Family vacations are important for your family, but deciding when and where to go can always be a challenge. Budget is obviously a major consideration, and as kids get older, time becomes increasingly limited.
So, you’ll want to maximize your time by going to the best place possible. If you are looking for family vacation ideas, this post is a good place to start.
When my family considers which destinations to travel to, we consider various things. I have a family travel bucket list that I work from, and using factors like budget, weather, and available time, we determine where to go. If you are building up your list, you may need some family travel inspiration.
This list of types of trips that every family should take can help. Keep in mind that these don’t need to be big vacations. You can staycation to your nearest city for the day, visit a local theme park as part of a road trip, or head to your closest National Park for a quick trip.
Of course, if you prefer to do the same type of vacation each time, that is fine too. This is just a list to help you develop family vacation ideas for your bucket list.
Considering a trip to Europe? Here are some tips for how to plan a trip to Europe that is great for the entire family.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. A click-through/purchase from one of these links may result in a commission paid to us. We may have traveled to some of these destinations at no cost but all opinions are my own.
The Best Family Vacation Ideas: Types of Trips For Families
Family Cruise
It’s no surprise that I love cruising. It’s a great way to see multiple destinations and can be very relaxing. If you haven’t cruised before, consider a short family cruise, like the 3-day Disney Dream trip we took as our first family cruise.
You can also combine a short cruise with another type of trip, such as a vacation to a theme park or a city. With activities already organized and meals all prearranged, cruising truly does feel like a vacation from responsibilities.
When looking at various cruise itineraries, you’ll have lots of options. Look at the amenities on the ship and the ports of call you’ll be visiting. While you may associate cruising with warm weather, remember that there are cooler weather Disney cruises, like Alaska, Canada, or Northern Europe.
We’ve loved our cruises on the Disney Cruise Line. I’ve been on all five ships, and while the Disney Fantasy is my favorite, I’ve enjoyed sailing on all of them.
Another favorite cruise line for kids is the Royal Caribbean. These ships, including the Oasis Class ships, offer many activities and amenities that families love.
Family Resorts
Many family-friendly resorts offer water parks, outdoor pools, fun activities, beach access, kids’ clubs, and more. For some excellent quality time with your family, you may consider staying at a family-friendly resort where you can spend much of your time. All-inclusive resorts are a great option, but there are other terrific options.
One of the best family vacation spots is Beaches Turks and Caicos. This all-inclusive resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, is perfect for a family vacation. It’s a popular destination, so book your stay well in advance.
Theme Park Family Vacation
Theme park trips are so fun for families, especially those with younger children. My kids now love rides, but when they were younger, they liked seeing characters. Seeing the magic of a theme park through a child’s young eyes is a beautiful part of parenting.
There are loads of theme parks in the United States, from huge parks like Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios to smaller regional theme parks like Story Land in New Hampshire. You can definitely find one that fits your budget and family plans. Amusement parks are also a great option.
If you have older kids, you may find that they also love theme parks. Instead of being interested in characters, however, they may prefer the thrill rides. My kids love the thrill rides at Busch Gardens, for instance.
You don’t have to plan an entire theme park vacation, however. There are many family vacation destinations where you can just incorporate a day or two at a theme park or amusement park and then spend the rest of the time doing something else.
Are you considering a Walt Disney World vacation but overwhelmed by planning? We have lots of tips for families visiting Walt Disney World; check them out here.
City Vacation Ideas
Cities are filled with delicious restaurants, beautiful parks, historic sites, outdoor activities, and world-class museums, making them great places to visit with kids. We like to visit New York City at least once every few years, and the kids love seeing shows and exploring everything there is to see. There are also so many fun restaurants in New York City for the whole family to enjoy and even if it rains, there’s so much to do.
Our proximity to NYC makes that pretty easy, but New York isn’t the only big city worth visiting with kids. Before planning your big city trip, ensure that the kids are the right age for everything you want to do since some museums aren’t the most kid-friendly.
Other domestic cities and popular destinations you may want to consider include the following:
- Seattle, Washington
- Boston, MA
- Washington DC
- Nashville, TN
- San Antonio, TX
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
National Park
We haven’t traveled to a National Park with our kids yet, but it’s definitely on our list. National Parks offer so much, from relaxing atmospheres to nature education. If you can’t make it to a National Park, state parks are another great option.
Families that enjoy camping may especially consider visiting a National Park, such as Yellowstone National Park, Sequoia, Grand Canyon National Park, Zion, or Glacier National Park. You could even do a Yosemite day trip rather than stay there. Pinnacles National Park is another option.
For inspiration, here’s a list of ideas from TripAdvisor.
Family Vacation Road Trip
Most of us have great memories of road trips with our families. While road trips aren’t always easy, they are a great way to take a reasonably priced family vacation and help promote family bonding.
Road trips can be a great way to take a more flexible vacation because you won’t need to worry about purchasing flights for a specific time. While you may want to book your hotels, those often have a more flexible cancellation period.
Ski Vacation
I don’t like the cold, but I’ve loved our family ski vacations. They are a great way to enjoy an outdoor activity as a family.
Family ski resorts offer many family-friendly activities, but you can also consider a day trip to the mountain. If your kids (or you) haven’t skied before, definitely consider ski school or private lessons. My kids have loved their time in ski school and didn’t want to leave.
Like theme park vacations, you may incorporate skiing into a more extended family vacation. You won’t necessarily need to ski every day. See this ski packing list if you are planning a trip.
Beach Vacation
I love the beach, and our family has experienced many beach vacations. You can also combine your beach vacation with a Caribbean cruise. I prefer visiting a beach resort, which is convenient because you can go back to the room whenever you need to.
As much as I love beautiful beaches, I also like to visit places with other family attractions besides just nice beaches. Even something as simple as mini-golf courses, boat tours, or botanical gardens can be a nice break from spending the whole family trip on the beach.
Guided Tour Family Vacation
Another relaxing vacation idea is a guided group tour. We’ve been on several Adventures by Disney family vacations and have loved every one. I enjoyed the relaxing vacation with no planning responsibilities while my kids had a great time meeting other kids.
Read more about Adventures by Disney and see links to our posts.
Adventure Vacations
You may consider going on a family adventure vacation when your kids are older. Zip lining, horseback riding, and whitewater rafting can easily be incorporated into your regular vacation, or you can choose to take an adventure-filled vacation.
Water Parks
My kids love visiting water parks. Because we live in New England, we don’t have as many opportunities to visit outdoor water parks as we’d like. Luckily, there are some indoor water parks in the area – and we have lots of great places to visit that have water parks.
One of our favorite things to do is to visit a family resort with a water park on the property. These can include water slides, wave pools, raft rides, lazy rivers, and more. Of course, this type of vacation can be combined with any other kind of trip, since you won’t want to spend a whole week just at the water park.
What types of trips have you taken? Is there anything that I missed?
