Travel Tour suggestions for our Graduating High School Senior

The RS Switzerland tour is great, for many reasons, but the emphasis is on outdoor activity, with minimal churches and museums. Switzerland is like an adult Disneyland, with the spectacular gondolas and lifts and trails and paragliding and swinging bridges (Titlus). We have been on tours with teens, and the group dynamics were great!

The Swiss transportation system is world class, so planning a trip on your own is also quite doable. You'll receive incredible advice here if you choose that option. The one advantage of planning your own trip is having more time in the Berner Oberland than the RS itinerary allows.

In any case, have a memorable family trip.

RS Best Of England would be great I think. Either the fully guided version or the new "My Way" version, a bit cheaper.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/england/my-way-england-vacation
Lots of variety; cathedrals, hiking in the Lake District, cities, museums.

We may. similar in our travel. We delayed children for similar reason. Wife had second son at 40. For us the use of ocean cruises around Europe solve a lot of problems but we were traveling with the our sons when they were early, mid teens and continue with spouses twenty years later. We liked the cruises for the economy and flexibility provided when the boys were younger.

Have you asked them where they would like to go? And what are their interests? That's going to be important because if you take them someplace where they're bored to death, they'll hate it.

If they like hiking and the outdoors, then places like Scotland, Norway, and Switzerland spring to mind. Keep in mind that Norway and Switzerland are both very expensive. Scotland is a really cool country and quite beautiful, but not quite as expensive. Germany is also a good country to visit because it's got a lot of beautiful scenery, is great for the outdoors, but also has a good amount of art and history there.

And if they're interested in history and art, Italy and France are both great. Both also have beautiful scenery and good food.

England is a fun place to visit and is high on the comfort level, since everyone speaks English. Although, of course, most people speak English in Norway and Switzerland and many other countries, there is a certain comfort about being in a country where everyone speaks the language you do (to a certain extent).

First choice is Italy. Any of the RS tours sound great. I'm smiling just thinking about it.

I began RSTing with my daughter when she was 20, choosing tours based on my interest and during her school break availability. Venice Florence Rome was our first and its an RST best seller for good reason. We also vastly enjoyed our Best of Paris, Barcelona and Madrid, Best of South Italy, Best of Sicily, Loire to the South of France and Heart of Italy tours. I'm a firm believer 'travel is the only thing you pay for that makes you richer' and consider providing these experiences to my kid as one of my best accomplishments. Suggest you browse tour offerings here and when you've got questions on particular locations you're considering, ask away. I enjoy the travel planning and if you think any others of your party do too, share the duties and research. Happy travels to you and yours!

How much time do you have available?

RS tours range from 7 to 21 days. Hard to recommend a tour when your time frame is unknown.

Perhaps have the reluctant son look over the RS tour menu and see if he sees anything he likes or is willing to consider. If he comes up with a short list, tell the forum and you will get lots of feedback on each one and some insight on what may work best for your family.

If you use the SEARCH button here:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours
you can narrow down the possibilities by the number of days you have available, and cost.

It doesn't sound like a great graduation present for this particular young man. Maybe frame it as a family Xmas present instead. I assume you mean that his graduation will be in May or June of 2027 and that the trip will be after that. What are his plans after graduation? Won't he want to work another summer at his lifeguarding job before he heads off to college (or whatever)? And what will your daughter's availability be to travel with the family next summer?

I have taken 12 Rick Steves tours. On several of them, young adults were accompanying their parents or other older relatives. Off the top of my head, there were young adults on tours in Istanbul, the Basque Country, Portugal, Paris and Sicily. I always enjoy these young adults immensely. It is important that they feel comfortable being around mostly older tour mates.

Almost any RS tour would be fine, but they do have different emphases - history, culture, art, the outdoors, food - so you really need to look at the itinerary and the inclusions to figure out what appeals to your particular family. I would definitely include your son in picking one out. You never know what he might like (my own granddaughter told me she wasn’t interested in Paris - imagine that!)

I guess I'd ask first what your family has under their belt for travel within the US? If you've done little of that then I'd understand his hesitancy. Then again, if you've traveled quite a bit domestically as a family, how did that go? Where did you go and what sorts of things did you do that all of you, including your son, enjoyed? Was it a happy experience for him?

I think it's less a matter of booking a tour as planning a graduation present that would appeal to HIS interests so it's not YOUR trip. No sense spending the $$$ and the planning time if a tour abroad is not what he wants? I was a different sort of young person: headed off to Europe with a choir (no parents or siblings along) a month just a few weeks after graduation and couldn't wait to go. We're not all the same. That's OK.

Anyway, if this trip is to be a gift, then it needs to be a gift HE will enjoy. That doesn't necessarily mean travel abroad but maybe somewhere he's got in the back of his head...and I do NOT mean the "D" place!

Each suggestion has been so helpful! A bit of sage-like advice in each response. What a lovely forum! Keep the suggestions coming — much appreciated!

