Help! Planning a trip for husband and teen step daughter to Spain

Your question is a little too broad to be answered without some additional information. What city are they planning on flying in to? What are their interests? When are they planning on going? Does their week include the days they fly in and out? Give us a few details and we can give you better answers.

The last question that mentioned 'teenaged' kids actually had kids that were in their 20's LOL! Are they thir-TEEN or nine-TEEN? Big difference. Have you/they already watched travel videos and read any guidebooks yet? It's their first trip to Spain; is it their first trip to Europe? Why did they pick Spain? **I suggest you delete this thread and repost it in the "To the West" section of the Helpline.

One full week might mean Barcelona and surroundings, Madrid and nearby daytrips, or the south of Spain. Get a copy of Rick's guidebook on Spain – that will really help you get started. Not sure of the kids' age, but many countries now have procedures in place to help prevent child abduction, especially the type where one parent travels with minor children without permission from the other parent or legal guardian. Do a little research – might not be a bad idea to ensure your husband has a signed, notarized letter, indicating your permission for him to travel with your minor children for the country and dates of the itinerary. If immigration/passport control doesn't need it, great, but if they ask for something, he'll have it. Include your contact info in case they want to call you to verify. Happy planning!

Unless the kids are old/mature enough to do things on their own you need to get them heavily involved in the planning. Make sure there are activities every day that they have chosen. This should keep them involved and with less reason to sulk and complain. Get a good guidebook and let them pick the places and things to see/do that interest them most. If they aren't willing to do this planning think hard about whether you want to take them.

Get a copy of the Moon Guide To Spain, Candy Lee LaBalle --- great source of information.

First trip to Spain for a full week? Split the time between Madrid & Barcelona. Two incredible and totally different cities. Lots of things to see and do for all ages. Great day trips from both. They will be planning their next trip to Spain as soon as they return home. Hasta la Vista!