Majka never travels with her parents. She rebelled when she was twelve – it was her last holiday with Mum and Dad. Ania – the opposite – often travels with her family. Which option is better? Listen to what the girls say.
Majka: I used to go on holiday with my Mum and Dad in the past. When you are a kid, it is ok, but for a teenager this means limited freedom. So when I was about twelve, I simply said: no! I preferred to go with friends. I am a scaut and I started going to camps to the mountains. It is great! With my parents the holidays were boring. We went to the seaside and had the same routine everyday: breakfast, beach, lunch, beach, supper, walk. I couldn’t stand it.
Ania: I know, I hate routine, too. It seems I still travel with my parents because they are a bit crazy. We go to very different places: mountaneering too… Also we go abroad by car and this is fantastic because we always plan together the route and what to see. I love it and it is never boring.
Monika: So your parents are simply different.
Ania: Yes, but I think you can always try to persuade people to try something new. Also it is a good idea to ask your parents to take your best friend with you. We always take my best friend on our trips and it is really good because I am the only child and would be bored if I went alone. Also my parents like spending time together, so it often happens that when we go somewhere, we split – and we do something completely different.
Monika: Yes, but they always control you.
Ania: Yes, to a point… But we are not adults. When you go to a camp you also don’t have complete freedom. You are told when to get up and what to do. I think paradoxically we have more freedom with parents. We have never done anything stupid – like drinking or drugs, I don’t know – so they trust us and we really do what we want.
Monika: Yes, but camps are fantastic. We can meet lots of new people and we are in a group of teenagers. You never meet so many new people when you travel with parents and your best friend.
Ania: Yes, perhaps that’s true. We don’t have a group of people around us. On the other hand, we can make friends with people in a place we go to. We have international friends and we still write e-mails. It often happens that when you are with a group you don’t meet any really new people. It is more difficult when you are a big band.
Monika: What I also like about going with friends is that your parents don’t control how you spend money. I can buy all the silly things I want and nobody says a word.
Ania: Oh, yes, they always comment on that. But on the other hand, they can pay for our little pleasures, like ice-cream, horse-riding etc. If they have their pleasures, then it it is difficult for them to say no.
Monika: Sure, this is better in a sense. When I am alone, I have no money after a week.
Ania: You know what? I think the best thing about travelling with parents is that it makes our family better. We make holiday plans, then we can look at photos together… I like it. On a holiday we are like friends. My parents are not that old and they can be really cool!
Improve your vocabulary!
limited – ograniczony
rebel – buntownik
boring – nudny
split – rozdzielać się
in the past – w przeszłości
freedom – wolność
routine – rutyna