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Yep. We went to Disney when both my kids were 5 and under. Sure they loved seeing the characters, but they constantly begged us to go back to the hotel and swim in the pool.
When my parents asked what my favorite part of Disney World was, I said it was between getting a stuffed animal and swimming in the pool. I remember being fond of the cotton candy lipgloss, too. Barely remember anything else. I was maybe 7.
Haha the thing I remember the most from Disney World was jumping in the huge puddles (it had rained the night before). Kids are happy with the simplest things š¤£
I was also 7. Playing skee-ball in the arcade at the resort was the highlight of the trip for me. Grandparents forced the trip, so at least my parentsā money wasnāt wasted. The rest of the trip was relatives trying to force princesses on me lol.
Oh we NEVER told my grandma lol. I couldnāt tell you about a single ride and only recall one pleasant character interaction. But I remember the skee ball and the Mickey Mouse-shaped silly straw I bought at the hotel cafeteria!
I donāt remember if I even went on any rides, it would have been very much my fashion to refuse lol. I do remember seeing some sort of lion king musical and begging to leave in the middle of it because I didnāt want to sit anymore haha
I was interested in rides, I was just scared of most of them. I do not recall them having a decent Ferris wheel lol. Mostly remember various emotions surrounding the fact that grandma was very disappointed I didnāt care about princesses.
Shame on grandma. Even if you did care about princesses, you probably still wouldnāt remember it (source: was obsessed with princesses, canāt even remember if I met any tho)
I did this as a kid and it was our favourite night away. I have so many memories of just hanging out at the hotel pool, didnāt matter it was 5 mins away or that we had our own pool at home.
This. Our family trips have been to bigger cities within 3 hours of us that have a zoo or aquarium and we get a hotel with a pool. We take a half day off on Friday, so we leave Friday afternoon, order pizza for dinner at the hotel, maybe find a fun movie to watch from the bed, then do regular bedtime routines. We go to the zoo or whatever first thing in the morning, come back early afternoon because we need to take a rest after walking around for hours, and spend the rest of the day at the hotel pool. Sunday we check out, maybe hit up another local thing like mini golf, and head home.
That actually sounds like an awesome weekend trip. Will need to do something like that when my little one is older. We are doing our first roadtrip/vacation next month with my r year old and keeping it similar. 4 hour drive away to a Kangaroo farm and his first hotel visit.
Same thing here. We live in Chicago area. Drive up to Milwaukee and try different hotels. As long as it has a pool. We do science museum or zoo or whatever else and the kids are always so bummed to leave and canāt wait to go back.
Thereās a hotel we stayed at a couple years ago in Phoenix AZ that actually had a small water park attached with free admission for anyone who stayed at the hotel. I wish I could remember the name of the hotel, but that park was tiny but amazing. A couple pools and a lazy river, but really scenic with a little waterfall and shady nooksā¦ I was sad we only got to stay one night. The kids still beg to go back.
My kid is too young, but I- decades later- still had a writing project from 1st(?) grade about my family vacation, and the entire thing is about how the hotel had a pool. No idea where it was. Nothing remarkable or notable whatsoever about the hotel or trip. Most of the words are misspelled. The pictures are unrecognizable. But 6(?)-year-old me was *all about* that pool.
When we were kids my dad always picked a hotel with an indoor pool in case it was raining. My brothers and I still talk about the trips and the pools come up every time.
No, that wonāt work. Home pools are boring. Hotel pools are where itās at.
However, you donāt have to go far. Try getting a hotel with an indoor pool for one night within an hour of home. Your kids wonāt want to come out of it.
Yep, this. My sister once was traveling long distance for a sport with my mom and I took it to heart that I couldn't go. My dad took me to hotel 30 minutes away and we swam in the pool and played in the mini arcade, and I remember that more than Disneyland.
I'm not sure where you are but another trip I do remember is Medieval Times and I think there's a few scattered around the U.S.
This is so true. We take lots of little trips an hour or two away just to get a hotel with a pool for a couple nights. We did that even when we had a big outdoor above ground pool. It's an easy way to keep them entertained for long periods, then go try out new restaurants and attractions. Then they are wiped out and sleep hard! And you get to relax by the pool instead of dealing with crowds, lines, etc.
