How to Choose the Perfect Destination for Your Family Vacation

How to Choose the Best Destination for Your Next Family Trip

You’ve been saving up to travel more with your kids, and now you’re wondering where in this wide world to go! Options are endless, and with social media constantly blasting other people’s vacation and travel photos in your face, it can feel overwhelming to choose just one place.

There’s no “perfect” destination, but with a little thought and a bit of research, you can find the place that fits your family’s current needs so that you can all enjoy your time away.

This step is so important because many families don’t have a lot of time or money to work with when it comes to family travel, so you want to make sure that the trip you choose is the right one. The goal of travel is to make memories as a family and to spend some quality time together, so I’m going to help you figure out how to accomplish that goal.

As a freelance travel writer and blogger, I’ve had to (gotten to!) travel A LOT within the last 2 and a half years. While my list of dream destinations is endless, I’m often limited by time, money, and what my kids can handle just like every other family. Sure I’ve gotten to attend a few extraordinary press trips, but most of the time as a freelancer I’m on my own to arrange and pay for my own travel and accommodations so that I’ll have something to write about!

Here’s the process I’ve honed and used in the last few years to always have the next trip on the horizon to experience with my kids. I hope this helps you figure out where you want to go next!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

VACATION PLANNING SERIES FOR FAMILIES

This post is STEP 2 in my vacation planning series for families. I’ll link the rest of the posts here as they are complete, so you have a step-by-step guide for planning the best possible family vacation.

In my experience, moms are often the ones doing the behind-the-scenes research, planning, calling, booking, list-making, grocery shopping, and packing, and it can take all the fun out of travel for her while the rest of the family sits back and enjoys.

This series is designed to streamline the process for busy moms who don’t have time to figure it all out on their own.

STEP 1: How to Budget and Save for Your Dream Vacation

STEP 2: How to Choose the Perfect Destination for Your Family Vacation

STEP 3: Tips for Finding Affordable Flights for Traveling Families

STEP 4: How the Find the Perfect Accommodations on Your Next Trip

STEP 5: Tips for Planning your Family Travel Itinerary

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF THIS TRIP

Every family, and indeed every person, is so different when it comes to travel preferences. Some just want to relax on a beach with a piña colada and a good book, while others would go crazy with that much downtime. Some want adventure and physical challenges in nature while others prefer museums and sidewalk cafes.

When you add children to the mix, choosing a destination only gets more complicated. Not only do you have to weigh the preferences of the adult members of the family, but you have to think about your children’s temperaments and how they would handle the trip.

I think the most important thing to think about when choosing where to go for a family trip or vacation is to decide as a family what you hope to get out of the trip.

Is the goal to relax and rejuvenate? Is the goal to explore a new language or culture? Is the goal to dive deep into an area of interest like history or nature? Are you checking National Parks off a list? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to see a famous monument.

Think about what would make your family happy and satisfied upon your return. That should help guide you toward the TYPE of destination you’re looking for. If you know you want warm weather, a beach, and relaxation, then it’s a lot easier to narrow down family-friendly beaches in Florida than to answer a generic “where should we go next?” question.

CONSIDER THE LOGISTICS

I tend to dream big and figure out details later.

That worked fine when I was a young, childless adult traveling the world. I didn’t mind spending a night in the airport or sleeping in a subpar hostel.

Now that I’m about to have 4 little kids depending on me, I’ve become more thoughtful. I don’t want to get my kids in stressful or dangerous situations or push us all beyond our limits to the point where we’re not even enjoying the trip.

For example, I REALLY wanted to visit Portugal or Spain in 2020. However, we’re having our 4th baby in early March. Dealing with transatlantic flights, jetlag, and new passports for everyone felt like a bit more than I could handle. Looking at the logistics helped me realize that we would enjoy something a little closer to home and a little more relaxing as we transitioned to life as a family of 6. We ended up choosing Puerto Rico instead.

LOGISTICS TO CONSIDER:

length of flight
time zone change
renting a car vs figuring out public transportation
language barriers
will you need passports? Do all the kids have passports?
will you need vaccinations?

GO WHERE THE DEALS ARE!

I think a lot of families overlook this tip simply because they’re not looking in the right places.

If you’re got some flexibility when it comes to the timing of your trip, you can find some INCREDIBLE deals around the internet for travel destinations that had never crossed your mind. If you find a cheap flight or an amazing vacation package, though, why not try it out?

Get on Scott’s Cheap Flights email list and look for deals on international flights. The only catch? You usually have to book QUICKLY (like within 24 hours) before the deal is gone.

Check Groupon travel deals for cheap hotels. That’s how we decided on our most recent trip to Sanibel Island!

Use Skyscanner or Google Flights and type in “anywhere” as the destination from your home airport to find which cities are the cheapest to fly to.

KEEP OF A LIST OF DESIRED DESTINATIONS (BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL)

I have a few lists on the Notes app of my phone with destination ideas that have appealed to me over the years.

Whenever I see or hear about a place that sparks my interest, I add it to the list. My categories are domestic, international, and National Parks.

When I feel the urge to plan a trip or I know our family has some free time coming up, I consult the lists and figure out which ones would make the most sense for the season, length of time off, and budget we’re working with.

