Best Family Vacations by Age: Where to Go With Toddlers, Kids, Teens, and Adult Children
Planning a family vacation would be so much easier if children simply remained the same age forever. Unfortunately, they insist on growing up, developing opinions, and eventually becoming teenagers who may look at a perfectly nice family vacation and ask, “Do we have to?”
The good news is that family travel does not have to end when your kids get older. It just has to change.
The beach vacation that worked beautifully when everyone was four may not be quite as exciting when your child is 15. Meanwhile, a destination packed with hiking and adventure might have sounded exhausting when you were traveling with a toddler but suddenly becomes the perfect vacation once your kids are old enough to carry their own luggage and stop licking airport floors.
The best family vacation depends heavily on the age of your kids and what your family actually enjoys doing together. Toddlers need convenience, short travel times, and plenty of opportunities to burn off energy. School-age kids often love resorts, attractions, and hands-on experiences. Teenagers usually need more independence and activities that don’t feel like something Mom picked because she saw it on Facebook. And adult children? Well, now you may finally be able to take that trip without packing snacks for everyone, although they will probably still ask if you brought any.
I’ve traveled with kids at many different ages, from the toddler years to traveling with teenagers and now adult children. One thing I’ve learned is that there is no single “best family vacation.” The best trip is the one that fits your family at the stage you’re in right now.
This guide will help you figure out where to go.
Table of Contents
Quick Guide: The Best Family Vacations by Age
If you just want the short version, here you go.
Traveling with toddlers? Look for easy destinations, family-friendly resorts, cruises, and places where you don’t have to spend half the vacation convincing someone to get into a car seat.
Traveling with elementary-age kids? Theme parks, family resorts, cruises, beaches, and destinations with plenty of hands-on activities tend to be winners.
Traveling with tweens? Start adding more adventure, independence, and activities that make them feel slightly less like they’re on a vacation designed for babies.
Traveling with teenagers? Adventure travel, cruises, national parks, international trips, and resorts with plenty to do can all work incredibly well.
Traveling with adult children? This is where family vacations get interesting again. Beach resorts, international destinations, cruises, food-focused trips, adventure travel, and luxury vacations can all be fantastic options.
Now let’s get into the details.
Best Vacations With Toddlers
Traveling with a toddler can be magical. It can also involve carrying a tiny human through an airport while wearing a backpack, pulling a suitcase, and wondering why you ever thought checking a bag was optional.
The best toddler vacations make life easier on parents while still giving little ones plenty to do. You generally want to avoid vacations that involve hours in the car every day, complicated transportation, or attractions where your child spends most of the time being told not to touch things.
At this age, convenience matters almost as much as the destination itself.
Family-Friendly Resorts
A good family resort can make traveling with toddlers dramatically easier. Look for properties with multiple pools, splash areas, easy beach access, kid-friendly restaurants, and enough space that you’re not spending every afternoon hiding in a dark hotel room during nap time.
An all-inclusive resort can also be especially appealing with young children because meals and snacks are readily available. Anyone who has ever traveled with a toddler knows that they can go from “I’m not hungry” to “I am literally starving” in approximately seven seconds.
Read: 25 Best All Inclusive Resorts for Families
Beaches Turks & Caicos is one of the destinations I would consider for families with young children because there is so much available without requiring you to plan every minute of the day. Pools, beaches, kid-friendly activities, and family accommodations can make it easier to create a vacation that works for both parents and kids.
Read: Beaches Turks & Caicos Review
Disney Cruises
A Disney Cruise can be one of the easiest vacations for families with toddlers because the entertainment, food, activities, and accommodations are all in one place. You unpack once, and the vacation essentially comes to you, which is a beautiful thing when traveling with someone who considers running away in public a hobby.
There are activities for kids, family entertainment, pools, and plenty of opportunities for parents to relax without having to spend the entire trip figuring out what to do next.
