Visiting Kauai, Hawaii with kids

Even in an island paradise such as Kauai, its guaranteed that at one point, your teen will throw a fit. It might be during a plantation tour when the sullenly reach for their Mp3 player to block out the tour guide’s voice, or when they refuse to put on a swimsuit for the family scuba diving lesson. At some point it will happen, and there’s really only one way to prevent it: let your teen help plan the vacation.

All teenagers are different, and no two teens are going to want to do the same thing. Someone might suggest taking your teenage daughter on a local shopping excursion, when all your teen girl wants to do is stay at the hotel and listen to music. No one can suggest activities that your teen will love except for your teen.

As soon as you begin planning your trip to Kauai, find a few websites or travel books that highlight the best features of the island, and pass that along to your teen. Give them a few days or weeks to pick out the activities and places that interest them, and make sure to add that to your itinerary. You may even want to call ahead, and decide if certain activities are okay for your teen to do on their own. Believe me, everyone will be happier with a little time apart.

Finding things in Kauai that will keep your teen happy is possible, but its much easier if you get your teen involved before ever boarding the plane.