Summer trips abroad , looking back, were well worth it and very memorable. Now they are older and it would not be the same, as they have their own lives.
We did some trips: SF, LA, Denver, upstate NY and Niagra Falls, Washington DC/Williamsburg, National Parks of SW, Yellowstone and Rapid City, neighbor islands (often for canoe paddling state tournaments). We also spent a lot of time chilling at home and at public libraries. S was summer aide in a science program–volunteered as HS JR and then paid the next 2 summers. The time does fly by!
When there were colleges of interest where we were traveling, we’d drive by them and sometimes take a tour as well