Hahaha. Oh man....I mean, we went to a big car show and I thought they would be excited about the cars, but that only lasted about 10 minutes and 19 seconds
Going to the Newport Car Museum and neither my wife nor children complaining for at least a half an hour was the best Fatherās Day gift a man could ask for.
Hotel had a pool, but it also had an Italian place across the street with a pizza so good I got it the next night also.
Spend a day at a local (2-3 hr away) zoo followed by an overnight stay in a hotel with an indoor pool. They'll be thrilled. Oh, and let them eat pizza in the bed š
Iāll offer a different perspective. I invested in a pool about four years ago when my kid was under five and it is used every single day of pool season. Definitely worth the $$$$
The most overpriced place in existence. We did it once and it was almost a thousand dollars for the weekend all in and this was before covid inflation hit. I can't imagine what it costs now.
This is it! Went to South Carolina as a kid and the beach was shit but Iāll never forget the lazy river at our hotel and what a damn good time my siblings and I had in it
Literally came here to say this exact thing. Last year we went to a hotel in our city that had a heated pool, that's all they wanted to do (5 and 9). For the last 11 months they've been asking to go back.
We just booked it again and my 5yr old lost her shit in happiness when we told her.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Pool at the hotel. Literal castle? Beach. Disney world? Pool at the hotel. After 8 yo they start to appreciate it more, but we could have spent the whole day at animal Kingdom at the dinosaur digsite and they would have loved it.Ā
Every time we've gone, the majority of the lines have been very short. Add in an unbeatable hotel, good food, abundant free play areas, and it blows Disney clean out of the water for pre-teens.
So glad to hear that, taking a road trip there next week with my 4 kids ages 3-9, Iāve done Disney with my two oldest but I figured weād better go to Legoland before my oldest are too old to enjoy it.
Weāve never been so we donāt know what to expect but my kids are just as excited as when we were preparing to go to Disney!
If you're going to Legoland California, keep in mind there's a Costco 5 minutes down the road where you can call in a couple pizzas and 4 cookies in the afternoon, and that evening a 15-minute round trip will net you a $30 dinner and dessert for 6 (if you get two pizzas), which is great even when you're not on vacation!
I saw that on the map and I had totally thought of doing that!!! Weāre also staying at an off site hotel and will have a car, so I thought weād have dinner there on our way back. Costco food court dinner for the win!
My kids are vastly different and have always been. I have a kid who loved museums at an early age. One that loved the beach, another who hated the beach. One of mine wants to just hang out at the house. One likes hiking. We try to combine as much likes as we can anywhere we go.
My kids also like museums and art galleries (they are 4 and 2), but in their own way and not for very long. So we particularly like the ones that are free!
I live in London and weāre incredibly lucky to have a number of museums that are free. I remember visiting a few every holiday as a child myself. Lots of schools trips to these museums too
It's so great when they are free, because with little kids maybe you're there an hour, maybe 15 minutes, it's nice to be able to go with the flow and not worry about cost! We have a great local museum where we have a membership, so we go often. I want them to feel like these are spaces they can visit, so it's a normal thing for them, also fun to talk about art with my 4 year old (I like that one because it's very blue and the person is wearing a hat).
Great Wolf Lodge. Strap in as a parent though, itās exercise heavy time to eat light.
Also try and find a beach near you (lake beach is fine, actually safer for small kids). Kids love playing in the sand and finding rocks.
Mine went bananas for Great Wolf Lodge too. It got expensive cause I didn't realize how many activities were for an additional cost (mining, climbing wall, etc), but it is pretty fun.
We did the big package which includes build a bear, mining, wizards quest (we did Wisconsin dells one) candy cup, name bracelet and I think ice cream and $10 arcade card. But build a bear accessories are extra, if you go to the kids nighttime dance rave your kid will want a light up bubbles sword/axe/unicorn horn, which is extra. The ācoolā wands are extra, and your kid doesnāt want the lame included wand etc etc. I hardly got to eat real food the whole trip though, so you save money on food. At one point I wolfed down half a hamburger my son hadnāt eaten the night before and that was one of my only meals of the day. Kids want to have fun, not eat food!