I've never done an official Rick Steves tour and thought having a tour guide would take off some of the pressure in the parent–young adult/teen dynamics that can occur with "why are we doing that" and "don't you know where you're going!?" LOL. Though getting a little lost is part of the fun for my husband and me. Though it's not the same, I would fall into a "responsible" mother role. I think going on a tour would ameliorate that — I'm thinking the guide can lead the way to the adventure instead ;-) If I am mistaken or if you have any thoughts on the question and your experience on Rick Steve's tours and travels please share. Thank you!

I’d take the RS Best of Venice, Florence and Rome.

You may be on the right track about the tour guide. RS tour guides are the best! They work really hard to make sure everyone has a good time, regardless of age or experience, and they handle the logistics seamlessly. They are generally knowledgeable, kind and fun! They certainly takes the pressure off in terms of being the “responsible “ person. They are also helpful with suggestions and information for your free time (RS tours build in a nice balance between organized touring and free time).

Once you narrow down the possibilities, you can call the RS office to see if a particular tour and date has other younger participants. I have found that they are willing to share the general characteristics of those who are signed up (couples, singles, family groups, etc.) Your son may enjoy the tour more if there are a couple other young people on it. (Although I will say that I’ve observed that many younger people don’t necessarily hit it off with each other and spend more time with other generations or their own family members.)

Yes we have done Rick Steves tours with our kids as kids (daughter was 10 & son 14) I don’t think they would let her go now at that age. My son has done 4 tours. The last when he was in College. When he graduated from HS we did the 14 day Europe tour. We went in Aug & there were other kids (teenagers) on the tour.

My daughter as a young adult has done two more tours with us including last year & the year before She is no dummy if parents are paying. She became a confident traveler & that experience helped her when she studied abroad in College a few years ago

What we like about RS tours is the half the time usually is free time. If you aren’t sure I would start with a city tour. You can go early or stay late to see other sites. We have done Paris, London , and Rome with our kids. We even went to Disneyland Paris before our Paris tour.

I understand your son being concerned not growing up traveling but what a wonderful education you can give him by doing it now.
The guides are always amazing and all were very wonderful to my kids. We found down time helped with teenage boys. Time for video games or texting friends at home or just letting them wonder a city by themself.

Feel free to DM if you have any other questions. I say go! Enjoy. A little bit out of their comfort zone is good for their growth.

Be sure to come back to let us know what the family/graduate chooses!

Hi, I don't think you mentioned whether your children have taken a foreign language in school? If yes, do they have an interest in a particular country based on language(s) or interest in a certain culture or history? As has been mentioned, their interests should weigh into this.

Have had good experiences on all the RS tours I've taken and have traveled on the Rome and Venice-Florence-Rome tours with teens and college students (spring break timeframe). As said, England's also a good entry point for anyone who hasn't traveled much. Good luck as you research ideas!

Let him look at RS tours and see if any appeal to him. If not, I would not make a trip his graduation present. Loving history, he might enjoy England. If so, be sure to go to the Churchill Rooms in London. If he likes ancient history, Greece or Italy.

Looking at some tour members scrapbooks may give your family a feel for the daily activities and sights on the various tours. Warning: perusing these scrapbooks can be addictive! haha

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/scrapbooks

Hello,

Although I haven't gone on a Rick Steves Tour with a young adult family member, I have travelled several weeks in Europe with my daughter when she was about a year younger than your son ( and again when she was a bit older).

So I am going to suggest something a bit different. You mention that your son is concerned about the cost but that he loves history. How about going to Greece?

There are a couple of companies that offer 3, 4, and 7 day tours of the mainland of Greece (and of course, Rick Steves also offers a tour). The price for the 4 day Classical tour (offered by C.H.A.T. tours and Fantasy Travel) comes out to about $740/person. When we went on this tour in June of 2018 there were several young adults traveling with relatives.

https://chat-tours.com/tour/4-days-classical-tour-tour-9/

I am happy to give you more information about what you could do in Greece if you think he might be interested.

Are the teens morning people? I ask because many tours are out the door by 8:30am each day, and if your teens aren't fond of that, perhaps planning your own tour would be best.
We did the Venice- Florence -Rome RS tour, and there were early starts and late dinners (the culture.) I was absolutely exhausted afterwards. The early starts made sense, as the guide got us into museums before the crowds. But backed up against a late dinners, it was too much for me.

The Swiss RS tour was more relaxed, and had some later starts. On one of our last days, we didn't leave the hotel until a glorious 11:00am! I went to breakfast at 10:00 and expected the room to be empty- but no- 80% of the group was also enjoying a late start. Only three folks had been out early exploring before check out.

Have fun planning!

