Mom Advice: 5 Tips for Planning the Best Mother Daughter Trips

My daughter is about to turn 20 and looking back on her journey from baby to young adult, some of the most treasured times we have spent together have been our mother-daughter trips. There is just something special and uniquely bonding about being on the road, experiencing new things, and discovering new places together that opens the door for conversations and builds your relationship.



We started off with local road trips and slowly expanded to capture more of her interests and explore new places. Over the years we have visited museums, gone white water rafting, climbed mountains, explored cities, observed wildlife, visited National Parks, gone glamping, tried star gazing, taken photos with landmarks, and visited colleges. After each trip, my heart would soar when she asked where we were going next year.



With a number of mother-daughter trips under our belts, I can reflect back and think about what has made them a success. When I cast about for the moments that stand out from each, there are some common threads that tie them together. So I wanted to share these thoughts to help you plan a mother daughter trip.



If you need, I also have quite a few ideas for terrific mother daughter trips you can plan yourself.



Mother daughter trip to Crater Lake



5 Steps to the Best Mother Daughter Trips



Involve her in the Process



I’m a big proponent of involving your kids in the travel planning, but when it is a one-on-one, mother-daughter trip, it is even more important. The first thing is that you can’t force it. Your teen may prefer to spend time with her friends than travel with her mom. But if you can tailor a trip to her interests, you might be able to get her on board.



Start small and then build up to an annual trip that you both look forward to every year. If you have multiple children, she may even enjoy getting a bit of special attention, especially if you rotate doing one-on-one trips with your kids.



Whether she is mommy’s little girl or doesn’t usually want to be caught dead with you, getting her involved in picking a destination and planning the activities is going to set the stage that this is a trip for both of you. It gives her some control and also gives her ownership. (It can’t suck if she is the one that picked it, right?)



Pick a Meaningful Destination



If you want a special trip, pick a special destination. Bonus points if you can find a destination that is on both of your bucket lists. Does she dream of going to Paris ? Does she love wildlife? There are plenty of ways to incorporate animals from planning a safari or a once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica to see penguins, to national parks, zoos, or wildlife refuges. I know someday we would both love to volunteer at a panda refuge in China (and since she is studying Mandarin I’ve promised a trip to China for graduation.)



What about books? Do you both love to read? If Harry Potter is your thing, there are options from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando to the many Harry Potter sites in London . Jane Austen fan? What about a trip to the English countryside? To Kill a Mockingbird? Plan a trip to Alabama.



Maybe she loves Broadway shows. Even if you can’t afford tickets in New York , many cities have wonderful Broadway series. If you do manage to score tickets to Hamilton in NYC, you can also visit Alexander Hamilton’s home and take a legacy tour in New York. Or maybe you can visit Yorktown, Virginia to learn about the decisive battle that he was involved in there.



If television or movies are more your speed, find out where her favorite was filmed and have her research filming locations that you can visit. Hunger Games fan? Plan a trip to Asheville and the forests of North Carolina. Does she love the Outer Banks show? That’s an easy one.



Or maybe she is a huge K-Pop fan. Even if you can’t afford a trip to South Korea, did you know that Buena Park, CA has a huge Koreatown and you can even sign up for K-Pop lessons or do karaoke?



Mother daughter trip to Chincoteague, VA for Misty fans and horse lovers



Pick a Theme 



Little kids may love themes and quests, but don’t think your teen is above it either. It can be a nice way to tie a trip together. If you have a history buff, you can do a themed trip like our Civil Rights road trip .



Even if you are just visiting one city you can have a quest to find the best cupcakes in the city. Or maybe she loves watching the Food Network and would want to try a few celebrity chef restaurants. Diners, Drive Ins and Dives can be a great way to tie together a road trip. If you have a theater buff, pick a city (it doesn’t have to be New York) and plan to see a few shows while you are in town. A fun way to start planning is to brainstorm a theme and let that dictate the destination.



Since I was on a quest for us to visit all 50 states, one year we planned a midwest road trip through seven states that included two National Parks.



Other times we chose just one state and tried to see as much of it as possible, like our Virginia road trip .



Grass tubing on a mother daughter road trip through Virginia



Plan an Activity that you can do Together that you do Side by Side



If you take no other piece of advice from this article, let it be this. Doing something side-by-side, especially something that challenges you both and gets you out of your comfort zone, as it will elevate your bonds in a such a lasting way. When you talk about quality time, this is it.



Some ideas could be a cooking class, art class or drawing tour, or dance lesson. You could also do something more challenging like rock climbing , white water rafting , off-roading , or surfing lessons. Even if it is something you both already enjoy, like skiing , there is something special about doing an activity side-by-side without other distractions.



Incorporate some Down Time



Listen, if you are doing all the driving, navigating, organizing and parenting, it is ok to take a break. Just because you are on a mother-daughter trip doesn’t mean that you have to be experiencing these amazing, special moments every second of your trip. Everyone needs a little downtime and separation, even if you are sharing the same space. Personally, after experiencing a whole day together, I have no problem with us both decompressing a bit with our devices.



I will also say that the longer the trip, the more downtime we both need. I try to build in a little time for relaxing at the pool or room. I also don’t mind splurging on room service when we would both rather be in our PJs than dressing up for yet another dinner out. Of course, one of our favorite experiences has been our mother-daughter massages.



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