Planning a Family Trip to London with Teens
Deciding to Go
Dan and I talked about taking the kids to London for a LONG time, but could never decide if it should be a stand-alone city break sort of trip or part of a larger European or at least British Isles trip. Rather than make that decision, we just kept putting it off. Then, as we looked at summer of 2016, we realized that, for a variety of reasons, we only had one week to give to a family trip (so sad), and London finally made the cut. (The declining value of the British pound in the wake of Brexit didn’t hurt either!)
Planning the Trip
So, destination set and dates chosen, I booked the lowest fare flights with acceptable flight times (Aer Lingus was the winner). And then it was time for the fun stuff: choosing where to stay and what to do! In planning a trip for the four of us, I try to make sure all activities are enjoyable and (hopefully) interesting, but I focus on finding one truly unique and spectacular event or activity that will be the highlight of the trip, the thing we talk about over and over for years to come.
All four of us are Harry Potter nerds. Dan and I got to the point with the last three books that we had to buy two copies of each, because neither of us could stand to wait for the other to finish (blush). So, when we saw that JK Rowling’s newest installment in the HP world was going to be a play, and that it would be in previews while we were in London, we pretty easily decided that the play (which is shown in two parts, so takes a full day to see the whole thing) would be our trip highlight. Once we realized how much we’d have to pay for tickets, it kind of became our YEAR’s highlight!
For the rest of it, I created a list of must-sees and dos and started mapping out a balance of “fun” and cultural pursuits. Even as teenagers, my kids need to be rewarded for good museum behavior with something like a bike tour where they can burn some energy! Of course I asked for input, and (of course) received very little:
Jonny: “Sounds great, Mom”; “Whatever you think, Mom.”
Emma: “London Eye?”
As for Dan, his MO is to not think about the trip at all until we’re actually on it. Then he starts making suggestions and tweaks that totally mess with my itinerary. Used to drive me crazy until I learned to build in some flexibility for the inevitable spontaneous Dan-contributions.
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Can’t get enough of Afegirls in London?
Check out:
– Our complete trip itinerary
– Afegirls’ guide to food and lodging
– Our version of the Amazing Race through London
– Our top 10 list of things to do in London with teens
– A day out in Dover: Castles and cliffs and tunnels galore
Trip Date: July 2016
Kids’ Ages: Jonny – 16; Emma — 14