How to Plan a Texas Holiday with Teenagers
Teenagers can be tricky holiday companions. They are too old for the kids’ club and too young to wander off on their own in a foreign city, they want wifi more than they want views, and they can go from enthusiastic to monosyllabic in the space of a car journey. Texas, oddly enough, suits them rather well. It has huge stadiums, theme parks, proper American food, cowboys who are only slightly put on for the tourists, and the kind of over-the-top scale that teenagers secretly love. With a bit of planning, a Texas holiday can be one of those trips the whole family still talks about years later.
Land in Dallas and Keep Things Flexible
For most UK families, the natural arrival point is Dallas Fort Worth International, which has direct flights from Heathrow. After nine or ten hours in the air, the first afternoon matters more than people expect. Families who hire a car from the airport tend to find it far easier than juggling taxis, especially with two teenagers, four large suitcases and a fair amount of jet-lagged grumpiness to contend with. Having the car from day one also means the itinerary can bend around how everyone is feeling, which is half the battle with this age group.
The rental cars at DFW are kept at a separate rental car centre, reached by a free shuttle bus from the terminals, so it is worth allowing a bit of extra time before setting off. Parents who haven’t driven in the US before usually find the wide roads and automatic gearboxes easier than they feared. The biggest adjustment is driving on the right, closely followed by the size of the motorways.
Let the Teenagers Do Some of the Planning
The quickest way to get buy-in from a teenager is to give them a stake in the trip. Before booking anything, it helps to sit down together, look at a map and let each teen pick one or two things that are theirs. That might be a stadium tour, a theme park day, a particular barbecue restaurant or a basketball game. When something on the itinerary is their choice, the eye-rolling tends to ease off.
Older teens can also take on real responsibility. One might be in charge of working out the route for a day trip, another of finding somewhere to eat. It’s a gentle way of practising the kind of independence they’ll need in a few years, and it takes some of the load off parents. Working out how much independence to give teenagers on holiday is a balancing act, but small, contained jobs like these are a good starting point.
What Teenagers Tend to Love in North Texas
Dallas and Fort Worth have plenty to keep this age group busy.
Sport
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys, offers tours on non-game days, and the scale of the place, including an enormous screen hanging over the field, impresses even teenagers who have no interest in American football. Catching a live game of any sport, whether basketball, baseball or ice hockey depending on the season, is a memorable night out, and the American way of doing sport, with all the noise and snacks, is quite different from a Saturday at a Premier League ground.
Theme parks
Six Flags Over Texas, also in Arlington, has serious roller coasters for thrill-seekers. It’s worth checking opening days in advance, as the park doesn’t open every day outside the summer.
The Fort Worth Stockyards
This is a historic district where a small herd of longhorn cattle is driven down the street twice a day. Add rodeos on certain evenings, western shops selling proper cowboy boots, and plenty of barbecue nearby, and it’s an easy half day.
Museums that don’t feel like school
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas is hands-on enough to hold the attention of teenagers who would usually groan at a museum visit.
Pace the Days Sensibly
Jet lag hits teenagers hard, and the six-hour time difference means that the first couple of days are best kept loose. Planning a theme park day for the morning after arrival is asking for trouble. Something low-key, like a wander around a mall or a swim at the hotel, works better while body clocks adjust.
It also pays to mix busy days with quieter ones. A day at a theme park followed by a lazy morning and an afternoon activity keeps everyone on side. Teenagers need more sleep than they ever admit, and a holiday is a rare chance to let them have it.
Think About Timing and the Heat
Texas summers are seriously hot, with temperatures regularly above 35°C from June to September. That makes outdoor sightseeing hard work and means planning around the midday heat. Spring and autumn are much more comfortable. The October half term can be a lovely time to go, and the State Fair of Texas usually runs in Dallas from late September into October, complete with deep-fried everything and a giant talking cowboy statue. It’s the kind of thing teenagers will photograph endlessly and pretend not to enjoy.
Easter is another good window, with warm days and fewer crowds than the summer holidays.
Budget for the Hidden Extras
Prices in the US can catch UK families out, because what’s on the price tag is rarely what’s paid. Sales tax is added at the till rather than included in the price. Restaurant tips are expected, usually 18 to 20 percent of the bill. Hungry teenagers and American portion sizes are a good match, though, and sharing plates is perfectly normal, which helps keep food costs down.
Parents should also give some thought to phone data before travelling. Roaming charges can be painful, and an eSIM or a US data package for each teenager usually works out cheaper than letting them run up a bill.
Sort the Paperwork Early
Every member of the family will need a valid passport, and British passport holders travelling under the Visa Waiver Program will generally need an approved ESTA before flying to the US. Applications are usually processed quickly, but leaving it until the week before departure is a gamble. Checking the latest UK government travel advice for the US before going is also sensible.
Travel insurance with strong medical cover is essential, as US healthcare costs are eye-watering. It’s also worth checking whether the car hire policy covers additional drivers if two parents plan to share the driving.
A Texas holiday with teenagers takes a little more planning than a week on a Spanish beach, but it gives them something they’ll remember, and it might just earn parents a few grudging compliments along the way.
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