“Don’t underestimate the ability of kids to travel, experience and make sense of the world, or their ability to help you do the same. It’s usually not kids that limit family travel but people’s assumptions about their capabilities or interests. When we bike, hike or paddle with our kids we are routinely surprised by what they’ll attempt and how far they’ll go. Together we have tackled many classic routes, including end-to-end New Zealand, the Camino de Santiago, and the Pyrenees. When we challenge them, let them challenge us and take on new things, we enjoy richer travel experiences and grow as a family.“ –Stuart Wickes, The Family Adventure Project

“We learned the hard way that a jam-packed schedule when traveling with kids will only end in tears. An ill-planned trip to Udaipur, India at the wrong time of year, staying in the wrong hotel, with a never-ending list of sights that I simply had to see left us all hot, tired and incredibly grumpy. As temping as it might be to travel as you did pre-kids, everyone will have a much better holiday if you include some down time. These days we keep the itinerary simple and stick to sightseeing in the morning, pool time in the afternoon.” –Katja Gaskell, Globetotting
“Get kids involved in planning the itinerary for the family trip. Letting kids choose activities will help younger children feel important, and help older kids and teens to get more excited and engaged in the family vacation. On our recent road trip through Southern Utah, I gave my 11-year-old a list of activities we had all discussed, then asked her to prioritize them and propose an itinerary. She enthusiastically accepted. With a few adaptations for changing circumstances, we followed her plan and the whole family had a fun and memorable trip.” –Allison Laypath, Tips for Family Trips
“Travel is the best form of education there is! Utilize travel to deepen your kids’ education in many ways– geography, history, language, archaeology, the list is endless! Include your kids’ passions in your travel planning (dinosaurs, art, legos, games, trains, architecture, movie locations, etc.) and pursue those interests in your travels. In Toronto, we spent several hours in the Pompeii exhibit at ROM. Our daughter loves ancient history, and this made it real. After seeing the casts of the people and learning what archaeologists have uncovered, she’s now intent on a trip to Italy, and can’t stop researching to learn more about Pompeii.” –Jessie Voigts, Wandering Educators
“Before you travel, you can get your kids interested in exploring the place by watching movies set there, reading picture books or stories set in the location, and looking at art or photographs of the place. Watching a biopic of Nelson Mandela and a movie about a South African sports team helped my son get a lot more out of a visit to South Africa. Watching movies helped my son appreciate the political struggle to overthrow apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s historical significance. So when we visited the tiny prison cell where Mandela spent 17 years, it was an emotional experience my son still talks about.” –Sarah Ricks, Traveling Mom
“If something goes wrong– and something almost always goes a little bit wrong– be an example for your kids of how to make lemonade from lemons. Our strongest memories are formed when things don’t go according to plan, so resolve in advance to have a happy ending to your travel stories. If you miss your connection, play a game while you wait. If your hotel room isn’t ready, go get ice cream. Make a game of who can come up with the best ‘Plan B.’ What you want your kids to remember is the fun you had together.” –Paige Conner Totaro, All Over the Map
“Have the kids (or the whole family!) learn to say some basic things in the language of the country you’re visiting. Even if it’s just simple phrases like “hello,” “please,” “excuse me,” and “thank you,” it’s great if they can communicate a bit with locals in their native tongue. Most people won’t care about your limited language skills or any accent you have. They’ll just be glad you made an effort! Even in Puerto Rico, where many people speak English, they still liked to hear my son use the little Spanish he knew. Talking with your family about a country’s language also can lead to conversations about its culture and history.” –Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun
“As my kids get older, school has become more intense and their sports and activities require more commitment. No longer are we able to run away on a whim, or take advantage of last-minute deals or off-peak pricing. So we’ve started using their schoolwork and activities as springboards for future vacation ideas. A family tree assignment has become future plans to visit England, Scotland, Ireland, Slovakia, and Ukraine—although likely not all on the same trip! And thanks to science and social studies homework, Bali, Costa Rica, Peru, and a safari in South Africa are now all on our family travel bucket list.” –Corinne McDermott, Have Baby Will Travel


Thank you for sharing your experiences and article.
Thank you so much! Easing a mama’s worried heart here with your travel tips.
Lovely Pictures and thanks for sharing your experience.It would be helpful.
That is great to hear!
Wow, this is a great post! So many awesome tips. We have a toddler and a baby, and I really want to be able to travel with them when they’re a little bit older, but we are worried about the cost of everything. You have some excellent ideas here that we can try. I am bookmarking this post for future reference!
Great tips! my suggestion is travel is incomplete without kids.
Kids are wonderful definitely, and can always help others in the group see things from a different perspective! Thank you for reading!
Awesome! Have you requested a catalog on our website yet? If you wanted to do that, we will send you an email and you can reply letting us know when you may be ready to travel, and we will be sure to call you when the time is right 🙂 Just one less thing off your plate!
Yeah! these all points are correct. But few things you have to keep in mind that while travelling toddlers, if possible try to settle them down for sleep. Trust me those will be most appreciated hours.
I like what Allison said about how letting our kids choose some activities can help our kids feel important and excited about the trip. My husband and I want to start planning the activities for our family vacation next month so we can figure out the details of our transportation while we’re there. Following your tips should help the vacation go smoothly and be enjoyable for everyone involved!
Absolutely! If you need any tips at all just let us know! Thanks so much for reading 🙂
Wow, such great tips now winter is coming and I’ve planned to travel with my kids.
I really related to what Jessie said about how traveling is the ultimate form of education for our kids. My husband and I are currently looking for lodging so we can take our kids on a road trip this spring. Thanks for teaching me some tips to keep in mind to help the experience be enjoyable and beneficial for everyone!
Thanks for your tips about how useful break times and not doing anything can do for kids because it can help them relax in a stressful environment. My wife and I have been thinking about getting a vacation so that they can relax and we want to make sure that we can keep the kids safer and they can have a lot of fun too. Getting some help from a professional could be really useful and help us choose a place that everyone would really like to go.
I always buy my insurance right after I book the first thing for my trip (usually flights). You never know what might happen before you even leave for the trip!
the information you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.