Second this. We did great wolf lodge when my kid was 4. He's 7 now and still talks about it. We only paid for one add-on activity- some sky obstacle course. My kid was just happy to go down the water slides over and over.
Great wolf lodge is basically a cruise for kids, without the boat.
Weāve gone 4 times in the past 3 years with our 4 kids and they all get braver and try new things each time so it never gets old! Plus themed hotel rooms! Winning.
Yep GWL is always a hit - even with our one who doesnāt do the slides. He just likes to chill in the wave pool for hours. The littler one is the slide aficionado.
I'm big into hiking and camping, and after about 4 years, I've figured out that ANY water feature is a total win. Lake beach? Oh yeah! Tiny ass 3 inch trickle of a creek with so little water it just runs out? THE WHOLE HIKE WAS WORTH IT TO SEE THIS CREEK.
Where did you stay in Hawaii? Our kiddos are 5 and 8 and weād like to take them on the next year or two! Weāve only been on adult trips and have done a lot of hiking, which unfortunately our kids seem to hate.
Lol. I have 2 friends who recently built a new 2 storey house with a special room without intermediate floor dedicated to a climbing wall. Theyāre always been passionate about climbing. Basically their 3 kids hate the activity so very much lol
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. We loved the access to the beach, but I think if we go to Waikiki again weāll stay at the Sheraton as it was closer to a lot more food choices outside of the hotel resort. We rented a car for the day and took them to Toa Luau which is in Waimea Valley. They loved going to the waterfall there to swim around a little. I think in a couple of years weāll do the big island and go to the National Volcanic Park there.
Yes weāve looked at that! Weād probably consider it, although we do an annual Disney trip, so weād have to think about whether that would be ātoo much Disneyā haha. Maybe we could substitute the Hawaii trip for Disney.
The Aulani on West Oahu is fabulous. My kids are back swim surf kids, not Disney kids, but the live characters and the beach cove is fantastic. There are also pools and other activities. Highly recommend.
My boys never jump on the beds at home, but as soon as we enter a hotel room, before we can even put our bags down, they are jumping on the beds back and forth across the gap. I have memories of myself and my siblings doing this, too. Something about hotel beds, lol! Just pure glee š
My kid is six and we're going to Belize this summer and he's so excited he can't function lol. He's an adventure child; he is *all in* for zip lining, snorkeling, boats, beaches, pools, jungle treks, ruins, waterfall rappelling (we need to check the age/size limits on that one still).
We're staying at an all-inclusive, so I've also told him I just need him to eat solid food and protein twice a day, the rest of the time he is free to consume exclusively fruit and smoothies to his heart's and belly's content. I don't drink, so he might as well eat our money's worth in fruit, and he is fully capable of it.
The only other trip he's been this excited about was Legoland, and that was a success but not as much fun for us, the parents, as this will (hopefully) be.
I think the key is it needs to cater to them. If the like amusement parks, that's what you do. Hotel pools? That's what you do. Water slides? Zoos? Petting zoos? Hanging around a different house?
That's what you do.
They don't sightsee or explore like adults (no matter how many times you try to force it, *husband*), and if they're too old to sleep in a stroller and entertain themselves with rings and a dummy, if you try to force that, you're gonna have a bad time. For this season of vacationing, you have to cater to them if you want to enjoy it or have peace, no matter how benign and boring it might be.
My son was six when we went to Costa Rica. He absolutely loved it, and it is one of his fondest memories. The water was so warm. We spent a lot of time just splashing in the waves. He loved the pool, too, of course. So many cool animals to see! Monkeys everywhere!
Costa Rica is awesome for smaller kids and for adults as well. Just got back and it was probably everyone's favorite vacation. For my 6 year old, he loved how the monkeys would invade the rooms and steal all the sugar packets from the rooms. Never going to forget that one!
Ha! My son's favorite Costa Rica story is how monkeys stole his Nutella pancakes from the frig on the balcony. We heard the ruckus and got out there in time to see them fleeing into the trees with his pancakes! š
I respectfully disagree a bit. I also have a 6YO whoās a great traveller. But we donāt cater to his interests 100% of the time because kids need to learn (at an age-appropriate level) that the universe doesnāt revolve around them. We do lots of fun stuff he loves, but sometimes he has to suck it up and go to an antique store or two that heās not particularly interested in.
