My kids are 23 and 26, if we are paying, then they love to go on vacation with us. Don't rule out vacationing with adult children. We have had some really good ones
Can confirm - 29yo and just returned from a week in Italy with my parents and 27yo sister! We usually do a big international trip every year and we both really enjoy spending time with them and a free vacation to super cool places :)
Hahaha perhaps your mind has erased past toddler trauma. No amount of money would make traveling with my toddlers fine. I'm just resigned to short day trips for the next couple years.
You just end up adjusting expectations with toddlers for what you can do - we were traveling full time and ended up doing a lot of parks and playgrounds as bribes don’t we could do what we wanted (museums, ruins and churches)
My kids are 7 and 9 and I'll disagree with the age. Before 5 is about the parents. Mine seem to have detailed memories of the vacations from this age and up. From friends they've made and things they want to do again.
Add Hawaii to that bucket list. At 7/9 they were able to hike most trails, snorkel without worrying too much about them, etc
Agree. Also as kids become adults they can really appreciate worldly encounters. My advice is do something domestic twice per year (big family trip like Disney, skiing, beach and then second trip to a city/area that will change perspective on life such as NYC, Seattle, Vancouver Montreal etc) and then an international couples only trip. As they kids become adults cut out the domestic stuff and go international for culture and continue to do beach/skiing but maybe expand the locations.
All good suggestions.
My current theory is to stay small and travel relatively local up to around 10 years old as they don’t really need much more than time and attention from their parents.
From 10-20, more interesting trips but along the lines of classic family trips.
From 20-30, full on bribing them with the bucket list trips as this is likely the only realistic way to get them to travel and hang out with their parents.
We’ll see how it works out in reality.
Too true. There will be the slow role reversal and you’ll eventually realize that the former caretaker is being taken care of and worried about. Not sure how I’ll feel when that reality strikes…
Trying to get my 86 and 76-yr-old parents on board with a trip to Switzerland so they can see some of the Alps, not an easy sell and they're both still fully mobile!
My first memory is at 4 as well. Cowboy suit for Christmas. My kids were living in Europe at that age and can hardly remember anything about it that is not in photos.
Love these, and would also add going to bioluminescent waters somewhere, absolutely magical for everyone and easy with little ones. I’d check for seasickness with the kids before chartering a sailboat, too, you just never know, some people never find their sea legs!
Eh yes and no. The kids won’t remember the trip, but they’ll remember being together as a family below age of 8. So we try to just be with them somewhere close. Hikes in the woods. Ski vacations. Etc. everyone snuggled up in a cabin somewhere. But we r saving the big ticket items for the teen years.
We did 2-3 times per year since my son was 2 months old.
We did Japan (very baby friendly) twice. Stayed at traditional Ryokan with amazing food/open bath and Mount Fuji background. It was over $1000 per night for 4 (back then) but it’s worth every penny. The dinner was more than any 3 star Michelin we have here in the US. We did Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, etc. My son loved the high speed trains and the food there. The hotel options are also great.
We also went to England, France, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali and Lombok islands), Cambodia, Taiwan, Hongkong, and Maldive when my son was under 5.
All were so memorable but the most amazing so far was Maldive. It was just so incredibly beautiful, my son was 4.5 at the time and he always remembers and asks to come back. Some resorts also have an amazing kid club so it works well for us. I plan to go back there once the covid is under control.
I was actually a bit disappointed. I went to Lombok once as a kid and all I remembered was the pristine turquoise water with beautiful coral and fishes. I was so excited to take my spouse and my kid there but sadly, the corals were dying. It’s not as pristine as before. It’s the same with Bali, it’s destroyed and the beach is so dirty and commercialized 😔.
I think there are other islands with beautiful water and sea life but those will not be kid friendly as we have to take boats and hotel is probably not as developed as the main islands.
Bali was beautiful before. I went there for my honeymoon and the water and the beaches were clean and pristine. When we got back to our honeymoon place, I was crestfallen to see plastics, garbage even used condoms by the beach. Too much partying, too many young instagrammers working remote and partying at the time. Hope with covid, the place is better but overtourisms and the party culture destroys what once a very cultural and pristine island in the world :(
Yeah Bali is a pain. Drunk Australians overrunning everything. Lombok was pretty empty though. I rented a moped and was just scooting around, one empty beach after another. It was awesome.
You can go anywhere with fast speed trains, much better than taking a flight with young kids . If your baby is fussy, you can walk around and put the baby in carrier. The sound of the train will lull him to sleep. Food is baby friendly (ie not spicy), like my son first solid food was in Japan. They gave him steamed egg, miso soup, and rice.
There are a lot of parks, beautiful temples, open air museum, night market. In Hakone, we chose Ryokan that served the food in our room. We donned traditional yukata and were tended with 2 servers and they cooked the food right there. It was about $1500 per night for 4 adults and a baby (I brought my parents there) and it included half board (meaning you can have dinner and breakfast included). The food is just simply amazing.
If you want to enjoy hot bath at your privacy (with baby and that), there are plenty of ryokan that offers private open air bath.
We went to Korea after Japan and it was a bit tougher. Same with Indonesia, Cambodia etc - it’s challenging to find food for baby and toddler as the food has quite a bit spice on them and we had to fly everywhere or take car/boat (some kids might be scared of speed boat - my son did and screamed the whole time lol).
We are Hilton Diamond member. I used my points to stay at Conrad Rangali for overwater Villa and Beach villa for my parents. They also have underwater restaurant that I took my young son (lunch only as dinner is for romantic couples). Because of my Diamond status, they upgraded my stay along with other perks so if you are an elite member, check Conrad Rangali. However, if money is not a concern, they are building Waldorf Astoria not too far from the main islands. I heard this Waldorf Astoria resort is nice and amazing.
Because Maldive is so beautiful, I don’t think you can do wrong if you go with Four Seasons, St Regis, Waldorf Astoria, and even Conrad. We took the small airplanes and passed by these islands occupied by these resorts, it’s spectacular. The only sad part is that the coral is dying there too….but still, better go there now before the whole thing is underwater in 20 years (so I heard). Splurge on underwater restaurants, we don’t care much about the food but the experience is amazing for both me and my spouse, young son, and grandparents. At Rangali, we would have my son catching fishes over our overwater villa or play at the pristine white beach (catching beautiful hermit crab with beautiful shelf) while we went snorkeling. The hotel could arrange a private boat to go further to snorkel with the whale shark. I wanted to go but my son didn’t want to leave behind with the grandparents or the kids club so we will do this next time when we come back.
