Bonding with Your Teen on College Road Trips
Bonding with your teen on college road trips can be an unexpected gift of the college search process. These trips create space for conversations, shared experiences, and memories that last far beyond the campus visits themselves.
We thought you might enjoy reading a blog post that appeared on the website Hooray for Moms. In the article, “Bonding (with your teen) — The Unexpected Perk of College Visits Road Trips,” Janice Caine recounts some of her own experiences and shares comments from clients about good times and lasting memories made during college road trips.
You can read the full article here:
Bonding – The Unexpected Perk of College Visits Road Trips
How a simple idea became Custom College Visits
“I wish there were someone who could plan these trips for me!” Those were the words my best friend said eight years ago as we shared a quick cup of tea and compared our long to‑do lists.
At the top of her list was planning a week‑long itinerary to visit colleges in the Midwest and Northeast with her daughter. As I drove home, I realized that I could be that person. I had already planned two college visit trips for my own daughter, and both had gone very well.
At the time, I was working freelance and on contract, so I had the flexibility to travel when it suited both our schedules. I also noticed that I was spending more time on college research and itinerary planning than on my paid work. More importantly, I loved doing it, and we were thrilled with the results of those trips.
Later that evening, I shared my business idea with my husband. He thought it was great: a service to help families plan customized, unescorted college visit itineraries, including on‑campus arrangements, route planning, and travel logistics.
My first client and her teen
My first client was my girlfriend, of course. I offered to help, and together we created the details for her upcoming trip.
When she returned, she shared their experiences with me. Naturally, the most important part was her daughter’s takeaways from the colleges they visited: her impressions of students, faculty, and staff, and whether the academics and community felt like a good fit.
However, something else stood out. They truly enjoyed their time together. One‑on‑one time with teens is rare these days, and this trip gave them that chance.
The weather that week was terrible. It rained almost every day. They dashed across campuses to make meetings, and one day they stayed in the hotel because the weather was too dangerous. Instead of feeling disappointed, they spent the day talking, watching old movies, and snacking on junk food. Those simple moments became some of their favorite memories.
A college road trip with my son Philip
I also remember a special college road trip when my son (who was 12 at the time) and my aunt joined us. We visited Williams College, Skidmore College, Smith College, and Brown University.
My aunt has since passed away, but the memories from that trip are still vivid. I felt honored that she chose to spend her time with us visiting colleges.
In Williamstown, she found an ice cream shop and spent time with my son while my daughter and I toured the Williams campus. At Skidmore, we met up with a college friend and her daughter. We explored the campus together and enjoyed a delicious lunch in the dining hall, thanks to the new Director of Dining Services.
That afternoon, we walked along Broadway, browsed small shops, and laughed together over lunch at The Circus Café. My son still treasures a paperweight my aunt bought him on that visit.
We then continued on to Smith College, my alma mater. It was a thrill to share the campus with my daughter and watch her see it for the first time. Even though those years have passed, I still cherish the experiences the four of us shared on that college road trip.
One mom’s reflections after a week with her teen
One of the greatest rewards of my work is hearing about families’ positive experiences when they return from their trips. Here is part of a note from a client who traveled from California to the East Coast with her son on the first of three college visit trips:
“It was really a treat for me to spend the week with Tom. He is a man of particular interests, and until this week, I am not sure I had a good understanding of what he is interested in. Until now, he had never taken the time to explain it to me in terms I understand.
We laughed a lot, and we have returned home with a renewed sense of purpose as it relates to the college search.”
College trips make wonderful memories
Another mom from New York wrote: “The college visits were also a lot of fun for us as a family and very informative on so many levels.”
Time seems to pass faster and faster as our kids grow older, and the high school years fly by. The frenzied life of a teenager leaves little room for quality family time, especially during the junior and senior years.
Combine that pace with parents’ day‑to‑day responsibilities, and it is easy to see why bonding opportunities feel limited. That is why a college road trip, even though it is not a typical vacation, can be so valuable.
It gives parents and teens a chance to do things together, either one‑on‑one or as a family. Getting away from daily routines and experiencing something new can spark great conversations and create wonderful memories. In the process, bonding with your teen on college road trips becomes one of the most meaningful parts of the journey.
Follow us on
X (Twitter)
for more college visit tips.