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There is a moment as a parent when you go from \u201ctaking the kids on a trip<\/a>\u201d to traveling together. <\/span>For me, that moment came 400 feet in the air over Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos.<\/span><\/p>\n I, the fearless cool mom that I am, had booked<\/span> a parasailing excursion for my 11-year-old daughter and me. This, despite my crippling anxiety that should have led me toward tamer options (the clear kayak through the mangroves, perhaps?). <\/span>So there we were, dangling from a parachute high above the turquoise water, when I lost my cool.<\/span><\/p>\n And you know what happened?<\/span><\/p>\n My daughter talked me down. <\/span>Or, rather, up. Since I was the one who wanted to go down, and she was the one who convinced me not to signal to our driver way down below to rein us in.<\/span><\/p>\n We survived, of course. And it was, naturally, one of the best memories from our five-day trip to the island, b<\/span>ecause it was the first of many moments when I started to wonder if 11 might just be the best age to travel with kids<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n After all, 11 is that age past play places and diaper bags but before teenage angst and \u201cGo away, mom\u201d eye rolls. The hotel TV doesn\u2019t have to be tuned to Disney Junior and <\/span>Jake and the Never Land Pirates<\/span><\/i> anymore. We can watch <\/span>Shark Tank<\/span><\/i>! And <\/span>The Bachelor<\/span><\/i>! Together! Then sleep in without mom guilt over skipping breakfast.<\/span><\/p>\n We spent five days traveling together, splitting our stay between the <\/span>Grace Bay Club<\/span><\/a> on the island\u2019s iconic Grace Bay Beach and <\/span>South Bank Resort<\/span><\/a> on the other side of Providenciales.<\/span><\/p>\n It was enough time to discover the island. More importantly, it was enough time to discover there\u2019s a lot to love about traveling with an 11-year-old. Here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n