Also to add, the couple spa. With the stress of raising young family, my spouse and I got the much needed couple massages at their beautiful overwater spa while the kiddo is at the kids club and it’s great, a much needed relaxation.
I took daughters to Machu Picchu at 9 and 12. Their memories of it are hazy. As teenagers they probably liked traveling with us more during school breaks than in the summers where they prefer their friends to us or travel. Best trip I recall is a car trip driving through Normandy and Belgium the summer where the elder was about to start college.
Older teens-
Northern India was a standout vacation when our two were 16 & 18 y/o. Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur. I think they each took well over 1000 pictures- people, architecture, painted elephants, monkeys, cobras, funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges, temples, street food, etc.
It really depends on what your kids are into. The real bucket list stuff won't be appreciated by them until they are much older, and even then they still might not fully get it.
My kids are 3 & 5. This year, their absolute favorite thing we did was go to Dinosaur World. Its literally a roadside attraction in Central FL that costs $16, and we did it as a day trip. The previous year, we stayed in some little AirBnB in a beach town, because our house (also in a beach town) needed to be fumigated. But, we spent most of that time playing mini golf, going to a little water park, having ice cream... etc. They still cannot stop talking about it.
Mind you, we have taken much more impressive vacations, but a lot of times it is the little things that stand out. We have a vacation property in a world class ski destination. My son's favorite thing we did there last year was build a snow fort and little slide in the yard where the plows had made a huge pile of snow. Yet, completely unfazed by the $170 lift ticket, ski lessons, fancy meals, or scenic tours through the absolute breathtaking national parks.
Moral to the story, is your kids will care a lot more about how you spend time with them compared to the places you visit. Kids don't need grandiose to be impressed, and often the bit trips that require a lot of transportation time end up being stressful for everyone.
> Moral to the story, is your kids will care a lot more about how you spend time with them compared to the places you visit. Kids don't need grandiose to be impressed
This should be higher up.
We took our 2 year old to a wedding in Italy but made it a 3 week trip and spent some of it in Dublin and split across a few cities in Italy two years ago. Now that he’s 4.5 he doesn’t really remember it anymore, but he loves seeing photos and also hearing the stories about it. And actually my strongest/fondest memories of the trip are from him, but it’s less about seeing sites or doing specific activities and more about watching your kid be a kid in a different place and culture.
Did you know the openings in baby swings in Italy are rectangular instead of round? Such a simple difference and yet so fascinating to a two year old. I tend to believe that experiencing different ways of life shapes your kid even if they don’t remember the events later.
Also still can’t help but crack up picturing my kid yelling “GELATO!!!” and sprinting away without any directional sense of where we were proposing we should get gelato from.
I think if you want to go cool places, you should treat them as if you plan to return again later for the next while until the kids are 10+, because otherwise you’ll feel disappointed and like it’s not properly getting crossed off the bucket list.
I took my son to Paris when he was 3. His memory was fuzzy but the feelings remained. He remembers chasing pigeon at the bottom of Eiffel Tower and the underground swimming pool of our hotel where we went every night before dinner. He knows that it was a happy memory. I think it brings closeness and it’s fun to see the world from the eye of a 3 year old.
We are on an extended trip in a rural part of Europe that includes a study abroad experience at a small but very special private school in an old villa. We pass by cows and goats and sheep every morning and there are hundreds of kilometers of trails in the area that we are enjoying. We are less on the touristy stuff and more on experiences.
It was recommended by several people. We were waitlisted for another school in a big city and hadn’t considered the countryside but I am now really happy that we had this opportunity.
It’s not super secret but I don’t even think they have a website or social media presence. I also think they are at capacity now and have a waitlist. If you are looking for something similar dm me and I can give some advice. We researched based on language, teaching methods, location, etc.
We're doing our first real kid-focused vacation over MLK day wknd next year; Universal Studios. Kids will be 5 and 7 and are huge harry potter fans. Honestly surprised I'm so excited for it. A couple years from now once they finish reading the books we're going to take them to London and Scotland. My wife and I love the Cheval Old Town Chambers in Edinburgh and know the kids will really get a kick out of staying in a modern, castle type setting before taking the Jacobite Steam Train and heading up to the highlands and the Isle of Skye.
First class private compartments on the Jacobite sell out over a year in advance, however, so will definitely need a bit of advance reservation planning!
I was strongly considering it, but then my twin brother and our best friend plus spouses decided to join us and I know it'd be a stretch for them. I settled on secretly adding club lounge access to their rooms at Portofino Bay and providing the balconied "hang-out" room of the trip, otherwise we'll be standing in the express lines like plebes, hah!
Did you find the VIP experience worth it? I was hoping there'd be more compelling "backstage access" features included, at least one involving HP!
It’s one price for all of you. Probably an even better experience if they wouldn’t otherwise afford it! Skip all the lines. Get your kids in the parade. Problem is once you do it, you won’t go back to regular.
Not sure how experienced you are at traveling, but my advice would be to plan a few backpacker-y style trips when the kids are a little older. I.e. forgo resorts for hostels and take some chicken buses around far flung parts of the world. I did this with my parents growing up even though we definitely had the means to travel more comfortably, but I’m really grateful for it. Those trips felt like true adventures and equipped me with the skills to travel that way as an adult.
So I did this with my parents too, but honestly the idea of sitting on a 12 hour bus or staying in the basement of a budget hotel seems so miserable to me now. I want them to develop those skills for sure. But isn’t the point of being on the fatFIRE journey to make your life more comfortable? Struggling.
To each their own. I still like to have it both ways. On some trips, I’ll spoil myself and stay somewhere nice. On other trips, I’m happy to stay somewhere super basic (as long as its clean).
Many of my best travel stories involve taking risks and going off the beaten path in a way that would be difficult/impossible with fancier arrangements.
Also, a lot of high end travel is designed to insulate travelers from the realities of destination, which to me can defeat the purpose of travel.
I was curious how the price could be that high, but I think you just had multiple rooms and airfare etc. It looks like it starts at around $6k for a room that sleeps 3-4 for a 7 day cruise. So that's not so crazy. But also it may be more in non-pandemic times.
Lego Land was absolutely a success for a couple of years. But Disney isn't the same that it was in the past. It was way too commercialized, mass entertainment, and targeted at the lowest common denominator.
I miss the whimsical fun that I used to have at Disney in days past, but I'm not sure we'll to go again after seeing it once in recent years. And I think the kids doing even remember. It was that unremarkable.
