to go back to and see. Sometimes it's the biggees and some times not. But it really helps them and us have a great time together. Of the places you're going Paris and Barcelona have Fat Tire bike tours company. Their tour guides are usually college aged and a lot of fun for the kids. Since you've been before the jokes will be even better for you! Don't worry, it'll be fun. But I agree with most, make her look into what's fun to do in all those places herself. Ownership of your trip will make it so much better for her and you! The bonus is you'll be training a new and excited world traveler. Have her use google and the phrase "Europe for teens." She'll get lots of good hits. Take care,
Katy

The Fat tire bike tours are in London too. There is a GS international center in London, paxlodge.org. They are VERY affordable and they do pack lunches, breakfast and dinner (served @ 6pm sharp). You don't have to be GS to stay there. They are very near the tube and easy to get to. Prague is awesome. My teen daughters LOVED the black-light theater and the food. public transport in this city is a breeze. Have fun!