I can be kind of a travel bully, so I have to make an extra effort to include the other members of my family in the list-making process. A few times a year, when my husband and I have a date night or are chatting on a long road trip, or when we’re planning out our calendar, I’ll ask him if there’s anywhere he’s been interested in going lately. I do the same for my kids, although more often than not they want to visit Disney or their grandparents’ houses.

There are a few big trips that I’ve mapped out in my mind for the future. A road trip through South Dakota will be great while the kids are still young. A Utah/Arizona/California National Parks trip will be perfect when one of the kids is in 4th grade and gets into National Parks for free. As you consider the future, jot your potential timeline down on a Google Doc or Google Sheets that you share with your partner so you’re both on the same page.

Which brings me to my next point:

KEEP IN MIND AGES AND STAGES

Speaking of my children, I’m a firm believer that the majority of places on earth are kid-friendly. If kids live there and it’s generally safe to visit, then go!

On the other hand, my vacation time and budget are limited. If I’m going to see the Grand Canyon, I don’t want to be stressed about chasing a toddler away from perilous cliffs the entire time. If I’m going to visit Washington D.C., I want my kids to be able to appreciate some of the history when we visit all of those free museums. I want to go to an immersion language school in South America with my kids, but most schools have minimum age limits.

What I’m saying is, keep in mind ages and stages when you choose where to go. It’s not that some places are inappropriate for kids, but rather that your whole family would ENJOY it more at a different stage of life.

At the toddler stage, we’re still pretty adventurous, but we seem to stick to beaches, easier National Parks, kid-friendly resorts, and city breaks.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

I started to mention this above, but once you’ve nailed down when your whole family has free time, it’s time to match it up with the best time to visit the destinations on your list.

I always start by Googling “when is the best time to visit _______”

I look for things like:

weather
crowds
when is it most and least expensive?
will attractions even be open when we visit?
will there be activities our kids will enjoy at this stage of life?

The best-case scenario is if you can hit destinations during shoulder season when attractions are still open, but crowds have dissipated and the weather is mild. That doesn’t often work out for us, though, because with a teacher in the family we’re working around the same school schedule everyone else is.

Often times that means we just have to suck it up and visit a place when it’s popular and crowded, like summer vacation or over holidays.

I’ve learned to plan trips the week or 2 after school gets out in late May and early June to avoid some of the crowds, and that travel ON a holiday can sometimes be cheaper than the days before and after.

If you’re more flexible, you might look up the best times to visit your bucket list destinations, then plan your vacation dates around that! I sometimes travel by myself with the younger kids in our family who aren’t yet in school, and this is the approach I often take.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?

If you only have 5 days for a trip, you probably won’t try to experience all of Europe or fly around the world. You’ll spend your entire vacation on transportation instead of in the destination.

Choose domestic destinations or places that are only a time zone or 2 away for your shorter trips (weekend getaways - a week).

Save Europe or countries on the other side of the world for when you have 2+ weeks off to play with.

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

A few times over the years, I have let opportunities that come up choose my destination for me! A few examples would be:

Visiting family or a friend who has moved near a vacation destination (this is how my husband and I got a chance to visit Oregon and Washington before we had kids)
Going to watch my sister play college volleyball. She had a tournament in California, so I took the kids and turned it into a big trip!
Mission trips or volunteer trips offered at your church or in your community
Chaperoning student group trips (how I got the chance to see Costa Rica and Germany as a teacher. Parents came along on the Germany trip to help with chaperoning duties).
Destination weddings

LET YOUR BUDGET DECIDE

Sometimes the choice of where to go is easily decided by your budget. If you can’t afford plane tickets, picking a place within driving distance of your city narrows down the options a lot.

Certain cities or experiences are a lot more expensive than others, so that may lead you to choose South America or Asia over London, Paris, Iceland, or Scandanavia.

ASK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Use your networks both online and in-person to find families with similar tastes or whose kids have similar temperaments as your kids. See what worked for them and what didn’t to get ideas for where to go next.

You may get some great recommendations, and even find some surprising hidden gems in your own state just by asking people in your community where their favorite spot in your state is, or where they like to road trip to.

BE READY TO STEP OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Part of travel is being willing to leave the creature comforts of your own home to see something new. It allows you to see your everyday life from a different perspective.

Resort vacations with all the amenities are wonderful (we’ve done them and have enjoyed them!), but don’t be afraid to try something a little bit different if the destination is intriguing to you. That may mean getting uncomfortable, but I usually find those situations to be beneficial. Either we grow a lot as a family and share some funny travel horror story memories, or we find an amazing destination we would never have experienced if we didn’t step outside of our comfort zone.

JUST ENJOY YOUR TIME TOGETHER

Research, Ask around, Prepare.

But at the end of the day, no matter which destination you choose, the point is to spend more time with your family and strengthen the bonds of your relationships.

I hope this helps you find where you want to go next! I’ll share a few of our family’s personal recommendations below.

GREAT DESTINATIONS FOR YOUNG FAMILIES

FLORIDA

Pensacola
Sanibel
Sarasota
Tampa Bay
Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort
The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, FL
St. Augustine
Disney World
The Florida Keys

AROUND THE USA

NATIONAL PARKS

PLANNING THE FAMILY VACATION

Now that Steps 1 (Budgeting and Saving) and 2 (Choosing a Destination) are complete, you can move onto the next step of researching and booking transportation and accommodations.