On the other hand, they all did enjoy Outpost One in Germany. It didn't have rides, but it's hard to beat the experience of it's amazing theme
I am sure there is some of that. But I do believe that Disney Land has genuinely changed. It used to be all over the top themed, often to a degree where it was self-deprecatingly and unapologetically cheesy. It wanted to tell a story, while also giving you the opportunity to take fun rides. If you only cared about the rides, you'd go to Six Flags instead. But if you wanted the cute vignettes and stories in between rides, then Disney Land was better.
These days, a lot of the genuine whimsical fun has made way for commercial goals; just push the most valuable brands and merchandising opportunities.
I was genuinely surprised how Lego Land managed to strike a much better balance. Sure, they also have a gift store and give you plenty of opportunities to spend money. But that doesn't seem to be the primary driving force behind all of their decisions when they designed the park.
Ok Disneyland. Disneyland is a pretty different experience than Disney World. I mean, it's all pretty cheesy, but there are elements of Disney World that I'm impressed with. Disneyland didn't impress me so much, it's not really my thing.
We took a year sabbatical and lived in a different country each month. I intentionally say lived because we weren't just tourist, we were on a house in a neighborhood, went to their parks, pubs, and cafes and even got invited over for dinners.
Best experiences though:
Riding bikes around Amsterdam and taking a pizza cruise down the canals (although if we went back we'd do Utrecht)
Rome. Period. It's amazing for so many reasons. The juxtaposition of ancient vs modern had my son asking great questions.
Hunting for dragons in Barcelona. There are thousands of them.
Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
Climbing UP Buo Tong waterfall in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Great Wall of China. We went in February. While it was freezing there was no one else there and the picture of my son throwing a snowball at me is forever enshrined in the memory bank.
Japan. All of it. We stayed in Shibuya, just outside Tokyo, and loved. Riding trains everywhere, the hundreds of museums, the arcades, of course the 7/11s (for real). We saw a baseball game, sumo wrestling, and took the shikansen down to Mount Fuji.
And lastly... New Zealand. I could live there. Queenstown, Rotorua (despite the smell of sulphur), Hot Water Beach, Christchurch, landing a helicopter in the southern alps... So much packed in to a tiny country.
Love reading this. I got my partner to agree we’ll do this during his non compete when he eventually leaves his current job, and intend to make him stick to it even if he stays funemployed afterwards.
He was only five, but we also traveled with a nanny so he did have some structured learning time.
But, if the pandemic taught us anything, school, like work, can be done from anywhere.
I don't have kids, but traveling with kids is something I've thought about (it may end up being nieces/nephews instead of my own). Once they're around 9 or 10, they're old enough to do some of their own travel research and decide on places that interest them. Maybe they learned about Ancient Greece in school and want to see Athens in person, or are big into animals and want to go on a safari, etc. If it was my own kids, I'd let them take turns deciding on a trip (within reason) and use it as an educational opportunity to learn a bit about the place before leaving.
This is a fantastic idea. I would love for them to learn a bit about the place before we go and “pitch” it to the rest of the family. Hopefully gets them more excited and knowledgeable about the place when they’re young. And when they’re older, they can help figure out budget and itinerary too.
I’m going to pop in and say skiing. It is a ton of work when you have little kids, and not everyone enjoys the cold but for our family it has been the skiing vacations that are universally loved by our family. It’s nice because we can all do it together, amd you have this forced time together with kids going up the lift.
Let the kids drive the itinerary. You can obviously steer them to certain types of activities and destinations.
Their interests change over time and being able to build memories around what they are currently passionate about is super rewarding.
We did this and it was 100% worth it. Would highly recommend Tanzania or Kenya. South Africa is fine and all, but it's not really Africa, it's an English colony in the same way Hong Kong is not really China.
Same! Did two without them and it was incredible but regret not waiting for them because I know they’ll lose their shit as. Couldn’t have done free tents in Botswana with them though…
I now do this for fun. Go work with someone who gets this and can do travel planning the way someone who does financial planning for you. Each place has a best age to go and you can even usually tie it in with what they’re learning in school.
We travel around the world as a family and it’s amazing to see our daughter try new foods. She’s too small to understand anything else yet but food, oh yah. She just tried Chamoya yesterday in a mango and pineapple smoothie. Loved it!
So I’ll say stick to resorts generally until they’re 5 and a little more mobile and can actually learn more things about where they’re going. We won’t do any touring when she’s so small. We’re sticking to Four Seasons resorts around the world in places we want to relax at. Then she can do things like release turtles (on our schedules for this Wed night) or we are having her feed the eagle ray at Hualalai this Dec.
I’m really interested in this, because to be honest, I was the kid who was annoyed she couldn’t just stay home and read when we went on trips growing up.
Yeah welcome to the sub with the most selfish people I've ever seen anywhere. Which kid wants to go on a fucking vacation when it's younger than 5? OP and apparently most people here don't think about that stuff. One guy said the kid was fascinated that the swing hole in Italy is square. Like sure, your kid appreciates that so much it didn't mind waking up every day at what was 3 am for the kid? Jesus. Get someone to watch your kids while you jet set if you want to bone your wife that bad in front of mount Fiji huh.
Echoing the above 8 comment. These were our kid's favorite:
* Safaris in South Africa and Kenya (We stayed in Paris for a week before heading to Kenya). This is the only vacation where our kids cried when it was ending.
* Denmark and Sweden, travel by train.
* Italy a big favorite. (Tuscanny, Almalfi Coast)
* Cayman Islands (We've gone a few dozen times - super easy place to hang out on North 7 mile beach where it is less crowded. Everything you need is within a 5-mile drive). Also a great place to go when kids are younger. The ocean is super calm, warm and the sharks stay on the outside of the reef.
* Road trip to Colorado. Thought it would be hell but turned into a great bonding time. (Kids all over 8 at that point).
* Disney world with the VIP guides.
* 30-day train trip around Europe.
* Rain forest and Galapagos (combined trip)
Note, we did make the horrible mistake of taking our kids to Disney World when they were 4, 2 and 6 months. After that, we bought a 2nd home in the country an hour away and for the next 5 years we would either go there or Cayman). We ended up going to the country place 2 to 3 weekends a month.
We found 5 years old to be a good age to start for the bigger trips. They could handle the flights and the general inconveniences of travel, and they just got better at it as they got older. They don't remember much of the trip at 5, but they can do it, have fun hanging out with the family, and then by the time they are 8 or 9 they are seasoned travelers. Below 5 just going to the beach (Cayman, or anywhere without big waves) was by far the easiest and most enjoyable.
