Traveling with an adult child of opposite gender.

[Chuckanut]

I would love to do some traveling with my adult children. I don't see any point in waiting since they're not getting any younger.

As a man, I would be traveling with an adult daughter. Are there 'gotchas' to this other than making sure the room has two beds? We could get two rooms but that would really drive up the cost. You can guess who is paying most of that cost.

 

[anethum]

Put the toilet seat down.

 

[outdoorgirl02]

I have traveled as an adult with my father and we always have a great time. We get one room with 2 beds or rent a 2 bedroom condo through vrbo if the cost is good. Our travel as adults has been a wonderful experience.

 

[frayne]

Two rooms are worth the cost.

 

[MichaelB]

I've traveled and shared a room with each of our two daughters. And a cat. One trip I forgot my pjs. No problem, we had separate rooms. Except when the flight out was cancelled due to bad weather there was only hotel with one room available, and it had one king bed. We shared the bed and I slept in her gym shorts...

If you can't share a room with your kids or parents who can you share with?

 

[WhoDaresWins]

One of my best, most enduring memories is the trip I took with my Dad the summer of 1974. I was at home after my sophomore year of college (working in the public library as a "page") and my older sister was getting married in October. The house was in an uproar with the planning, and Dad announced one day that he and I would take a trip to get away from wedding hysteria. He booked a first class tour through Northwest Orient airlines to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong. On the way home we stopped in Honolulu and stayed on Waikiki Beach for a couple of days so he could visit the Arizona Memorial (he enlisted in the Army Air Corps after Pearl Harbor). We then flew to L.A. for a few days and visited an aunt in Pasadena. All told we were gone 5 weeks. We shared a room with two beds everywhere we went and dressing and such can be done very modestly by taking clothes into the bathroom, etc. It was a small tour and most of our fellow travelers were from Puerto Rico and they were very nice, great fun. There was another father/daughter from Miami Beach and the daughter and I palled around together a bit and left our fathers to socialize at times (not that my over-protective Dad would have let me go out at night in someplace like Bangkok!). Oh, it was a blast. My Dad and I were 50 years apart in age btw but he had more of an adventurous spirit and joie de vivre than I ever had at 20 or any time since.

 

[LOL!]

I had to go to Waikiki on business and my college-age daughter was the only one in the family who would go with me. No problems whatsoever except we would get better seats and more attention from young male waiters in restaurants.

I've already related that once my daughter was mistaken as my wife. I do have a trophy wife, but my daughter is exceptionally trophy-esque and she knows it and enjoys it.

 

[ivinsfan]

Do you snore? Or do you and your DD have different sleep patterns? Some hotels have set ups with 2 bedroom studios that cost more then one room but less then 2, these are the hotels that usually come with some type of kitchen facilities as well.

 

[EastWest Gal]

There are also all suite hotels which have nice condo accommodations. We stayed at a Candlewood suites in Tacoma that was cheaper than most hotels and it had two stories, a bedroom, a loft and a full kitchen. Saved loads on eating out every meal. We took DS and his same age female cousin on a Mediterranean cruise for their high school graduation. They shared a cabin and we were adjacent. Opening the door in between made it a suite. They slept in tank tops and shorts and changed in the bathroom. There're no issues if all involved are reasonable and discuss things in advance.


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[Goonie]

My folks traveled a lot both before and after their retirement, however he passed away 16 years ago. After that, she still wanted to travel, but didn't want to go it alone. So, since I also love to travel, I started traveling with her. We've been all over the States and from B.C. to Manitoba in Canada. We always have rooms with two beds, and on rare occasions have had suites with separate bedrooms.

There have never been any issues at all. We share most of the same likes and dislikes, which helps a lot also.

 

[steelyman]

Get your coat and grab your hat
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street!

 

[Act2]

Ask your daughters.

I love my Dad, and we're both pretty frugal. But there is no way we are sharing one room, even with 2 beds, unless it is an emergency. Suite or separate rooms are ok, but I prefer not to share bedroom or bathroom with him.

We travel fairly well together, but the separate room is essential to me. I would decline to travel with him without a second room, and would pay for the extra myself if needed. It makes for a much more pleasant trip.

I seriously need the solitude and a bit of down time when I travel with him. I know the father/daughter modesty issues can be adequately addressed in one room, but modesty isn't the only issue with parent/adult child travel.


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[Dreamer]

I used to travel with my stepfather, after my mother died. We changed in the bathroom, usually left the tv turned off and I would read at night. He was quite a bit older, so he would turn in much earlier. The only issue I had was with his snoring (DH snores also) and zipping and unzipping his suitcase in the early morning.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh the zipper symphony!! Dreamer that is so funny! Having traveled with 14 folks last summer and 9 this summer, boy do I know all about that! And to be fair, I'm sometimes the guilty party! We stayed in a few hostels where we shared rooms, and there was always someone rustling around at some wee hour.

Let it be said that I would also recommend separate rooms for same sex parent/child trips, as my traumatic trip to Italy with mom would have been much better if I'd had a retreat instead of 24/7 together.


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[kaudrey]

Although I have not had the opportunity, I would love to travel with my dad and would have no issues with us sharing a room or anything. He doesn't snore!

PS - I love that you are going to travel with your kid(s)!

 

[jags86]

Just be careful where you go. When my girlfriend and I went to France/Belgium/Netherlands we were surprised to find 2 of the 3 hotels we stayed in had NO separation of the sleeping quarters and the bathroom. There was literally an open bathroom. And we were spending circa $250/night. That would be quite uncomfortable with a opposite sex parent.