- Disney Cruise Tips
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- Disney Dream Cruise Review
- Disney Fantasy Stateroom
- Disney Cruise Fish Extender 101
Palm Springs
Palm Springs can also be a surprisingly good option for families who want a relaxed vacation without an overwhelming itinerary. Pool time, family-friendly hotels, easy dining, and nearby attractions give you enough to do without turning the vacation into a military operation.
Read: Palm Springs Travel Guide
What Makes a Great Toddler Vacation?
When choosing a destination for a toddler, prioritize:
- Short or easy travel days
- Family-friendly accommodations
- Pools or beaches
- Plenty of outdoor space
- Easy access to food
- Flexible schedules
- Activities that don’t require standing quietly for three hours
The simpler the logistics, the more likely everyone will actually enjoy the trip.
Best Vacations With Elementary-Age Kids
Once kids are out of the toddler stage, vacations start getting easier in some ways. They can usually walk farther, remember more of the trip, and hopefully no longer believe that licking the floor of an airport is an acceptable pastime.
This is a fantastic age for family travel because kids are excited about almost everything.
Theme parks? Amazing.
Hotel pool? Amazing.
A buffet with unlimited dessert? Possibly the greatest thing they have ever experienced.
Cruises
Cruises can work incredibly well for elementary-age kids because there is always something happening. Between pools, kids’ clubs, entertainment, shore excursions, and family activities, boredom is rarely the problem.
The bigger challenge may be convincing your children that they cannot eat soft-serve ice cream 14 times a day.
All-Inclusive Resorts
This is also an excellent age for all-inclusive resorts. Kids can spend hours at the pool, enjoy water parks and activities, and still have plenty of family time.
Look for resorts with:
- Water slides
- Kids’ clubs
- Family suites
- Beaches with calm water
- Evening entertainment
- Activities for different ages
Read: Best All Inclusive Resorts for Families
National Parks With Younger Kids
You don’t have to wait until your children are teenagers to introduce them to national parks. The key is choosing the right activities.
Scenic drives, wildlife viewing, short hikes, junior ranger programs, boat tours, and easy adventures can all make national parks exciting without requiring your children to hike 12 miles uphill because you saw a beautiful picture on Instagram.
- Glacier National Park
- 6 Things to do in Yellowstone with Kids
- 14 Best National Park Experiences and Tours
- A Guide to All 9 National Parks in California
Grapevine, Texas
For families looking for a shorter getaway, Grapevine can be a great option with plenty of family-friendly attractions, hotels, and activities. It is the kind of destination where you can fill a weekend without needing a spreadsheet, color-coded itinerary, and emergency backup plan.
There’s a Great Wolf Lodge, a Gaylord, Chicken n Pickle, Meow Wolf, and so much more in a small area. Even the Grapevine Mills Mall is packed with things to do like a Sea Life and LEGO World.
Houseboating With Kids
Houseboating can be an incredible family vacation for elementary-age kids, especially if your family loves being outdoors and spending time on the water. There is something pretty special about waking up surrounded by water, swimming during the day, and having your own little floating vacation home.
But this is one I would only recommend for families whose kids can swim. Houseboating is not the same as staying at a resort with a pool and a lifeguard nearby. Kids need to be comfortable in the water, and parents need to be prepared to supervise them closely around the boat, the dock, and any swimming areas.
If your kids are confident swimmers, houseboating can be a fantastic way to combine adventure, relaxation, and family time. You get the freedom to explore, enjoy the scenery, and spend your days doing as much or as little as you want.
Best Vacations With Tweens
Tweens can be a tricky travel age. They’re too old for some of the things they loved when they were younger, but they’re not quite old enough to have the independence of teenagers. They may want adventure one minute and Wi-Fi the next.
The best tween vacations give them opportunities to feel a little more grown up while still including plenty of family activities.
Adventure Resorts
Resorts with zip lines, water sports, climbing activities, snorkeling, and other adventures can be a great fit for this age group.
The goal is to find activities that are exciting enough that your tween doesn’t immediately ask if they can go back to the hotel and watch YouTube.