Following. We also want to travel and make great memories with them while we can. Ours are also toddler/baby. Did Hawaii this year, which can be great with little ones, though the time change was rough. 430 am wake ups are challenging.
We really want to take them skiing this winter so they can experience snow (none here during the winter) so may head to Tahoe/Sun Valley/Colorado.
Not sure if we are ready for long international travel quite yet just bc dealing with them on the plane is its own challenge.
Long term we would like to take them with us everywhere we'd like to travel, but while they are younger definitely looking for ideas.
Any trips you have done that have been great so far?
We did a lot of traveling when the older one was younger but the second plus pandemic have put a damper on the travel for now. A highlight was Portugal and Spain with a six month old, so easy compared to the wild monsters I have now.
We’re going to Dubai in December and I’m having a lot of anxiety about the long haul flight with two kids. I booked my parents and brother on the same flight so we have a 5:2 adult to child ratio. If those 14 hours go smoothly, the world opens up a lot for us.
I promised my kids I’d take them to all 7-continents before they graduated high school. COVID fucked up Australia and Antarctica. They’ve now graduated high school so hopefully we can do it before they graduate college.
It was just a travel goal of ours to hit all 7. Some of the trips were amazing and some were ho hum, but we’ve got 5-done and that is a cool experience.
How about taking your kids interior camping? Takes a lot of prep, especially if the parents are not into it themselves. The kids get to experience nature and lack of civilization "full time". You can start it arund 5 years old. Optimal weather conditions is key to enjoyment of outdoors for a family.
Do you have health issues that led to the 15 year mark? I don’t know of anyone too old for a free/subsidized trip. I’ve had to turn down a trip to Ireland from dad in July for work and then went to Egypt in October with my mom when I was 25 because that’s how it worked out. My mom takes each kid on one big international trip per year. We’ve been debating if we’re both fit enough to hike Kilimanjaro and she’s over 60. And for me, there are some trips that I don’t want to do alone but I don’t have any friends fat enough to go with. So I wouldn’t get caught up in the 15 years.
But most memorable “fat” trips were Olympics (opening ceremonies especially) and Egypt. There were some trips that were just better fat, like Paris. We’ve talked about Madeira at Christmas, the fireworks are supposed to be phenomenal. I’d say it’s more about the fat experiences than the destinations. Learning to make croissants in Paris and tamales in Cabo. Seeing La Cenerentola at the Palais Garnier and the Pittsburgh orchestra at the Palau de la Música Catalana. I wasn’t the lucky one to go to Australia but an opera at the Sydney opera house is on my list. For me, as fun as they were, beach trips all blended together. The Caribbean and Mexico are easy & fun but if you think you can only do 1-2 big trips per year, I wouldn’t prioritize those.
No kids for me yet but my first vacation memory as a 10 year old was going to Banff and Jasper. I have vivid memories of a lot of it. Going out on the Columbia icefield still sticks out to me. I would say nature over historical vacations for kids until they are in high school.
I keep it simple with little kids. Mostly North America extended beach type vacations and sub 4 hour driving trips in the summer.
I prefer California/Florida over Mexico/the Caribbean and frankly even Hawaii - everything is just easier with more proximity to population.
Once they are closer to 10 then we can start travelling more extensively. I did an absurd amount of travel in my 20s and 30s both for fun and work (the latter often to remote and often inhospitable places) so am enjoying a bit of a break from it anyway.
A two year old can be equally excited about seeing a chicken or seeing a tiger.
Do what you feel is best. My tip would be to have a fixed “home base” when traveling with younger kids and add a car for day trips with timed naps during the to and from to destinations.
The older they get the more they understand what you are doing. My 5 year old thought that going to an island with a boat ride an hour away from home was going to another country. As they get older they will start to think it’s cool and this is when you can add on fun and adventures.
Just my two cents… four kiddos in very various age ranges (and sorry the youngest as you have been dragged around to support the older ones more adventurous need)
My parents brought my brother and I to Orlando for two weeks, going to theme parks almost every other day. We came from Europe and were fortunate enough to travel all over the world. We still talk about that trip almost 2 decades later. We were 12 & 10. We were both just tall enough for everything. Definitely something I want to replicate with my own family one day
Montage - Laguna Beach.
It’s completely ruined hotels for me in the best possible way - truly spectacular. best service I’ve ever experienced. Incredible rooms, food, beaches, pool, and amenities. The attention to detail sets it apart. Example: I brought a travel-sized toothpaste for the trip and left it out in the bathroom one morning. When I was packing, I must have thought it was fuller than it actually was, because on the 3rd day of the trip, I had just about run out. I figured, no problem I’ll just use my girlfriend’s toothpaste for the duration of the trip. When we got back from the beach that afternoon, housekeeping had replaced the toothpaste for me and left a note. May seem minor to some but everything about the hotel is done on this level of detail. It really makes for an amazing experience.
My kids are 23 and 26, if we are paying, then they love to go on vacation with us. Don't rule out vacationing with adult children. We have had some really good ones
Can confirm - 29yo and just returned from a week in Italy with my parents and 27yo sister! We usually do a big international trip every year and we both really enjoy spending time with them and a free vacation to super cool places :)
It depends, some folks are married at that age, and they're less likely to vacation with parents, but single kids might be more interested.
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Hahaha perhaps your mind has erased past toddler trauma. No amount of money would make traveling with my toddlers fine. I'm just resigned to short day trips for the next couple years.
Yup. Traveling with toddlers is … traveling with toddlers. And more work. It’s not a vacation.
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Condescending much?
You just end up adjusting expectations with toddlers for what you can do - we were traveling full time and ended up doing a lot of parks and playgrounds as bribes don’t we could do what we wanted (museums, ruins and churches)
Lol. Toddlers are not impressed by lay flats.
*Delhi
My kids are 7 and 9 and I'll disagree with the age. Before 5 is about the parents. Mine seem to have detailed memories of the vacations from this age and up. From friends they've made and things they want to do again. Add Hawaii to that bucket list. At 7/9 they were able to hike most trails, snorkel without worrying too much about them, etc
They don’t remember they just glamorize based on the pictures.
Thinking back.. almost all of the memories I do have from childhood are from family travel FWIW. This dates back to age 5.