The only time my parents took me outside the United States was to Toronto and Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. I took a 4-week Yiddish Class in Vilnius, Lithuania, when I was 24. Then I didn't manage to travel far from home again until I was 32. My grandfather on my dad's side took my 3 boy-first cousins to Mexico when I was 12 but my mom said no and I didn't go. My mom is 73 but she has never taken a plane flight. She still freaks out every time I travel far from home. Yeah, fear of my mother's reaction is my biggest worry in travel. I took 7 solo trips to different parts of Europe in my adult life so far, in addition to some shorter solo trips to cities in our own country and Mexico and Peru. I have not considered taking a whole-trip group-guided-tour (yet). My top reasons are because I don't want to keep worrying about how much or how little I need to talk to my fellow tour participants, and what if there is a problem person in my tour group?

If your son is hesitant about traveling, why are you worrying about taking a trip with him? Why wouldn't you plan a trip with just you and your husband, but offer your son the chance to travel with you. He could come with you or stay home alone; he could plan his own trip alone or with friends or a significant other, soon or later or never.

I would definitely recommend the Best of Europe 14 Day tour. I've taken it twice with older teens and they loved it. There were other teens on the trip and everyone got along great. The tour is geared for people who haven't been to Europe, so it teaches basics like how to take the Metro, tipping, manners, etc. My teens could now go to Europe on their own.

Thank you for your suggestions, and appreciate hearing from the lived experiences of others on this forum! As I said earlier, we did not have an opportunity to travel when they were young. Simply, could not afford it; we are still paying off our college loans - they watched us work very hard during the Great Recession, and then COVID hit. Traveling is such a valuable way to learn about the world, and we kind of see this opportunity as a way to spend time with our adult kids (almost 18- and 20-year-olds). This generation is so interesting; they know so much, though in a real-world, non-digital sense, they seem younger. We are hoping and planning that this year or next may be an opportunity to invest in traveling as a family. They are working too while in school (no school loans); we are proud of them. Take care!

I’ve been on several Rick Steves’ tours where teenagers were tour members. They were a lot of fun and fit in well with everyone.

Having read your last post, your situation and mine many years ago have some similarities; especially with economics and purpose.

I decided it doesn’t matter as much where they go as it does that they go. At their age everything is new and the understandings that they will get just seeing how things can be the same and quite different is the best education of travel at their age. The rest, the history, etc., you can get out of books if you can’t travel.

I have never been on a RS trip, but I am certain they are marveolus. I have seen the prices and I am certain that they can be twice the cost of doing the trip on your own. If it were me, with my kids, with what I know today I would send them East where the worlds cultures overlap and from their perspective things will be the most unexpected. It also happens to be where things are the least expensive.

It wouldn’t matter if it were one country or three countries. The idea is new, and as diverse as possible. If I went with them I would still hire guides for the reasons you discuss and because I think you get more bang from your buck that way. If I sent them alone there are three places with two guides that I wouldn’t worry a bit about them. One, Bulgaria, one the Balkans and one Romania. In all I know they would be in good hands.

Two weeks in the Balkans with RS is going to cost $5,000 per person. Two weeks on a well-planned two-week trip in the Balkans with guides and transportation and hotels might not cost much more than $6,000 total for both kids (plus flights). Mom and dad, if they came with, would just have to pay for another hotel room and maybe an upgrade on the some of the transfer cars (to hold five). Just a wild guess, maybe another $3,000. The nice thing about doing it this way is you design to match the budget. AND, if the kids were to do it solo, you have someone you can call who is tracking them for the entire trip.

I thought of the Balkans (Sarajevo through Montenegro and into Albania) first for the kids because they will go from Catholic to Orthodox to Muslim culture in one day. Seeing people of such different cultures living together peacefully without extremism is a great lesson. They will also go from coaats and beaches to mountains and zip lines. And there are great walled cities, architecture, music, food and nature that they might not know even exists.

To be honest, I think my prices above are high. The same costs will hold up in Bulgaria, also a great choice for tge same reasons and Romania which will be a little more like home.

If your budget is potentially tight, I would run the numbers with both eyes wide open before paying for 4 tour spots because they are expensive.
My daughter has been on 3 trips to Europe with me at ages 14, 15, and 16 (planning her 17 year old trip now) and the first 2 were guided tours (2nd we arrived 5 days early to explore on our own) and then I gained the skills and confidence to plan and navigate more on and I've been really pleased with the balance of doing what we want and saving money doing it that way.

But my daughter had no hesitation to decide where she wanted to go and she did well on the tours too. Both times she was the youngest. And both times there was a young adult (19 or 23 ish) as the 2nd youngest. But she loved the itineraries and was interested in a lot of art and history that we saw.

I've booked my first RS tour to GAS in 2027. It is a senior trip for my youngest daughter and she selected that itenerary. Two years ago my oldest daughter selected Greece for her senior trip. We used Cosmos and had an unbelievably good time. Location was her choice then too. We love to travel and the majority of the tour being older than them did not affect them in the least.

Book it! Creating memories is truly the best gift we can give to our children!!

I was on the 9-day Heart of Italy tour several years ago and there were two families with high school graduates on the trip. There was also a grandmother, daughter, and 9-year old granddaughter in the group. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The only "problem" was that it reached 98+ degrees each day. Enjoy whatever tour option you choose as I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Thank you. These are wonderful suggestions and thoughts!