Europe trip-where to take “meh” college age DD?

[sk!mom]

And she’s not excited about vacationing in Europe, but she rarely gets excited about anything, period. Just not her nature.

I get more confused each time you respond. If she doesn’t get excited about things, then just plan the trip you want.

But I do appreciate all the suggestions. Hawaii is on our short list as a place we’d all like, but probably in 2024 or 2025.

I thought this was the last trip you were paying for.

The issue seems to be that you know what you want to do but want her to be excited. Apparently, You can’t have both of those. You either book a beach trip since that’s the only one she has excitement for or plan the trip you want and hope that she ends up enjoying it.

 

[EMom]

And she’s not excited about vacationing in Europe, but she rarely gets excited about anything, period. Just not her nature.

I get more confused each time you respond. If she doesn’t get excited about things, then just plan the trip you want.

I thought this was the last trip you were paying for.

The issue seems to be that you know what you want to do but want her to be excited. Apparently, You can’t have both of those. You either book a beach trip since that’s the only one she has excitement for or plan the trip you want and hope that she ends up enjoying it.

DH and I are going to Hawaii within a few years and she can go with us if she chooses, but not completely on our dime. The airfare is essentially free, she can chip in to upgrade to a 2 BR condo instead of a single, and cover some meals and activities. She can go to Hawaii with us cheaper than on her own for these reasons.

She’s just not the sort who gets excited. I do not expect that reaction, because it’s just not her personality. She’s very low key. If we took her to the beach of her choice, she’d appreciate it and be pleased, but wouldn’t be excited.

She likes the KNOWN. She knows she likes beaches, amusement parks, shopping and coffee. TBH, if we had never gotten the idea to take her to an amusement park or beach, they wouldn’t be on her radar either. We had to expose her to those before she decided she liked them. It’s not that I don’t think she’d enjoy Europe, but she doesn’t KNOW if she would.

We gave her the choice of going to Europe with us in the spring or not, and she chose to go. By spring, she would have the time and money to go on a trip of her choosing by herself or with a friend, but she preferred going with us. Our COVID canceled trips were to Central Europe, but due to the Ukrainian situation, we want to postpone that itinerary for a while. DH and I have visited much of Europe and we will enjoy almost any destination, so I asked for ideas from others here in hopes someone could relate to our family situation.

We watched some videos last night. To my surprise, Portugal did not interest her at all. Not even the beachy bits. Paris appealed to her more. So I think I’ll just keep showing her videos and see what catches her eye.

 

[PalmettoPath]

French Mediterranean- the city of Nice especially. There’s even a beach, but not a lounge-on-the-sand type. Or Capri.

I would agree with this, as I used to live in Nice. Yes, the beach is river rock/pebbles, but it's fine to lay on on a towel. The Med is great for swimming as well. The broader area itself has a ton to do along la Cote d'Azur -- so many things to explore (there are even sand beaches in hidden coves not too far from Nice). From Monaco, to Nice, to Cannes and St. Tropez, you can explore the coastal area on the train (or other ways if you prefer) so you get the best of both worlds in terms of beach and history/ambiance. Half-day trips are easy and inexpensive. The food is great as well! Vieux Nice is a treasure to explore and there are countless other things to do as the area is rich with history.

 

[Moliphino]

DH and I are going to Hawaii within a few years and she can go with us if she chooses, but not completely on our dime. The airfare is essentially free, she can chip in to upgrade to a 2 BR condo instead of a single, and cover some meals and activities. She can go to Hawaii with us cheaper than on her own for these reasons.

She’s just not the sort who gets excited. I do not expect that reaction, because it’s just not her personality. She’s very low key. If we took her to the beach of her choice, she’d appreciate it and be pleased, but wouldn’t be excited.

She likes the KNOWN. She knows she likes beaches, amusement parks, shopping and coffee. TBH, if we had never gotten the idea to take her to an amusement park or beach, they wouldn’t be on her radar either. We had to expose her to those before she decided she liked them. It’s not that I don’t think she’d enjoy Europe, but she doesn’t KNOW if she would.