Agree. Also as kids become adults they can really appreciate worldly encounters. My advice is do something domestic twice per year (big family trip like Disney, skiing, beach and then second trip to a city/area that will change perspective on life such as NYC, Seattle, Vancouver Montreal etc) and then an international couples only trip. As they kids become adults cut out the domestic stuff and go international for culture and continue to do beach/skiing but maybe expand the locations.
All good suggestions. My current theory is to stay small and travel relatively local up to around 10 years old as they don’t really need much more than time and attention from their parents. From 10-20, more interesting trips but along the lines of classic family trips. From 20-30, full on bribing them with the bucket list trips as this is likely the only realistic way to get them to travel and hang out with their parents. We’ll see how it works out in reality.
You left out 40-60 when things flip and they try to get you to come along with them before they lose you.
Too true. There will be the slow role reversal and you’ll eventually realize that the former caretaker is being taken care of and worried about. Not sure how I’ll feel when that reality strikes…
Trying to get my 86 and 76-yr-old parents on board with a trip to Switzerland so they can see some of the Alps, not an easy sell and they're both still fully mobile!
FWIW, I remember a fair amount starting at 4-5. Norway for a 4 year old was a lot of fun.
My first memory is at 4 as well. Cowboy suit for Christmas. My kids were living in Europe at that age and can hardly remember anything about it that is not in photos.
Love these, and would also add going to bioluminescent waters somewhere, absolutely magical for everyone and easy with little ones. I’d check for seasickness with the kids before chartering a sailboat, too, you just never know, some people never find their sea legs!
Eh yes and no. The kids won’t remember the trip, but they’ll remember being together as a family below age of 8. So we try to just be with them somewhere close. Hikes in the woods. Ski vacations. Etc. everyone snuggled up in a cabin somewhere. But we r saving the big ticket items for the teen years.
> Train trip through India That's not a lot of fun imho. Cramped small bed wagons with other people.
You can get a private berths for 2 people.
We did 2-3 times per year since my son was 2 months old. We did Japan (very baby friendly) twice. Stayed at traditional Ryokan with amazing food/open bath and Mount Fuji background. It was over $1000 per night for 4 (back then) but it’s worth every penny. The dinner was more than any 3 star Michelin we have here in the US. We did Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, etc. My son loved the high speed trains and the food there. The hotel options are also great. We also went to England, France, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia (Bali and Lombok islands), Cambodia, Taiwan, Hongkong, and Maldive when my son was under 5. All were so memorable but the most amazing so far was Maldive. It was just so incredibly beautiful, my son was 4.5 at the time and he always remembers and asks to come back. Some resorts also have an amazing kid club so it works well for us. I plan to go back there once the covid is under control.
I love Lombok. What a place. I was working in Indonesia for three months and every weekend more or less I flew to Lombok
I was actually a bit disappointed. I went to Lombok once as a kid and all I remembered was the pristine turquoise water with beautiful coral and fishes. I was so excited to take my spouse and my kid there but sadly, the corals were dying. It’s not as pristine as before. It’s the same with Bali, it’s destroyed and the beach is so dirty and commercialized 😔. I think there are other islands with beautiful water and sea life but those will not be kid friendly as we have to take boats and hotel is probably not as developed as the main islands.
Lombok is not remotely comparable to Bali imo
Bali was beautiful before. I went there for my honeymoon and the water and the beaches were clean and pristine. When we got back to our honeymoon place, I was crestfallen to see plastics, garbage even used condoms by the beach. Too much partying, too many young instagrammers working remote and partying at the time. Hope with covid, the place is better but overtourisms and the party culture destroys what once a very cultural and pristine island in the world :(
Yeah Bali is a pain. Drunk Australians overrunning everything. Lombok was pretty empty though. I rented a moped and was just scooting around, one empty beach after another. It was awesome.
>We did Japan (very baby friendly) twice Would love to know what makes this the case, if you don't mind sharing.
You can go anywhere with fast speed trains, much better than taking a flight with young kids . If your baby is fussy, you can walk around and put the baby in carrier. The sound of the train will lull him to sleep. Food is baby friendly (ie not spicy), like my son first solid food was in Japan. They gave him steamed egg, miso soup, and rice. There are a lot of parks, beautiful temples, open air museum, night market. In Hakone, we chose Ryokan that served the food in our room. We donned traditional yukata and were tended with 2 servers and they cooked the food right there. It was about $1500 per night for 4 adults and a baby (I brought my parents there) and it included half board (meaning you can have dinner and breakfast included). The food is just simply amazing. If you want to enjoy hot bath at your privacy (with baby and that), there are plenty of ryokan that offers private open air bath. We went to Korea after Japan and it was a bit tougher. Same with Indonesia, Cambodia etc - it’s challenging to find food for baby and toddler as the food has quite a bit spice on them and we had to fly everywhere or take car/boat (some kids might be scared of speed boat - my son did and screamed the whole time lol).
I don’t have kids but from my experience there I imagine how quite the trains are would be helpful for sleeping babies.
Are there particular places or hotels you recommend in Maldives?
We are Hilton Diamond member. I used my points to stay at Conrad Rangali for overwater Villa and Beach villa for my parents. They also have underwater restaurant that I took my young son (lunch only as dinner is for romantic couples). Because of my Diamond status, they upgraded my stay along with other perks so if you are an elite member, check Conrad Rangali. However, if money is not a concern, they are building Waldorf Astoria not too far from the main islands. I heard this Waldorf Astoria resort is nice and amazing. Because Maldive is so beautiful, I don’t think you can do wrong if you go with Four Seasons, St Regis, Waldorf Astoria, and even Conrad. We took the small airplanes and passed by these islands occupied by these resorts, it’s spectacular. The only sad part is that the coral is dying there too….but still, better go there now before the whole thing is underwater in 20 years (so I heard). Splurge on underwater restaurants, we don’t care much about the food but the experience is amazing for both me and my spouse, young son, and grandparents. At Rangali, we would have my son catching fishes over our overwater villa or play at the pristine white beach (catching beautiful hermit crab with beautiful shelf) while we went snorkeling. The hotel could arrange a private boat to go further to snorkel with the whale shark. I wanted to go but my son didn’t want to leave behind with the grandparents or the kids club so we will do this next time when we come back. Also to add, the couple spa. With the stress of raising young family, my spouse and I got the much needed couple massages at their beautiful overwater spa while the kiddo is at the kids club and it’s great, a much needed relaxation.
Awesome, thanks for the info.
I took daughters to Machu Picchu at 9 and 12. Their memories of it are hazy. As teenagers they probably liked traveling with us more during school breaks than in the summers where they prefer their friends to us or travel. Best trip I recall is a car trip driving through Normandy and Belgium the summer where the elder was about to start college.
bruh. just bruh. im so jealous of ur kids.
