Traveling with children can be the ultimate reward. Venturing out into the world is an opportunity for kids to be exposed to nature, learn about other cultures and create lasting memories that continue to expand their minds over time.
But let's face it: Traveling with children can also be a nightmare. Humiliating meltdowns on the plane, road-trip rambunctiousness, battles with finicky eaters at foreign tables — the list goes on and on.
What, then, is the right approach to bringing the young ones along for the ride? To find out, we collected intelligence from a pair of trusted sources: our own in-house team of travel experts and some of the best-traveled parents we know.
“The best way I can describe how we like to plan trips for families is to take a cue from a Pixar film,” says David Prior, who has an army of nieces and nephews, ranging from 3 to 16 years old. As an uncle, Prior has commandeered various trips, including three weeks in Japan a few years ago. “Creating an environment where parents can see children’s curiosity and imagination come alive is an enriching experience,” Prios says, “but there should always be a nudge and a wink to family trips as well.”
For Lauren Liss, a Senior Vice President at Capital One and mother of two children under the age of 12, sharing a love of travel across generations means thinking not just about travel seasons, but “the seasons of life.”
With eight children, aged 7 to 28, author and cook Mimi Thorisson knows a thing or two about vacationing with kids. So trust her when she says it's best to keep itineraries simple. “I believe that vacationing near the sea is always a hit with kids,” she says. “As long as there are places where they can swim, have some ice cream, and make a splash, we are good to go.”
Looking at age groups in 3-year increments — 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15, 15-18 — we are breaking down the risks, rewards and right destinations related to traveling with the under-18 set.
Age 0-3:
Rewards
•For parents looking to get some sleep, sun and surf, the 0-3 age group is arguably the best candidate for a fly-and-flop holiday.