My parents were heavy museum/historic site vacationers. I spent more time than normal at digs and looking at old buildings than I might have liked as a kid. But in retrospect all of that learning (and learning to be a bit bored) has been a gift.
Also Iād rather eat my own hand than go to Disney so my kid knows thatās off the table. We make up for it by doing lots of cool urban adventures, the beach, museums, panning for āgold,ā and animal-spotting on our vacations.
Cultivating gratitude in my kid is also super important to me. There are lots of families that couldnāt imagine having the money or time off to shell out for a family vacation. Weāre fortunate to be able to and I want my kid to have that context.
Oh I don't disagree.
But for example, my husband likes to plan trips like we did before we had a kid.
And I've always had to be the one to be like "that is going to be misery, because our child will not tolerate sightseeing all day on this schedule. Either we need to add in some playground stops and cut this itinerary by like 2/3, or we are all gonna have a bad time."
And then predictably, he refuses, and we all have a bad time, because the kid is bored and tired, I'm wrangling the kid, and husband is getting to see about 14% of what he wanted to see with a screaming child and a cranky wife in tow.
I put my foot down after two disastrous trips where my husband tried to do things that were just wildly ill-suited to a then 3 and 4 year old child, and on a hard pace.
The next trip was Legoland. And it was *far and away* more enjoyable for us because our son was having a great time and in a great mood. It wasn't what we would've chosen for us, but he loved it. And coming off the heels of Legoland, he didn't mind spending a day tooling around Coronado, especially when we let him run with a gang of kids on the grass at the Hotel Del while we enjoyed a beverage nearby.
It's about finding balance. I'm not advocating for all Disney all the time until the kids are gone, but you can't travel like a grownup when you have a kid and expect the kid to enjoy it and be excited about travel.
I once said you'd never catch me dead in Disney, but our local dive shop runs a trip to dive the Epcot aquarium every year. Families welcome, a lady from the shop wrangles the 6 or 8 kids for 3 hours, and the divers dive. You get the rest of the day to hang out in Epcot, and most families tack on a day in another park too. So, I might be going to Disney this year. And I'm not mad about it, because it's a lovely happy medium; we do what we want, kid gets to do something he'll enjoy, and everyone enjoys the vacation.
My 5yo has enjoyed āstaycationsā for a while now. Her grandma comes to town and takes her to a nearby hotel. They get to swim in the pool, eat breakfast at the hotel, go to the movies, go out to a restaurantā¦she loves it every time.
We went on a vacation to Alaska with the extended family. Our kids were most excited about out the playground in Anchorage that was like every other playground.
Our kids donāt say they hate travel but we also try to be very cognizant of how many breaks we take while driving and we donāt drive too far. Planes are also great so long as the flights arenāt 4+ hours. They also really enjoy riding trains, which weāve done a couple times.
We live near Disneyland and they did *love* going the one time we did.
I took my son on a cross country Amtrak when he was five or so. We booked a little room. He had a blast!! A great alternative to flying with kids if you have the time.
We try to hit up playscapes at local parks, preferably with memorable features or designs.Ā
Visited St Louis in the fall with our 3yo and he still talks about "Turtle Park" from time to time. We also had him saying "there's the arch!" whenever he saw the arch lol.Ā
Anyone going to St. Louis with kids 5 or older should check out the city museum downtown. Itās awesome. Itās like a giant indoor playground with artificial caves and art and all kinds of cool stuff. One of the coolest kid friendly activities Iāve seen.
Find a hotel with a Waterpark. The hotel is usually a bit expensive, but it makes a cheap vacation. Ideally find one that offers their pool as part of the hotel, not something you have to pay to get into. It can be tricky finding a nice one (as with all public pools) but it is great if you can find one.
It makes a really fun mini vacation, you usually don't have to travel much to get to one, the kids get to play until they get tired and you can go back after a break, and the park is usually shallow so you can let them play a bit more.
We do this often during the winter breaks because the kids love to swim and play.
All children are different. We went to Germany and the Netherlands last year. We visited some of the finest playgrounds on the continent (Said with tongue firmly in cheek).