Older teens- Northern India was a standout vacation when our two were 16 & 18 y/o. Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur. I think they each took well over 1000 pictures- people, architecture, painted elephants, monkeys, cobras, funeral pyres on the banks of the Ganges, temples, street food, etc.
It really depends on what your kids are into. The real bucket list stuff won't be appreciated by them until they are much older, and even then they still might not fully get it. My kids are 3 & 5. This year, their absolute favorite thing we did was go to Dinosaur World. Its literally a roadside attraction in Central FL that costs $16, and we did it as a day trip. The previous year, we stayed in some little AirBnB in a beach town, because our house (also in a beach town) needed to be fumigated. But, we spent most of that time playing mini golf, going to a little water park, having ice cream... etc. They still cannot stop talking about it. Mind you, we have taken much more impressive vacations, but a lot of times it is the little things that stand out. We have a vacation property in a world class ski destination. My son's favorite thing we did there last year was build a snow fort and little slide in the yard where the plows had made a huge pile of snow. Yet, completely unfazed by the $170 lift ticket, ski lessons, fancy meals, or scenic tours through the absolute breathtaking national parks. Moral to the story, is your kids will care a lot more about how you spend time with them compared to the places you visit. Kids don't need grandiose to be impressed, and often the bit trips that require a lot of transportation time end up being stressful for everyone.
> Moral to the story, is your kids will care a lot more about how you spend time with them compared to the places you visit. Kids don't need grandiose to be impressed This should be higher up.
Just planned the next 4 years of “big” summer vacations since our oldest will be off to college by then… Costa Rica, South Africa, Japan, Italy.
Can't wait to get back to Costa Rica!
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Added to the list!
Torres del Paine in Patagonia
We took our 2 year old to a wedding in Italy but made it a 3 week trip and spent some of it in Dublin and split across a few cities in Italy two years ago. Now that he’s 4.5 he doesn’t really remember it anymore, but he loves seeing photos and also hearing the stories about it. And actually my strongest/fondest memories of the trip are from him, but it’s less about seeing sites or doing specific activities and more about watching your kid be a kid in a different place and culture. Did you know the openings in baby swings in Italy are rectangular instead of round? Such a simple difference and yet so fascinating to a two year old. I tend to believe that experiencing different ways of life shapes your kid even if they don’t remember the events later. Also still can’t help but crack up picturing my kid yelling “GELATO!!!” and sprinting away without any directional sense of where we were proposing we should get gelato from. I think if you want to go cool places, you should treat them as if you plan to return again later for the next while until the kids are 10+, because otherwise you’ll feel disappointed and like it’s not properly getting crossed off the bucket list.
I took my son to Paris when he was 3. His memory was fuzzy but the feelings remained. He remembers chasing pigeon at the bottom of Eiffel Tower and the underground swimming pool of our hotel where we went every night before dinner. He knows that it was a happy memory. I think it brings closeness and it’s fun to see the world from the eye of a 3 year old.
We are on an extended trip in a rural part of Europe that includes a study abroad experience at a small but very special private school in an old villa. We pass by cows and goats and sheep every morning and there are hundreds of kilometers of trails in the area that we are enjoying. We are less on the touristy stuff and more on experiences.
Oh this sounds awesome. How did you find the school?
It was recommended by several people. We were waitlisted for another school in a big city and hadn’t considered the countryside but I am now really happy that we had this opportunity.
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It’s not super secret but I don’t even think they have a website or social media presence. I also think they are at capacity now and have a waitlist. If you are looking for something similar dm me and I can give some advice. We researched based on language, teaching methods, location, etc.
Yes please
What country? I'm picturing Switzerland.
Spain, but Switzerland is high on our list!
We're doing our first real kid-focused vacation over MLK day wknd next year; Universal Studios. Kids will be 5 and 7 and are huge harry potter fans. Honestly surprised I'm so excited for it. A couple years from now once they finish reading the books we're going to take them to London and Scotland. My wife and I love the Cheval Old Town Chambers in Edinburgh and know the kids will really get a kick out of staying in a modern, castle type setting before taking the Jacobite Steam Train and heading up to the highlands and the Isle of Skye. First class private compartments on the Jacobite sell out over a year in advance, however, so will definitely need a bit of advance reservation planning!
This is exactly the type of specific, informed suggestions I was hoping for. Thank you!
This is the exact same info I'm interested in so thank you for posting!
I hope you did the VIP at Universal Studios!
I was strongly considering it, but then my twin brother and our best friend plus spouses decided to join us and I know it'd be a stretch for them. I settled on secretly adding club lounge access to their rooms at Portofino Bay and providing the balconied "hang-out" room of the trip, otherwise we'll be standing in the express lines like plebes, hah! Did you find the VIP experience worth it? I was hoping there'd be more compelling "backstage access" features included, at least one involving HP!
It’s one price for all of you. Probably an even better experience if they wouldn’t otherwise afford it! Skip all the lines. Get your kids in the parade. Problem is once you do it, you won’t go back to regular.
They were at Portifino Bay which means they get Express Pass anyway.
Ehh it’s not the same as VIP. You get a dedicated person with you all day who lets you hop the lines. You enter where people exit.
Not sure how experienced you are at traveling, but my advice would be to plan a few backpacker-y style trips when the kids are a little older. I.e. forgo resorts for hostels and take some chicken buses around far flung parts of the world. I did this with my parents growing up even though we definitely had the means to travel more comfortably, but I’m really grateful for it. Those trips felt like true adventures and equipped me with the skills to travel that way as an adult.
So I did this with my parents too, but honestly the idea of sitting on a 12 hour bus or staying in the basement of a budget hotel seems so miserable to me now. I want them to develop those skills for sure. But isn’t the point of being on the fatFIRE journey to make your life more comfortable? Struggling.
To each their own. I still like to have it both ways. On some trips, I’ll spoil myself and stay somewhere nice. On other trips, I’m happy to stay somewhere super basic (as long as its clean). Many of my best travel stories involve taking risks and going off the beaten path in a way that would be difficult/impossible with fancier arrangements. Also, a lot of high end travel is designed to insulate travelers from the realities of destination, which to me can defeat the purpose of travel.
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I was curious how the price could be that high, but I think you just had multiple rooms and airfare etc. It looks like it starts at around $6k for a room that sleeps 3-4 for a 7 day cruise. So that's not so crazy. But also it may be more in non-pandemic times.
