International Travel with Teens: Chaos, Connection, and Mosquito Bites

From Eye Rolls to Epic Memories

Hiding from the Mosquitos in the Amazon Jungle

By now, you already know that we spent a year traveling as a family—just the four of us, backpacks in tow, hopping between 50 countries across six continents. What you might not know is just how much that experience changed our family dynamic. We didn’t just check off bucket-list destinations; we built an unshakable bond through the highs, the lows, and the hilariously ridiculous moments that only international travel with teens can provide. There’s something uniquely challenging (and rewarding) about navigating new cultures, unpredictable situations, and long travel days with teenagers in tow.

Let me tell you, if you want to really get to know your teenagers, take them out of their comfort zone, drop them in a completely foreign environment, and watch the magic happen. Sure, there were challenges—teenagers don’t exactly wake up thrilled for a 4:30 a.m. bus ride, and they definitely have opinions about hostel bathrooms—but those very challenges are what brought us closer. When you’re halfway up a mountain in Nepal, sharing the last of your snacks because there’s no convenience store in sight, or laughing over who got the muddiest in an Icelandic lava field, you bond in ways that just don’t happen in the everyday routine of home life. International travel with teens isn’t just about seeing new places; it’s about growing together through every unexpected twist and turn.

Shared Experiences with Teens = Stronger Bonds

International travel with teens throws you into situations where you’re all experiencing something new together—sometimes exciting, sometimes terrifying, and often just plain funny. Take our canyoning adventure in Switzerland, for example. We signed up to rappel down waterfalls, jump into icy pools, and squeeze through narrow gorges. Sounds fun, right? Well, let’s just say that watching your 13-year-old daughter dangling from a rope 50 feet in the air is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. But we did it together, cheering each other on, and by the end of the day, we had a new family badge of courage (and some amazing stories to tell).

Then there was the Amazon. Poor Cooper has always been a magnet for mosquitoes, but in the rainforest, he basically became their all-you-can-eat buffet. No amount of repellent could save him. He was covered in bites while the rest of us remained miraculously untouched, leading to endless teasing and a collection of hilarious photos we plan to bring out at future family events. While he may not have found it amusing at the time, the shared experience of survival—armed with anti-itch cream and a whole lot of laughter—made for one of our most memorable travel moments. That’s the reality of international travel with kids and especially, teens—it’s unpredictable, messy, and sometimes uncomfortable, but those shared experiences turn into the stories you’ll laugh about for years.

International Travel with Teens: Learning to Navigate the Unfamiliar Together

One of the biggest ways international travel with teens or kids in general, brings a family closer is by forcing you to rely on each other. Whether it’s figuring out public transportation in a foreign city or adjusting to an entirely new cuisine, travel challenges push teenagers out of their comfort zones in the best possible way. There were plenty of times we found ourselves lost in a foreign city, struggling with language barriers, or dealing with unexpected hiccups—like when our luggage mysteriously disappeared somewhere between Thailand and Australia. These moments weren’t always fun in the moment, but they taught us to trust each other, work as a team, and (most importantly) laugh through the chaos.

We learned to adapt, like when we tried to order food in Korea and ended up with a dish we absolutely couldn’t identify. The rule? Try everything and hope for the best. (Unless it’s still moving—then maybe proceed with caution.) Some of our favorite meals were total accidents, and some of our best stories came from navigating markets and menus where we had no idea what we were doing. But that’s the beauty of family travel—it pushes you to figure things out together, creating inside jokes and unforgettable memories along the way.

The Challenges (and Joys) of International Travel with Teens

Of course, traveling with teens isn’t all Instagram-worthy moments. There were plenty of eye rolls, groggy mornings, and moments where someone just wanted Wi-Fi and a break from sightseeing. But those little frustrations were overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of laughter we shared. It’s easy to take life too seriously when you’re stuck in the daily grind, but when you’re racing to catch a tuk-tuk in India or attempting to surf in The Philippines (and failing spectacularly), you can’t help but let go and have fun.

I went into this journey expecting an adventure of a lifetime (which it absolutely was), but I didn’t anticipate just how much it would transform our family. We came out of that year not just as seasoned travelers, but as a stronger, more connected unit. Our kids opened up in ways they never had before, and we got to see them grow into more confident, resilient, and adventurous versions of themselves.

So if you’re thinking about international travel with teens, my advice? Do it. Yes, there will be challenges. No, it won’t always be easy. But the bond you’ll build and the memories you’ll create will be worth every single mosquito bite.