Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The 16-year-old learned an important lesson about overpacking when we stepped off the boat in Venice. According to Google maps, the walk from the dock to our hotel was just 15 minutes. But what Google maps does not tell you is that walk is primarily up and down bridges.
While we were there for the canals that serve as streets in this spectacular city, we hadn’t thought through what that means from a practical standpoint. Venice is a great adventure with teens. Turns out that meant dragging a suitcase up and over four bridges in 90-degree heat to get to our hotel.
And as our daughter gamely bumped her stuffed suitcase up each set of stairs, then down the other side, she rethought some of her choices. And by the time she pulled her suitcase into the lobby of the NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi , her excitement over arriving in Venice had evaporated. Traveling with teenagers is a joy – and a challenge.
While you can track down multitudes of articles about travel with kids, the teen years are very much overlooked. True, the days of screaming tantrums, limited diets and afternoon naps were behind us, but with a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, enforced togetherness can wear thin. And just try telling a teenager how to pack for a trip.
Luckily, our home for the next 48 hours was dripping with Venetian charm. The lobby was blessedly cool and regal, with massive Murano glass chandeliers, tapestries, and inlaid .