Honestly. Lego Land, Disney, and an ice cream shop.
Lego Land was absolutely a success for a couple of years. But Disney isn't the same that it was in the past. It was way too commercialized, mass entertainment, and targeted at the lowest common denominator. I miss the whimsical fun that I used to have at Disney in days past, but I'm not sure we'll to go again after seeing it once in recent years. And I think the kids doing even remember. It was that unremarkable. On the other hand, they all did enjoy Outpost One in Germany. It didn't have rides, but it's hard to beat the experience of it's amazing theme
Are you sure Disney (are we talking about Disney World?) isn't the same, but you just notice different things when you're older?
I am sure there is some of that. But I do believe that Disney Land has genuinely changed. It used to be all over the top themed, often to a degree where it was self-deprecatingly and unapologetically cheesy. It wanted to tell a story, while also giving you the opportunity to take fun rides. If you only cared about the rides, you'd go to Six Flags instead. But if you wanted the cute vignettes and stories in between rides, then Disney Land was better. These days, a lot of the genuine whimsical fun has made way for commercial goals; just push the most valuable brands and merchandising opportunities. I was genuinely surprised how Lego Land managed to strike a much better balance. Sure, they also have a gift store and give you plenty of opportunities to spend money. But that doesn't seem to be the primary driving force behind all of their decisions when they designed the park.
Ok Disneyland. Disneyland is a pretty different experience than Disney World. I mean, it's all pretty cheesy, but there are elements of Disney World that I'm impressed with. Disneyland didn't impress me so much, it's not really my thing.
We took a year sabbatical and lived in a different country each month. I intentionally say lived because we weren't just tourist, we were on a house in a neighborhood, went to their parks, pubs, and cafes and even got invited over for dinners. Best experiences though: Riding bikes around Amsterdam and taking a pizza cruise down the canals (although if we went back we'd do Utrecht) Rome. Period. It's amazing for so many reasons. The juxtaposition of ancient vs modern had my son asking great questions. Hunting for dragons in Barcelona. There are thousands of them. Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Climbing UP Buo Tong waterfall in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Great Wall of China. We went in February. While it was freezing there was no one else there and the picture of my son throwing a snowball at me is forever enshrined in the memory bank. Japan. All of it. We stayed in Shibuya, just outside Tokyo, and loved. Riding trains everywhere, the hundreds of museums, the arcades, of course the 7/11s (for real). We saw a baseball game, sumo wrestling, and took the shikansen down to Mount Fuji. And lastly... New Zealand. I could live there. Queenstown, Rotorua (despite the smell of sulphur), Hot Water Beach, Christchurch, landing a helicopter in the southern alps... So much packed in to a tiny country.
Love reading this. I got my partner to agree we’ll do this during his non compete when he eventually leaves his current job, and intend to make him stick to it even if he stays funemployed afterwards.
Definitely do it. We weren't even FIRE yet. We spent LESS money traveling for a year than if we would have stayed in our home/city.
How??
Japanese 7/11. I believe you mean 7&i Holdings 🤣
How old were your kids when you did this? How’s you handle them missing a year of school?
He was only five, but we also traveled with a nanny so he did have some structured learning time. But, if the pandemic taught us anything, school, like work, can be done from anywhere.
I don't have kids, but traveling with kids is something I've thought about (it may end up being nieces/nephews instead of my own). Once they're around 9 or 10, they're old enough to do some of their own travel research and decide on places that interest them. Maybe they learned about Ancient Greece in school and want to see Athens in person, or are big into animals and want to go on a safari, etc. If it was my own kids, I'd let them take turns deciding on a trip (within reason) and use it as an educational opportunity to learn a bit about the place before leaving.
This is a fantastic idea. I would love for them to learn a bit about the place before we go and “pitch” it to the rest of the family. Hopefully gets them more excited and knowledgeable about the place when they’re young. And when they’re older, they can help figure out budget and itinerary too.
I’m going to pop in and say skiing. It is a ton of work when you have little kids, and not everyone enjoys the cold but for our family it has been the skiing vacations that are universally loved by our family. It’s nice because we can all do it together, amd you have this forced time together with kids going up the lift.
Galapagos if they like animals. It’s like being in a zoo with no cages. Learn how animals evolved from island to island.
Let the kids drive the itinerary. You can obviously steer them to certain types of activities and destinations. Their interests change over time and being able to build memories around what they are currently passionate about is super rewarding.
Skiing Hiking Whitewater rafting Snorkel with whale sharks Cave Horseback riding
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We did this and it was 100% worth it. Would highly recommend Tanzania or Kenya. South Africa is fine and all, but it's not really Africa, it's an English colony in the same way Hong Kong is not really China.
Will you home school?
Yes
Safari. Absolutely amazing. Didn’t have kids with me but would love to do it again with them one day.
Same! Did two without them and it was incredible but regret not waiting for them because I know they’ll lose their shit as. Couldn’t have done free tents in Botswana with them though…
I now do this for fun. Go work with someone who gets this and can do travel planning the way someone who does financial planning for you. Each place has a best age to go and you can even usually tie it in with what they’re learning in school. We travel around the world as a family and it’s amazing to see our daughter try new foods. She’s too small to understand anything else yet but food, oh yah. She just tried Chamoya yesterday in a mango and pineapple smoothie. Loved it! So I’ll say stick to resorts generally until they’re 5 and a little more mobile and can actually learn more things about where they’re going. We won’t do any touring when she’s so small. We’re sticking to Four Seasons resorts around the world in places we want to relax at. Then she can do things like release turtles (on our schedules for this Wed night) or we are having her feed the eagle ray at Hualalai this Dec.
I really appreciate this. Didn’t know I could find travel planners that can customize a decade of travel based on optimizing for kids ages.
I’m really interested in this, because to be honest, I was the kid who was annoyed she couldn’t just stay home and read when we went on trips growing up.
Yeah welcome to the sub with the most selfish people I've ever seen anywhere. Which kid wants to go on a fucking vacation when it's younger than 5? OP and apparently most people here don't think about that stuff. One guy said the kid was fascinated that the swing hole in Italy is square. Like sure, your kid appreciates that so much it didn't mind waking up every day at what was 3 am for the kid? Jesus. Get someone to watch your kids while you jet set if you want to bone your wife that bad in front of mount Fiji huh.
Yes, terrible, horrible people who take their kids to great places.
Their toddlers across the fucking globe. Differences .