Disney Aulani
Disney Aulani in Hawaii is a great option for families with tweens because it offers a mix of relaxation, adventure, and activities that appeal to different ages. You can spend the day at the pool or beach, explore the resort, enjoy Hawaiian culture, or head out for other island adventures.
What I like about a destination like Aulani is that it gives families room to do their own thing. Your tween can enjoy the activities that interest them while you still get plenty of time together as a family. And, of course, there is always the possibility that everyone will agree on something for at least five minutes.
- Disney Aulani One Bedroom Villa Tour
- 10 Free Things to do at Aulani Disney Resort in Oahu, Hawaii
- 10 Things You Need to Know Before Your Trip to Aulani
Cruises With Activities for Older Kids
Cruises can continue to work well during the tween years, especially ships with water slides, sports courts, surf simulators, escape rooms, teen spaces, and other activities designed for older kids.
Beach Vacations With More Than Just a Beach
A beach is great, but tweens often appreciate having additional activities available.
Look for destinations with:
- Snorkeling
- Paddleboarding
- Boat trips
- Adventure parks
- Water sports
- Wildlife experiences
This is a good age to start introducing more active experiences into your family vacations.
Best Vacations With Teenagers
If you think family vacations have to stop once your kids become teenagers, I have good news. They don’t. You just have to stop planning the exact same trip you took when they were six.
Teenagers often want more adventure, more independence, and experiences they can actually tell their friends about when they get home. Sitting on a beach for seven straight days may sound fantastic to you. Your teenager may need a little more going on.
And if your teen absolutely hates traveling, be sure to read Best Vacations for a 16-Year-Old Who Hates Sightseeing.
National Park Adventures
National parks can be an excellent choice for teenagers, especially when you include activities beyond simply driving around and looking at scenery.
Glacier National Park is a perfect example. Add whitewater rafting, hiking, wildlife, and some truly spectacular scenery, and suddenly your teenager may voluntarily put their phone down.
For our family, rafting was one of the experiences that made Glacier especially memorable.
- Glacier National Park: A Beautiful Montana Adventure with Fishing, Rafting and More
- 14 Best National Park Experiences and Tours
- A Guide to All 9 National Parks in California
International Travel
Teenagers are old enough to appreciate experiences that go beyond the typical family resort vacation.
Vietnam and Turkey, for example, both offer adventure, history, incredible food, unique landscapes, and experiences that feel very different from everyday life.
Exploring places like Hanoi, climbing Múa Cave, taking a boat through Trang An, and traveling through different parts of the country can create the kind of family memories that stick.
- Best Holiday Destinations With Teenagers
- La Fortuna Costa Rica with Teenagers
- The Best Cities in Germany For Teenagers
- Turkey with Teenagers: A Fun-Filled Family Adventure
International travel can also give teenagers more ownership of the vacation. Let them help choose activities, restaurants, or excursions. They are much more likely to be excited about a trip when they don’t feel like they are simply being dragged along on yours.
Yellowstone
Yellowstone can also be a fantastic family trip with teenagers, particularly when you combine the park with nearby experiences and avoid trying to cram the entire vacation into one exhausting day.
Flying into Cody gives families another way to experience the area, and the combination of western history, outdoor adventure, wildlife, and Yellowstone itself can make for a memorable trip.
Resorts With Plenty to Do
Teenagers can absolutely enjoy an all-inclusive resort, but choose carefully. A beautiful resort with one pool and a quiet beach may be heaven for adults. Your teenager may be finished with the entire experience by Tuesday afternoon.
Look for resorts with activities like:
- Teen Clubs
- Water sports
- Adventure parks
- Multiple pools
- Sports
- Snorkeling
- Excursions
- Evening entertainment
The goal is to give everyone enough options that no one has to pretend they are having fun.
Best Vacations With Adult Children
One of the best parts of having adult children is that family travel becomes a completely different experience. You no longer have to choose a destination based on whether there is a splash pad. You can eat dinner after 7 p.m. Traveling with adult children opens up an entirely new world of vacation possibilities.
All-Inclusive Resorts
All-inclusive resorts can work particularly well for families with adult children because everyone can choose how they want to spend the day.
