The latter. But also, big family trips to Europe etc. These opportunities are wonderful and we aren’t begrudging others going on them! We’ve travelled plenty as a family and one “easy” cut and dried way we are paying for college is cutting out most non essential travel during these coming college years.
It’s ok though, our daughter has processed and moved on. And she really needs to be working this summer as much as possible.
I sure wish the school had a sponsored trip - that we probably could have managed.
I’m the mean mom who put the kibosh on high school graduation travel with friends. I told both D20 and D23 that was a no-go as far as I was concerned.
Covid squashed everyone’s plans in D20’s graduation year, but there are plenty of parents around here who are supporting and financing student only graduation trips this year.
Last year my kid’s honors arts class did a trip to Italy during spring break. He’s on scholarship at this school, and they gave us financial aid that made the trip affordable.
This year, different honors class, spring break trip to Paris, no financial aid. My husband took on some extra work to make it possible, but that meant we doubled down on no expensive summer getaways for him or the rest of us. (Plus, my dad now lives with us; he’s got cancer and is 90, and one of us has to be home to care for him for the foreseeable future anyway.)
I’m no fun either and would really not support this. This kind of trip just seems like a really good way to throw a major wrench into your nice, bright future.
In the DC area, kids have gone to the beaches for Beach Week. I didn’t have the money to join my friends and felt sad I couldn’t go. At the same time, I knew they’d be staying in a gross place, feeling sick from alcohol, and engaging in lots of boy-girl business and drama (weeping, jealousy, etc).
When my friends returned and I heard the gross stories, I didn’t regret not going. Yes, I felt left out a little bit yet was mostly okay with missing the trip. I knew they’d talk about the trip less as time went on, and they did.
My twins went to Europe on their own (with one other HS friend) in 2018 for two weeks after HS graduation (visiting Italy and France, traveling around by train, a few days in hostels then a week in an AirBnB). They were only 17. It was a great experience for them and I had no concerns whatsoever.
I’m kinda sad that S23 has no interest in doing something similar (he prefers to stay home and play video games).
I went to Beach Week for a few days, couldn’t afford an entire week, it was more than enough. I am not allowing the twins to go and drama is already started at HS regarding beach week.
They will be going on a 10 day trip to Paris and Switzerland. A teacher at their school has been putting together a Europe trip after graduation for the last 15 plus years. Their older brother went to England and Ireland 8 years ago and they have been saving money ever since.
I guess whether one enjoys “Beach Week” depends on the type of kid you have. Tradition at my daughter’s private school is to rent large beach houses on the “drive in” beach areas in NC where kids essentially drive to the house with a week’s worth of supplies and never leave (my idea of hell - drinking, drama…).
My daughter and her friends are not into that party scene so they are instead staying local and going to the beach in MD, staying at my parents’ modest rental home. They will be there before the bulk of the DC/MD/VA schools let out, won’t be partaking in the drinking scene, and plan on hitting the beach, mini-golf, go-Karting, etc. They have no desire to participate in the debauchery in NC with most of their classmates. Some kids actually do like spending a week at the beach for the sake of sunbathing, relaxing, etc.
My older D went on an inexpensive short cruise with her friends precisely b/c they had no desire to spend a week getting drunk with classmates, the ones who partied their way thru high school. She paid for it with earnings from her part time job.
D19 did take a trip with the HS. Our HS’s language departments do trips in the Summer. D19 had to come up with half the money for the trip to Spain. That trip was a preview of what would come. She ended up doing a Study abroad summer in Spain with her college last Summer(delayed because of covid). She was able to get a good chunk of the costs paid for by the Honors program. Of course while there she was able to go to Italy. D19 has turned into a traveler for sure. In the last 12 months she has been on the Spain trip, to Oklahoma, Houston, Scottsdale, Memphis and Akron. Then for Spring break she going to LA. A lot of staying with friends or friends families. We encouraged her to travel while young. I believe it is important to get outside the bubble you grew up in.
I’m not sure! I haven’t heard other parents talk about their kids going to beach week.
Rehoboth is expensive these days. Maybe they could visit Ocean City, though, because more condos are there.
My teen would hate any rental that doesn’t live up to HGTV design standards. And they aren’t into drinking at all.
PS: I saw I used the present tense awkwardly in my earlier post, so it sounded like I was talking about kids now. I updated to the past tense to show I was taking about myself back in brontosaurus times.
What happens if you get offers after May 1 and after committing to a school via EA or RD—NOT ED.
Can you change your plans if you accept at School A and then School B comes back with free tuition via Tuition Exchange or you get off the waitlist at a dream school?
And they aren’t into drinking at all.