I am planning my first time trip with my 11year old grandson. I would appreciate suggestions about technology. Do your grand kids bring their ipads? Do you recommend a journal to capture special moments? What point & shoot cameras do you recommend, or if they have a phone, that's good enough? Thank you
Kids live, breath and eat with their iPhones. I would suggest you discuss limiting the use of his iPhone to picture taking while with the group and set aside time of day to use his iPhone as he wishes…
Kids live, breath and eat with their iPhones. I would suggest you discuss limiting the use of his iPhone to picture taking while with the group and set aside time of day to use his iPhone as he wishes.
I journal old school with a paper journal. It makes one slow down, reflect on the day and he will have all his journals forever. Technology changes daily and I still have all the paper.
I suggest you make your grandson included on expectations ahead of trip so you can both get the most of your time together.
I definitely agree with TravelHound. I'd have them use the phone for photos. Otherwise it's just one more thing to keep track of.
Depending on where you are going, I might consider one of the lanyard holders for their phones so they don't get dropped in a pond/stream/lake/ocean/canyon, lolol!!
If they will journal with pen and paper than that's wonderful, otherwise they might consider journaling on their phones or iPad. I'm sure there's an app for that, lol.
What a fun trip...wherever you are planning to go! I was having a conversation with my 3-year-old great nephew this AM and he wants to go on "be-cation" with me. I hope I'm still in good enough shape in 7 years to take him on a RS program!
~Pam
Thank you all for your helpful responses. I agree the act of writing in a journal is very valuable, much more personal. Something that you can re-read easily though over the years. I also appreciate the recommendation to discuss and set expectations ahead of time. .
We are finalizing the details.. I am a bit nervous as i have not done this before, but a trip with my grandson is on my bucket list. Next trip will be with my granddaughter .
Kids need downtime so allow that. I have traveled with my grandsons quite a bit and I have learned to be flexible. Taking photos with the phone is what they are used to doing and smart phones these days produce surprisingly good photos, especially in low-light situations. Keep in mind that what interests a teenager can be quite different from what you would expect. I think not all teens like journaling but you might suggest that he send an email home to his parents or to his best friend at the end of every day with a few photos and some comments about what he experienced each day. By the end of the trip, he will have a journal. Sharing travel experiences with our grandchildren give us opportunities to grow closer in a very unique way. I hope you and your grandson will have a grand time or perhaps you have gone on your trip already.