Travel - Out of the U.S. tween comfort zone

April 9, 2018 11:26 AM

Looking for suggestions on where to travel with American tweens/young teens that is culturally very different from the U.S. east coast and also safe enough that all travelers will feel at ease exploring. Kids are well traveled in the U.S. and Europe, adults well traveled in same plus SE Asia. Our typical travel pattern is a whole or half-day doing something culturally or geographically significant, then a whole or half-day hanging out in ways and places locals would choose, so someplace with an active local scene is ideal.

Ideas so far include Kyoto, Japan; Fes or Marrakech, Morocco; Muscat, Oman; Sapa/Hanoi, Vietnam; Budapest, Hungary. Istanbul would be on the list if things were calmer. Much of Africa, as well as Central/South America, is a blind spot for me.

Your suggestions, nth-ings?

posted by cocoagirl to Travel & Transportation (14 answers total)

Best answer: I lived in Kyoto for 2 years and absolutely love the place. It is safe enough that you could let the kids explore by themselves if you wanted to and it's harder to get lost in than other Japanese cities because it's more or less set up in a grid.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:35 AM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Definitely Japan. They can run around the mall like Japanese kids do and it is noticeably different (in a good way). Kobe, which is close to Kyoto, has some fantastic tourist attractions that mostly cater to Japanese tourists--lots of opportunities to meet people without annoying the locals.
posted by betweenthebars at 12:08 PM on April 9, 2018

Nthing Japan (specifically Tokyo and Kyoto) - saying this as someone who has never been, but is currently watching (from afar) my family as they are currently on a trip to Japan with a 14 year-old, 17 year-old, 20 year-old, and 23 year-old.

So far, their photos include a trip to a puppy cafe (SO jealous), lots of amazing food, and beautiful scenery.
posted by something_witty at 12:18 PM on April 9, 2018

Tblisi Georgia.
posted by k8t at 1:18 PM on April 9, 2018

I would strongly consider Rwanda. It's beautiful, very tourist-friendly, safe, and -- despite being very much "Africa Easy Mode" in terms of safety and logistical accessibility -- eye-opening if you've never left North America/western Europe. There's also a remarkable breadth of things to do (hang out in Kigali, which definitely has a scene; go gorilla- or chimp-tracking in the wild; see the genocide memorial; climb a volcano; etc.) and places to stay (cheap and friendly hostels, B&Bs, luxury resorts, whatever you want). You can drive yourself -- traffic is easy -- or hire a driver. It's really perfect for what it seems like you want.
posted by eugenen at 1:43 PM on April 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

The first place I thought about was Kyoto, where both my kids have been as teens. It's incredibly safe and they both loved it. They were there with their respective dads. If I'd been along, I would have combined with a trip into the countryside.
posted by mumimor at 2:14 PM on April 9, 2018

Oh, another really unusual and wonderful place is Petra in Jordan. I've been there twice on business, but my daughter went there with family and absolutely loved it. There are lots of interesting places in Jordan, or you can combine with Israel.
posted by mumimor at 2:16 PM on April 9, 2018

I was coming to suggest South Africa, though I like eugenen's suggestion of Rwanda as well. South Africa is beautiful, and is striking in its difference from the US. Cape Town is the city I'd spend most of my time in, though travelling up the Garden Route towards Durban (maybe stopping in the Drakensbergs, Lesotho, or Swaziland) is pretty amazing. If you're into scuba diving (or want to learn), there's no better place than Aliwal Shoal or Sodwana Bay. Warm water, lots of options for dive companies, and amazing sealife.

As a 20 year old white woman travelling on her own (and later a 22 year old, and a 24 year old), I never felt unsafe in Cape Town. Actually, the only place I ever felt unsafe in the months I spent in ZA was in Jo'burg, which I'd avoid this time around, if I had it to do again.

Mozambique is also lovely, though there is less to do than in a big city like Cape Town. I've always wanted to make it up to Tanzania as well, as I've heard great things about it from the people I met travelling.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:15 PM on April 9, 2018

+1 Japan, also Singapore and Hong Kong. I visited Marrakech as a solo adult traveler a few years ago. I found a lot to enjoy and appreciate there but also have never experienced so much sexualized street harassment in my life. As an adult I'm comfortable assessing safety and setting boundaries but if traveling with teenaged girls I'd be concerned about them feeling at ease.
posted by 4rtemis at 3:18 PM on April 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Beirut. It's fantastic
posted by DangerIsMyMiddleName at 4:01 PM on April 9, 2018

My first experience spending significant time in another country was to Thailand and it was perfect for exactly this reason. Super-different culture from the US, and yet very, very safe (if you've traveled in SE Asia, you probably know this, but the sensationalistic stories you hear about Thailand are ridiculous - it is way safer than being in most US cities). It's such a great destination for what you want. Lots to see and do for tourists, but it's also pretty easy to get off the beaten path and see how locals live because people are so friendly, especially outside of the beachy areas. Maybe a visit to Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, etc.) which has a great mix of city/town culture and mountain/village culture, plus ancient ruins.
posted by lunasol at 7:15 PM on April 9, 2018

Best answer: South Korea.

I’ve been to Seoul twice (and really want to explore other destinations). Compared to Japan, Korea is easier to navigate. Seoul is an incredible mix of historic and super-modern destinations, all easily accessible via subway.

I stayed in Jongno-gu on my last visit in 2017, and it’s not at all a tourist hotspot. It’s within walking distance of Insadong, Bukchon hanok village, and a couple of palaces, but the neighborhood vibe is more about elderly folks hanging out in the parks and shopping districts for musical instruments and plumbing fixtures. For me, Seoul is equally about historic sites, modern consumerism, and everyday experiences like grocery stores, secondhand markets, and other everyday destinations - even places as ordinary as convenience stores are interesting.

And the Korean alphabet (Hangul) is incredibly easy to learn, and once you know it, you can decipher all sorts of things - even if it’s as mundane as, “hey, that says Starbucks!”. If your kids are interested in learning the basics of Korean, there’s an app called Eggbun that teaches you by way of chat/text message. It’s not the highest regarded learning resource and especially in the alphabet instruction it might be confusing to those without prior Korean language experience, but the chat interface is really very innovative, and forces you to practice and type, rather than simply clicking through to the next lesson.
posted by ortoLANparty at 9:12 PM on April 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

Consider Taiwan - which should be much higher than it is on a list of tourist destinations. Quite safe and friendly. Influenced by many different Asian cultures (I was a bit surprised by how much Japanese influence there seemed to be). Less expensive than Japan. Opportunities for both urban experiences as well as more rural nature on the east coast.
posted by penguinicity at 3:08 AM on April 10, 2018

Basically all the sort of "developed" east/SE Asia countries are safe and easy to travel in --- Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore (never been to China so can't speak to that). All 4 of those are safer than US cities, generally quite clean, have wonderful subway / public transportation, etc.
posted by thefoxgod at 7:19 PM on April 10, 2018