How to use location sharing to build trust on vacation
The key to making location sharing feel like a learning opportunity? Talking about it. Here, a cognitive specialist shares how to use the experience to build trust.
At a glance
- Location sharing can help families stay connected on vacation while giving older kids and teens more independence.
- Location sharing while you’re on vacation deserves a conversation about why you’re using it, when you’ll check it and how you’ll reconnect if plans change.
- Make location sharing a two-way tool—have your kids check your location, too—and avoid checking so often that it feels like monitoring.
A recent “Parenting in a Digital World” survey found that nearly 4 in 10 parents rely more on location sharing while traveling, while another 25% say they check in more often through family group chats. I can understand why. When families are exploring somewhere new, it’s reassuring to know that everyone can spread out a little without losing touch.
That’s why vacations are one of my favorite times to practice something I call parenting reciprocity—using location sharing to build trust and responsibility together, not just to keep track of one another.
It starts with a conversation about why you’re using location sharing in the first place.
Many parents use location sharing because it gives them peace of mind. Teens often worry that it means they’re being monitored. Both reactions are understandable.
I’ve found children are much more likely to accept boundaries when they understand the purpose behind them. If location sharing is introduced as a shared safety tool that makes more independence possible—not as a way to monitor every movement—it can change the conversation and pre-empt any defensive responses.
Try this: Before anyone heads off on their own, explain why you’re using location sharing, agree on when you’ll check it and decide where you’ll reconnect if plans change.
Ask your kids to keep an eye on your location.
One of my favorite examples of this happened during a family trip to New York City when my kids were teens. Everyone wanted to experience something different that afternoon, so we split up for a while.
Instead of monitoring the kids’ locations, we asked them to keep track of ours using the Verizon Family Plus app. They absolutely loved it.
Suddenly, they weren’t being monitored, they were helping the family reconnect. They took ownership of making sure everyone met back up, and they took that responsibility seriously.
Try this: During your next vacation, choose a short period when everyone can safely split up for age-appropriate activities. Agree on when and where you’ll reconnect and then let your children help guide everyone back together.
Don’t text or check in after everything they do.
When parents comment on every stop, every detour or every change of plans, location sharing starts communicating anxiety instead of trust. Children develop confidence when adults provide a safety net without constantly hovering.
Try this: Resist checking every movement. Save location sharing for the moments when it’s actually needed to help everyone reconnect safely.
Use location sharing to say yes more.
Safety and independence aren’t competing goals. In healthy families, they grow together. In this case, location sharing can create opportunities for children to practice responsibility while knowing someone is there if they need help.
When we pair trust with accountability, connection with boundaries and freedom with guidance, location sharing becomes much more than a convenience. Every parent wants to raise capable kids. I do, too. But my bigger goal is raising kids who know what to do when I’m not there.
Try this: The next time you use location sharing, ask yourself one question: Is this helping my child practice independence, or is it simply helping me feel more in control?
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