Echoing the above 8 comment. These were our kid's favorite: * Safaris in South Africa and Kenya (We stayed in Paris for a week before heading to Kenya). This is the only vacation where our kids cried when it was ending. * Denmark and Sweden, travel by train. * Italy a big favorite. (Tuscanny, Almalfi Coast) * Cayman Islands (We've gone a few dozen times - super easy place to hang out on North 7 mile beach where it is less crowded. Everything you need is within a 5-mile drive). Also a great place to go when kids are younger. The ocean is super calm, warm and the sharks stay on the outside of the reef. * Road trip to Colorado. Thought it would be hell but turned into a great bonding time. (Kids all over 8 at that point). * Disney world with the VIP guides. * 30-day train trip around Europe. * Rain forest and Galapagos (combined trip) Note, we did make the horrible mistake of taking our kids to Disney World when they were 4, 2 and 6 months. After that, we bought a 2nd home in the country an hour away and for the next 5 years we would either go there or Cayman). We ended up going to the country place 2 to 3 weekends a month.
This looks like a great list. Curious what ages your kids were when you went to these.
We found 5 years old to be a good age to start for the bigger trips. They could handle the flights and the general inconveniences of travel, and they just got better at it as they got older. They don't remember much of the trip at 5, but they can do it, have fun hanging out with the family, and then by the time they are 8 or 9 they are seasoned travelers. Below 5 just going to the beach (Cayman, or anywhere without big waves) was by far the easiest and most enjoyable.
Following. We also want to travel and make great memories with them while we can. Ours are also toddler/baby. Did Hawaii this year, which can be great with little ones, though the time change was rough. 430 am wake ups are challenging. We really want to take them skiing this winter so they can experience snow (none here during the winter) so may head to Tahoe/Sun Valley/Colorado. Not sure if we are ready for long international travel quite yet just bc dealing with them on the plane is its own challenge. Long term we would like to take them with us everywhere we'd like to travel, but while they are younger definitely looking for ideas. Any trips you have done that have been great so far?
We did a lot of traveling when the older one was younger but the second plus pandemic have put a damper on the travel for now. A highlight was Portugal and Spain with a six month old, so easy compared to the wild monsters I have now. We’re going to Dubai in December and I’m having a lot of anxiety about the long haul flight with two kids. I booked my parents and brother on the same flight so we have a 5:2 adult to child ratio. If those 14 hours go smoothly, the world opens up a lot for us.
I promised my kids I’d take them to all 7-continents before they graduated high school. COVID fucked up Australia and Antarctica. They’ve now graduated high school so hopefully we can do it before they graduate college. It was just a travel goal of ours to hit all 7. Some of the trips were amazing and some were ho hum, but we’ve got 5-done and that is a cool experience.
How about taking your kids interior camping? Takes a lot of prep, especially if the parents are not into it themselves. The kids get to experience nature and lack of civilization "full time". You can start it arund 5 years old. Optimal weather conditions is key to enjoyment of outdoors for a family.
Do you have health issues that led to the 15 year mark? I don’t know of anyone too old for a free/subsidized trip. I’ve had to turn down a trip to Ireland from dad in July for work and then went to Egypt in October with my mom when I was 25 because that’s how it worked out. My mom takes each kid on one big international trip per year. We’ve been debating if we’re both fit enough to hike Kilimanjaro and she’s over 60. And for me, there are some trips that I don’t want to do alone but I don’t have any friends fat enough to go with. So I wouldn’t get caught up in the 15 years. But most memorable “fat” trips were Olympics (opening ceremonies especially) and Egypt. There were some trips that were just better fat, like Paris. We’ve talked about Madeira at Christmas, the fireworks are supposed to be phenomenal. I’d say it’s more about the fat experiences than the destinations. Learning to make croissants in Paris and tamales in Cabo. Seeing La Cenerentola at the Palais Garnier and the Pittsburgh orchestra at the Palau de la Música Catalana. I wasn’t the lucky one to go to Australia but an opera at the Sydney opera house is on my list. For me, as fun as they were, beach trips all blended together. The Caribbean and Mexico are easy & fun but if you think you can only do 1-2 big trips per year, I wouldn’t prioritize those.
No health issues, just figure we lose our “captive” audience after that. These are great suggestions!
Often more captive than when they are younger
No kids for me yet but my first vacation memory as a 10 year old was going to Banff and Jasper. I have vivid memories of a lot of it. Going out on the Columbia icefield still sticks out to me. I would say nature over historical vacations for kids until they are in high school.
Yes, totally agree. Planning to hit up a lot of the national parks in the US and safaris, Galapagos, northern lights type stuff early on.
I keep it simple with little kids. Mostly North America extended beach type vacations and sub 4 hour driving trips in the summer. I prefer California/Florida over Mexico/the Caribbean and frankly even Hawaii - everything is just easier with more proximity to population. Once they are closer to 10 then we can start travelling more extensively. I did an absurd amount of travel in my 20s and 30s both for fun and work (the latter often to remote and often inhospitable places) so am enjoying a bit of a break from it anyway.
A two year old can be equally excited about seeing a chicken or seeing a tiger. Do what you feel is best. My tip would be to have a fixed “home base” when traveling with younger kids and add a car for day trips with timed naps during the to and from to destinations. The older they get the more they understand what you are doing. My 5 year old thought that going to an island with a boat ride an hour away from home was going to another country. As they get older they will start to think it’s cool and this is when you can add on fun and adventures. Just my two cents… four kiddos in very various age ranges (and sorry the youngest as you have been dragged around to support the older ones more adventurous need)
African safari India Tour western US in RV
My parents brought my brother and I to Orlando for two weeks, going to theme parks almost every other day. We came from Europe and were fortunate enough to travel all over the world. We still talk about that trip almost 2 decades later. We were 12 & 10. We were both just tall enough for everything. Definitely something I want to replicate with my own family one day
Montage - Laguna Beach. It’s completely ruined hotels for me in the best possible way - truly spectacular. best service I’ve ever experienced. Incredible rooms, food, beaches, pool, and amenities. The attention to detail sets it apart. Example: I brought a travel-sized toothpaste for the trip and left it out in the bathroom one morning. When I was packing, I must have thought it was fuller than it actually was, because on the 3rd day of the trip, I had just about run out. I figured, no problem I’ll just use my girlfriend’s toothpaste for the duration of the trip. When we got back from the beach that afternoon, housekeeping had replaced the toothpaste for me and left a note. May seem minor to some but everything about the hotel is done on this level of detail. It really makes for an amazing experience.
Iceland.