How To Have A Fun And Affordable Weekend Getaway With Your Teen #RIFamily

This post is written as part of a partnership with Residence Inn. As a member of Resident Mom Club I received a gift card for use at Residence Inn. Please note that, as always,  any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.

I remember being a teenager. There came a time where I just couldn’t wait to be an adult and do the things that I wanted to do in my own way. Many years down the road I became a parent. A couple of year ago, when my son entered high school, I could feel the change in our relationship. He didn’t want to talk as often as we used to. He didn’t even want to go on some of the same trips that we’d gone on for years. He started college this year. I felt like I was running out of time.
And then I tried something different. I asked my son to meet me in the city for the weekend. Family travel comes in many forms and in this instance it took the form of a mother and son trip. I love to travel. I am a great believer that it’s important to travel while you’re young, because the reality is once you’re an adult on your own things happen that can make travel challenging – jobs, family, school, commitments, etc. I explained to my son that I was going to be in the city and would love to have him join me. It took some convincing but he finally said yes.
Time to plan. Where to stay. What to do. What to bring. And then I took a breath. I wanted this trip to be different then our typical family trip, where we handle all of the planning and the kids follow along in tow. Here are the five things that I found helpful in planning the weekend getaway with my oldest.
Decide where do you want to go.
For a weekend on a budget you’ll want to go somewhere within a reasonable distance from home. Not too close and not too far. Living here at the Jersey shore one place that immediately comes to mind is the city. We’re 60-75 minutes out of two major cities.
Decide what you need in a hotel room.
Obviously you want a safe and clean hotel, that goes without being said. But what else is important to you? For  this trip I wanted us to have a room where we wouldn’t be on top of each other, and still have a sense of having our own space. A suite such as the one we had at the Residence Inn gave us not only plenty of room to sleep but also a separate living room and kitchen.
Forget the schedules and itineraries.
Well, not literally. I mean figuratively. Only use an alarm if you need it. Sleep in. If your teenager is like mine they’ll love it. It’s a great change of pace from the vacations where you get up early and go, go go until bedtime when you drop. Speaking of bedtime. Forget traditional bedtime. My oldest is a night owl. I stayed up later and spent the weekend on his clock.
Eat on a budget.
I don’t know about you but I have been on trips where easily half of the cost was spent on meals. I’m all for the occasional special meal out in a restaurant but I just can’t see spending tons of money. Case in point. We had a meal on my son’s first night in the city that would have cost about $30 at home but cost almost $100 in the city. Same food at the same chain restaurant in our town. Have an idea for how you want to handle meals. My son is 19 and fit but has a decent appetite. He likes to snack on chips and popcorn, particularly late at night. He likes to have a bowl of ice cream while watching tv at night. All of these things were possible in our suite, which was equipped with fridge, freezer, and microwave. If you don’t want to stop at a store while you’re out there’s even free grocery delivery at the Residence Inn. Do you require coffee before you can start your day? Make some in your room! Do you like breakfast? Residence Inn offers it to guests every day for free!
Have fun without spending an arm and a leg.
Go walkabout. On our first night together we headed over to Times Square. We explored the square and a number of the shops in it. We spent two hours walking through the shops in Bryant Park. It was fun and relaxing and sparked some great conversation. My son loves music. He found a music store that he had a blast looking in. We found a book store with all sorts of books, which led to some more interesting conversations. The great thing about talking while walking is it’s less “direct” and “confrontational”. I have found that body position has a big impact on how chatty my son is.
Remember those itineraries I mentioned earlier? I remember a few vacations where I needed a vacation from the vacation. Sometimes it is good to just unwind and do nothing. After you’re finished your walkabout plop yourself down on the couch and watch some tv. Concerned about not finding something to your liking on the hotel’s network? No problem. If your hotel offers free wifi like the Residence Inn does just open up Netflix. I let my son pick a couple of movies. We snacked and stayed up until almost 5 am watching movies.
Still in need of things to do? If your hotel has a concierge like the Residence Inn just ask him! Ours not only answered some questions but also gave us a map and pointed out some things that he thought might be of interest.

Do you have any tips for keeping travel fun and affordable? Or any questions about staying at the Residence Inn?

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