Family Travel: The World's Best Destinations for Kids of Every Age

Travelling with children is genuinely different from any other kind of travel. It is slower, louder, more logistically complex, and interrupted at unexpected moments by the need for a snack, a nap, or a very urgent toilet. It is also — at its best — the most vivid and memorable kind of travel there is: seeing a child encounter a new food, a different language, a landscape they have never imagined, or an animal they knew only from books is one of parenthood's unrepeatable privileges. The key is choosing destinations that work for the specific ages and temperaments of your children. Here's a guide.

For Toddlers and Young Children (Ages 2–6)

At this age, the priorities are: safety, manageable physical distances, flexibility for naps, and experiences that engage short attention spans powerfully.

Best Destinations

Costa Rica: Wildlife that captures children's imaginations (sloths, toucans, tree frogs, sea turtles nesting), comfortable eco-lodge accommodation, and manageable health standards. Seeing a sloth in the wild for the first time is a child's face you will photograph and remember.

Portugal's Algarve: Safe, warm beaches with calm water, excellent family-friendly accommodation, short driving distances between sites, and excellent food that children accept well (grilled fish, pastries, orange juice). Europe's most consistently good-value family beach destination.

Japan: Counter-intuitive but excellent for young children — impeccably safe, fantastically clean, a culture that adores children and accommodates them readily. The endless novelty of a different food system, transport system, and urban environment engages young minds powerfully. Bring a buggy/pushchair only in larger cities; stairs and crowds can be challenging.

For Children Aged 7–12

This is the golden age of family travel — old enough to engage with history, nature, and new experiences; young enough to be genuinely excited by everything.

Best Destinations

Peru: Machu Picchu is extraordinary for children old enough to understand its scale and history. The train journey through the Sacred Valley from Cusco is itself an adventure. The Colca Canyon condor viewing, the reed islands of Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon near Puerto Maldonado offer biological and cultural diversity that is genuinely educational.

Iceland: Geysers erupting on cue, waterfalls children can walk behind, whale watching, puffin colonies, and the possibility of the aurora borealis — Iceland is an inexhaustible source of natural wonder for curious children. Entirely safe, with excellent English everywhere.

New Zealand: A country made for active family exploration — safe, clean, English-speaking, with hiking, whale watching, zorbing, glowworm caves, and Hobbiton film sets. Children's imaginations meet reality usefully here.

Kenya: A safari — children watching their first elephant herd at dawn, or a lion with cubs — is an experience that stays with a child for a lifetime. Family-friendly lodges in the Masai Mara and Amboseli are well-established, and many lodges specifically programme activities (junior ranger programmes, guided walks) for children.

For Teenagers (Ages 13–18)

Teenagers need to feel that travel is their choice as much as their parents', and that they are having experiences of genuine independence and relevance.

Best Destinations

Japan (again): The independence offered by excellent, safe, comprehensible public transport; the culture of gaming, anime, and technology; the food adventure of trying something genuinely unfamiliar every day — Japan speaks directly to many teenagers in ways that few destinations do.

Vietnam: Street food exploration, motorbike lessons (with appropriate supervision), the chaos of Ho Chi Minh City's traffic, and the beauty of Ha Long Bay — Vietnam is affordable, exciting, and delivers the sense of genuine cultural contrast that many teenagers find more interesting than another European capital.

Costa Rica (again, different reasons): Zip-lining through cloud forest, surfing lessons in Tamarindo, night walks through the rainforest with a guide finding frogs by torchlight — Costa Rica's adventure activity density is unmatched for teenagers who want physical challenges in beautiful settings.

Multi-Generational Travel

Travelling with grandparents is increasingly popular — and requires destinations that work across a 60-year age range. The best choices:

• Mediterranean cruises: Shore days for active exploration, sea days for rest, something for every age in every port
• National parks road trips: US (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite) or New Zealand's South Island — adjust activity level daily to match who has energy for what
• Tuscany or Provence villa holidays: A rented house provides a home base with private space for adults, garden for children, and local day trips at whatever pace suits

Practical Family Travel Tips

• Involve children in planning — research together, give them one "their" choice per day
• Build in do-nothing time — children need downtime; over-scheduled family trips exhaust everyone
• Pack snacks for every journey — hunger makes every travel problem worse
• Choose accommodation with a kitchen when possible — the ability to prepare a familiar meal can salvage a difficult travel day
• Travel insurance with medical evacuation for children is non-negotiable

Related: Japan for Every Age | Dominican Republic: Beyond the All-Inclusive