Some people can relax by the pool. Others can book excursions. Someone can sleep until noon without ruining the entire vacation schedule.
The best resorts for adult families have a combination of great food, beautiful pools and beaches, activities, and enough space for everyone to enjoy time together without feeling like they’re all living on top of each other.
Xcaret Arte near Playa del Carmen remains one of my favorite family resorts because there is genuinely enough to do for different ages.
International Adventures
Traveling internationally with adult children can be one of the most rewarding types of family travel.
Vietnam is a great example of a destination where everyone can have a different favorite part of the trip. One person may love the food. Someone else may love the scenery or history. Another person may just be thrilled that they got an Instagram photo they actually like.
Either way, you’re experiencing something together that feels different from everyday life.
Best Multigenerational Family Vacations
If you’re traveling with grandparents, parents, teenagers, and younger children all at once, choosing a destination gets a little more complicated.
The best multigenerational vacations give people choices.
That doesn’t mean everyone has to do everything together. In fact, trying to make everyone participate in every activity is one of the fastest ways to turn a family vacation into a group therapy session.
Instead, look for destinations where different generations can enjoy the same trip in different ways.
- 12 Caribbean Resorts Perfect for Multigenerational Trips
- 26 Best Places to Vacation with Grandkids in the United States
Cruises
Cruises are one of the easiest multigenerational vacation options because there are activities for nearly every age group.
Grandparents can enjoy entertainment and dining. Younger kids can participate in kids’ programming. Teenagers can find activities and spaces designed for them. Parents can occasionally sit down and drink something while it is still cold.
Large Family Resorts
Large resorts can also work well, especially when they offer multiple pools, restaurants, activities, and room configurations.
The key is finding accommodations that give everyone enough space.
- Velas Vallarta an All-Inclusive Family Resort
- Paradisus Los Cabos a Family Friendly All-Inclusive Resort
- Grand Bahia Principe Tulum a Family-Friendly All-Inclusive Resort
Beach Destinations
A beach vacation can be one of the easiest options for a multigenerational family because everyone can participate at their own level.
Some people can spend the day in the water. Others can sit under an umbrella and read. No one has to hike six miles unless they have made some questionable life choices.
- 11 Best Madagascar Beaches
- Best Beaches in La Paz
- 13 Best Beach Vacations with Kids
- 25 Best Underrated European Beach Destinations
How to Choose the Right Family Vacation
Before booking your next trip, ask yourself a few questions.
What Ages Are We Traveling With?
This is the obvious starting point, but don’t just think about the youngest child.
A destination that works beautifully for a four-year-old and a 10-year-old may not work as well when you’re also traveling with a teenager who would rather be literally anywhere else.
Try to choose a destination with something for everyone.
How Active Is Your Family?
Some families want to see everything. Others want to find a pool and remain there until checkout. Neither approach is wrong, but choosing the wrong vacation style can make everyone miserable.
Be honest about what your family actually enjoys doing.
How Much Independence Does Everyone Need?
This becomes increasingly important as kids get older. Teenagers and adult children may not want to spend every minute with the family, and that’s perfectly fine.
A cruise, resort, or destination with multiple activity options can make it easier for everyone to enjoy the trip without being attached at the hip for seven days.
What Is Your Realistic Budget?
The “best” vacation isn’t helpful if it requires selling a kidney.
Consider the total cost, including:
- Flights
- Hotels or resorts
- Food
- Activities
- Transportation
- Excursions
- Travel insurance
- Those mysterious vacation expenses that somehow appear every single time
Sometimes a more expensive resort can actually save money if meals and activities are included. Other times, the cheaper hotel ends up being much more expensive once you start adding everything else. You can use our Vacation Budget Calculator to plan your own budget.
Family Vacations Change—and That’s a Good Thing
No matter what stage your family is in, there is a vacation out there that can work for all of you. You just may have to accept that your idea of the perfect trip and your teenager’s idea of the perfect trip are probably not going to involve the same amount of lounging.
And that is exactly why family vacation planning is a sport.
