We are also limited by our kids ages. The teenager doesn't want to travel with us.
I'm curious what it is you think causes the teenager to not want to travel. Missing school? Missing friends? Doesn't like long car trips? Feels pressured to do activities on trips rather than veg out? Doesn't like sharing hotel rooms?
My teens' attitudes about trips have improved dramatically in the past couple of years due to the following:
1) I learned from a blog written by a father/son travel duo to "schedule" a veg out day for them periodically on trips where they basically just hang on in the room sleeping half the day or on their computer or gaming. I do this even if it's just a long weekend. For those days I bring drinks and snacks to stock their room. I go do what I want, they chill out. I don't worry about them "missing out."
2) Letting them choose some of the activities. Both kids are still up more for zoos or animal parks and hiking around than most other activities. They both dislike sitting in restaurants, so I try to minimize that except for maybe one "special treat" meal. I do this on the 2nd or 3rd day when we are visiting family . . . grandma will survive if we go to an action movie or spend one afternoon hiking without her. In fact, she probably needs a break from us!
3) I get a suite or second hotel room so that no one has to share a bed against their will or sleep on the dreaded roll away cot. The kids also like to camp if I want to do a super cheap trip, but they hate sharing beds and they'd rather sleep on the ground than one of those cots.
4) Now that they can drive, I let them drive as much as they are up for. This is more stressful for me than driving myself, but they are much happier.
5) While I do pack a water jug and a cooler with drinks and a bag of snacks from the grocery store, I also try not to be draconian about it. Once per trip, I even suggest stopping for an ice cream or fast food or the fancy coffee which one teen now loves part way through long drives. We don't do that much in our every day lives, but it's part of the special treat that makes it a vacation.
My own parents would never stop for food or even just when I needed the bathroom on long car trips even when it was 12 hours straight in the car (think "one small black coffee" if you've ever seen the John Mulaney skit.) It was soggy squished peanut butter sandwiches and pulverized bananas from the cooler or nothing, and you better "hold it" until we need gas. I absolutely
hated the drive part of trips as a kid, and I think most kids are with me on this.
Happy trails!