We gave her the choice of going to Europe with us in the spring or not, and she chose to go. By spring, she would have the time and money to go on a trip of her choosing by herself or with a friend, but she preferred going with us. Our COVID canceled trips were to Central Europe, but due to the Ukrainian situation, we want to postpone that itinerary for a while. DH and I have visited much of Europe and we will enjoy almost any destination, so I asked for ideas from others here in hopes someone could relate to our family situation.

We watched some videos last night. To my surprise, Portugal did not interest her at all. Not even the beachy bits. Paris appealed to her more. So I think I’ll just keep showing her videos and see what catches her eye.

Expedia has some really nice videos on YouTube. We've watched A LOT of city walkthroughs in the past year trying to figure out where we want to go next.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Expedia/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=4

 

[EMom]

Expedia has some really nice videos on YouTube. We've watched A LOT of city walkthroughs in the past year trying to figure out where we want to go next.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Expedia/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=4

Thanks for that hint!

 

[ford family]

Some countries mentioned would be highly offended being called Eastern Europe.

Really? Which ones?

ford family

 

[mefordis]

Some countries mentioned would be highly offended being called Eastern Europe.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-countries-are-in-eastern-europe.html

 

[figment52]

Have you offered to watch or introduce her to Rick Steves' or similar videos?

What about Barcelona - it has beaches, Las Rambles, Gaudi, the mountains.

 

[RamblingMad]

Because she is college aged, she's old enough to do her own thing when traveling abroad. Do whatever you want and let her figure out what she wants to do on her own. Don't make her spend every minute with you.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Really? Which ones?

ford family

Specifically Czechia. The feeling was they were being looked upon as communists...eastern block. It wasn't appreciated. .. actually insulting. I don't have as much experience in Hungary but the sentiment was the same…Cracow too. At least in our experience. It was clear...do not stigmatize us in that manner. It made an impression and I respect their stance. Again... my personal experience.

FWIW...have a friend who was born in Czechoslovakia, Her birthplace is now in Slovakia. I also grew up with a neighbor and close family friend who escaped Hungary during the 1956 Uprising. Their thoughts and perceptions ... as well as multiple visits to the region definitely influenced my opinion..

 

[fivikse]

My kids are similar (currently teens). They don't know what they would like or not like, if they haven't tried it yet.
We recently returned from London. They didn't know what to expect, but ended up loving it. I think Paris also sounds good for your daughter. I would either pair London and Paris or one of those with a more outdoorsy location that is easy to get to.
Or I'd consider Italy. I haven't taken my kids yet and it may be more overwhelming for a first trip. But I think combining a city and a beach area in Italy could be a great trip for you guys.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

They don't know what they would like or not like, if they haven't tried it yet.

In all fairness while the OP hasn't given the exact age of their daughter they did say college aged and the OP has been open that her daughter has said she wants the beach it's her happy place and her place to de-stress.

I do think others have a valid point about exploring opportunities but most of the time the ages disclosed there are younger (or it's in the context of convincing one's parent). The OP's daughter isn't 13,14,15,16,etc and the OP has taken her to multiple places over time. I get the impression her daughter is at least adult enough to have a feeling of what kind of vacation she wants. She def. could be pleasantly surprised but I think it should also be framed as if she's a tad different than trying to convince one's sullen middle or high school teenage kid to come along for a family trip. Not saying that's exactly what people are doing but yeah, this seems to be more along the lines of a well enough traveled individual.

 

[EMom]

Having watched some videos, Croatia (possibly with a few days in London) looks like the choice. As a bonus, DH and I haven’t visited there before, so it will be new to the whole family.

 

[lifesavacation]

Having watched some videos, Croatia (possibly with a few days in London) looks like the choice. As a bonus, DH and I haven’t visited there before, so it will be new to the whole family.

I've heard amazing things about Croatia.

 

[Karin1984]

Croatia is getting more and more popular as a tourist destination within Europe. Plenty of people in my circle have been there or plan to go there soon.
Still undiscovered enough to be special but it is up and coming to cater to tourists.