I know what you did last summer
SUNITA SURSH
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Family holidays are passé. Teens find new ways to chill out with their peers, with treks and group holidays…
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SUMMER getaways advertised for the season with great offers and exotic destinations are a bonanza for family holidays. But teens this summer are planning their ‘getaways’ from their stressed out parents and pesky siblings, with their peer groups.
Vikram 17 and gang are heading to Goa to take in the heat that’s lacking in Hyderabad. “Goa is absolutely the greatest getaway,” he swears, “Five of us will be going… it’s a train and bus journey and then we plan to chill out like the locals in Goa!”
Shreyas, part of the same gang says, “Goa is the place to be. Bangalore is no longer cool.” If we were to believe Vikram and Shreyas, all roads lead to Goa, the symbol of ‘breaking free’ and asserting your individuality.
Holidaying with parents comes with an expiry date. The ‘Use By’ date is presumably 16 years of age. By this time teens have ‘been there, done that’ and are all set to travel, explore, discover and bond with their peer group.
Typically the holiday with parents would follow a routine. Teens would lounge about in their exotic hotel rooms, glued to the television set or Play Station and endless room service. Non verbal conversation is all the rage. Parents are at the receiving end of monosyllabic answers, expressive grunts and shrugs and an occasional ‘rolling of the eyes’ to signal frustration.
Friends are much better off; they get minute by minute SMS updates. Contrary to this apathy, teen groups like Aditi (17) and her ‘gang of girls’ have just returned from a wilderness trek in the Nilgiris, “The guide was too cute for words,” she gushes, and the motivating factor for the expedition was instantly established, “Our parents were very thrilled with the idea. We set of on a different trail every morning and it was an awesome experience.”
Teens are truly creative in making simple holidays with friends a great adventure.
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