Inevitably, children grow up. Lucas is only 14, but it is not too early to start gaining independence. He and four friends—ages 15, 16, 18, and 22—planned a 6-day road trip across Malaysia, from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. The teens planned the entire trip without any input from the parents. It is hard not to advise your children. They put a proposal together with an itinerary that included transportation, accommodations, activities, and their budget. They presented it to the parents (aka the investors). The itinerary they created was not what any parents thought they would choose.
They were so excited about the trip that they woke up for a 7 a.m. departure. They piled into the car. Chloe was the driver and each teen took turns navigating. Gabe had a playlist of road trip tunes. The group piled into a car and hit the road, their excitement was palpable as they drove off to start their adventure.
Their first stop on their trip was Kota Bharu. It was a 6-hour drive from Penang. They were tired when they arrived, so they chilled at their apartment and then went to a night market for dinner. All six of them ate for 28 Ringgit ($6).
They only spent one night in Kota Bharu. The next day they had another long drive to Taiping. On the way to Taiping, they were pulled over at a traffic stop by the police. The officer accused them of crossing a double line, something they were sure they hadn’t done. He informed them the fine would be 300 ringgit, a hefty sum for the young travelers. To their surprise, the officer instructed them to follow an unmarked car to a different location, where they were told they could settle the matter for 500 ringgit.
The situation felt wrong, and the group’s instincts kicked in. They politely declined the offer and decided to figure out how to pay for the ticket themselves. The information we found showed that the fine was probably only about 100 Ringgit—far less than what they had been told at the traffic stop. The encounter was scary for the teens, but they handled the situation well.
When they got settled in Taiping they explored Spritzer Eco Park and played mini-golf there. They all said that Taiping was their favorite city on the trip.
The road trip had more challenges in store. As they set out for their next destination, they discovered that their car battery died overnight. The teens had to think on their feet. They managed to find a person to help them jump-start the car, turning what could have been a major setback into a small bump in the road. It was another lesson learned—sometimes, you have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
The third stop on their trip was Malacca. One thing the teens did not count on was traffic. They had to drive through Kuala Lumpur to get to Malacca. A trip that should have taken 5 hours took about 8 hours. Once they arrived, they visited the Melaka Straits Mosque, a floating mosque that appears to hover above the water. They were all tired and a bit underwhelmed by the mosque. They spent time taking photos and then they went back to their apartment to play games and hang out.
The last stop before heading to Kuala Lumpur was Legoland in Johor Bahru. They spent the entire day exploring, from the Lego-themed roller coasters to a water ride that got them soaked, which was a much-needed cool down in the Malaysian heat.
Over six days, Lucas and his friends stayed in four different accommodations and drove over 24 hours. A true road trip! We missed Lucas while he was away on this trip, but we are happy he got to have some real-world experiences with good friends. The teens formed a wonderful bond on that trip. They are already talking about another trip next year when we are all together again.
