Travel - Edmonds,WA

I really liked Wendy K.'s answer! Maybe you could give him a budget and have him plan the vacation and make all the arrangements. That way he can see just how much work it really is to make flight and hotel reservations and rental car and activites and food and everything else. If the point of the vacation is to find something that HE likes, then let him do it. My friend's mom got sick of her complaining while on vacations, so when she was 15, she got to plan the whole thing. After she realized how much work it was and what all really went into planning a vacation, she appreciated the things that her parents had planned while growing up.

Since he is 17 years old I'll bet he could be given a "vacation budget" to stay within and asked to plan a vacation for all of you that he would enjoy as well as the two of you. I think he would really enjoy "being in charge" of the planning, with a litttle help if needed to make reservations, etc. I'll bet he would surprise you with his creativity if you let him plan a family vacation and it would be a good experience for him to work with financial end as well as he will soon be on his own.

I don't know your son or what he likes, so my first idea would be to ask your son what/where he might be interested in. If the point is to take a vacation that *he's* going to love, see if you can craft something you all find interesting. Is there a style of music he is into that finds its 'mecca' elsewhere? (Austin, TX or Nashville or New York or LA? Rock and Roll Museum? ) Is there style of art that he's immersed in? A discipline of science? These are just suggestions from a middle-aged lady, but I'd say getting him on board is the first step in it being fun for everyone. Let him have some authorship of the plans and give him some responsibility in looking up attractions and when they are available, etc. And see, too, if there are other things for the water-lovers to check out. He might just be really happy to hit a nearby 'big city' with a friend in tow, spend a couple days enjoying life and go to a concert. I know that was what made us happy at this age. Hard to say, but nice that you want to treat your son to a good time!

At his age, you should involve him in the decision process. See what he wants to do and where he wants to go.

National Parks could be cool - Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite. Otherwise, pick an interesting city like New York, Washington DC, Chicago, or San Francisco. As someone else mentioned, a cruise to Alaska would be amazing (I did it two years ago and LOVED it).

If he's into sports, maybe choose a vacation that is somehow based around a sport/team he really loves (visit the MLB Hall of Fame and take him to a couple of new and/or historic baseball parks).

You have to be 21 to enjoy Vegas, not 18, so I don't recommend that.

If you have the finances, maybe a trip to Alaska (since WA isn't as far away as most other states) or somewhere in Asia or Europe or Australia? Again, I don't know what your finances are, but all of those scream "once in a lifetime" to me. Maybe you could ask him if there is something that he would like to do?

I can only imagine trying to find a happy medium with a 17 year old. I remember how I was at 17 - traveling with my parents was the LAST thing I wanted to do. However, you don't say if you've asked him what he wants to do?

what does he like? video games, live music festivals, white water rafting, rock climbing, techy science stuff, comic books, camping, UFO's, old West, racecar driving, baseball tour of stadiums? there are conventions/festivals/specialty places/museums for almost anything these days.
i'd look for things to do that are related to his interests at home, somewhere away from here so he wont run into friends and you wont be an uncool embarrassment (no offense but he is 17... ; ) ) or... what if you brought one of his friends too?
one last suggestion, depending on your budget- would he like something foreign (london, amsterdam), or (cheaper) Montreal?

We have taken many trips with our children when they were teenagers. We included them in the planning process, and aimed for activities everyone could enjoy (or at least tolerate.) We went to Europe - 5 days each in Paris Brussels and London. We saw all the major sights, but limited our time in art museums. We went to Maine - explored the coastal towns, went to Acadia National Park, took a scenic flight, stayed in a cabin in the woods, went hiking and white water rafting. We went to San Francisco- Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, cable cars, shopping, hiked in the Muir Woods, ate great food, and continued south to the aquarium in Monterrey. Our "trip of a lifetime" was a budget cruise of the Galapagos Islands combined with several days in Quito, Ecuador. We all were sorry we didn't have more time to stay and see more of Ecuador. This summer, we'll be exploring Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Seattle. Maybe he'd be more enthused if he could bring a friend along?

Take him to India, show him the true meaning of poverty and he'll start to love beaches, boats, etc! Okay, maybe that's harsh, but I have known people who have done this and it has jolted their teen into reality! Seriously, though you don't say what his interests are, but maybe something that applies to them - hiking in the Andes in South America, somewhere in Europe, a celebrity tour in LA, I don't know. More importantly, what I would do is talk to him and find out what he really likes and would like to do on a vacation and hopefully then you can plan something together - he's much more likely to love it if he's involved in the planning.

New York City, Washington DC...or wait until he's 18 and hit Vegas!

I've yet to meet a person who hates Cabo! The Riu Palace is wonderful and big enough that he can do his own thing while you do yours, but small enough that you can still check on him.

:)

How about a ranch experience? Maybe an adventure vacation? History vacation around Washington DC?

We took a Ranch vacation several years ago, it was wonderful. Horseback riding was the part my kids enjoyed the most but there were many activities to chose from. They had a teen program as well which might really appeal to your son. We did both the winter and summer programs at this particular ranch and I highly recommend it. The food was outstanding, always important on vacation! Its worth taking a look at their web site, its Lone Mountain Ranch in Bozeman, Montana.

What about camping in a national park? One that comes to mind right away is Denali, AK...amazing wildlife there. Perhaps Moab, Utah..which has a lot of outdoor things like mountain biking and going to Arches National Park and Canyonlands. Sunny...yes....he doesn't like boats? Has he been rafting before? THAT is a blast! I would definitely suggest rafting from Moab. There are some great rafting tours that do all the cooking and lead you into an incredible place. They have other families on trips so that he can meet other people on the vacation too.

Vail, CO...

They take you up the lifts and let you ride down the trails on dirt bikes. They also have different activities for teens to participate in without the parents.