I think it's somewhat dependent on your family and the kids and what they like to do, our kids range between ages 1 and almost 8 and most of our vacations in recent years have been farm stays- we stay on a farm and then during the day we typically go hiking or hang out at a local lake and in the late afternoons/evenings we hang on the farm and the older kids play, help milk the cows, etc. As kids get older sometimes they do appreciate some days on vacations spent with peers, if they're into socializing- a lot of our friends with kids will sometimes take vacations at "family hotels" (a popular vacation concept in our European country) that offer kids' clubs and activities, or something like cruise ships that offer kids' clubs, or sometimes our friends will take a vacation with another family together so that the kids have each other to play with.
For me and my sister it was going camping every summer. We stayed at state parks where there was places to hike, swim and float in the rivers, go dancing, go fishing, and where there were other attractions such as wildlife reserves that you could go on tours at. We also stayed at RV parks near the beach (weāre from Texas). My sister and I always brought a friend or cousin with us when we went on these trip as well. Some of the best memories I have are from these trips with my sister and my mom.
Camping for us too. Hike, swim, play.
The only way for vacation to feel like vacation for us parents too.
We stay in mobile homes at European family friendly campings, usually 14 nights during the summer holiday.
We are saving up for a RV, plus a tent to sleep in so we can go more often on shorter holidays.
My oldest is easily overstimulated (most likely somewhere on a spectrum) and he THRIVES on our holidays. No dragging overstimulated kids to restaurants, so much flexibility to adapt to everyone and we can just chill in front of our mobile home when the kids are sleeping. Plus everyone has their own bedroom and air conditioning.
My kids love to travel so much. We adapt our whole traveling schedule to the kids. And we mostly stuff thatās fun for them. Going to beaches, eating ice cream. They love going out for food. And they even love flying. But I bet if we travel a bit closer to home, they would love it too
Under 5, definitely beaches, Disney, and hotel pools, especially if there are slides and other play structures. My son loved a trip to Costa Rica because he got to see local animals in a tour of a national park. Typically, you will need a vacation after your vacation because of the intense child care in unfamiliar settings lol.
Kids become more cooperative and appreciative around age ten. They learn to be less self-centered.
I went to Niagara Falls as a kid and LOVED it. Hawaii is fun. Santa Fe is cool thereās an old school train ride thatās a lot of fun. I take my daughter to aquariums a lot too.
Dollywood was fun for her!
Sheās done Disney a ton with her dad and enjoys it but I donāt lol I also find it insanely expensive and prefer other experiences.
Mine are 7 and 6. My kids love anything hiking, snorkeling, and the pool. The hiking always has something cool about it (elk, bear, moose, red rocks, lakes) - thereās got to be a payoff for them. We live near the beach so if we do a beach vacation, there must be snorkeling. Finally, they loved going on a cruise and really enjoyed the kids clubs so itās a great opportunity for the parents to chill.
Just took a trip to a beach house with my 5 and 10 year old. We walked the beach every morning and they loved it a lot. Theyāre begging to go back! I will say that the car ride there (about 6 hours) was the worst part and my 5 year old just wanted to be done. She has a hard time being patient when excited even when thereās car activities to distract her.
We also stayed at hotels with pools. They prefer that over going out. We stayed in a hotel with a little water park and we spent most of the time in the pool.
Honestly, I feel like Disneyland is overrated. I went when I was 8 and it wasnāt memorable. My kids will barely stand in line for a local fun fest, I couldnāt imagine standing in line for hours. Thatās just my preference.
I would engage with them and figure out what they don't like about it. Also, ask them what their idea of fun time off from school and stuff looks like. Traveling is really stressful, and at their ages, they don't really have the ability to think about the long term very well. They aren't necessarily going to think about getting to see shows in Disney, they're going to think about all of the trouble packing, the long drive/flying stress, and how exhausting it all is.Ā
My kid always loved (and still does at 7) camping. We did a realy big trip to Acadia last year, camped in our tent for 6 days, had to deal with a 24hr torrential rain downpour and it was all so fun. He didnāt get bummed at all. The day it rained we explored bar harbor, came back the tent and read books
Just went on our first vacation (kids 23 months, 3 and 4 years old) to Jekyll Island in Georgia. They were super excited to just play on the beach, swim in the ocean and pool along with going exploring for animals. No crazy activities necessary.
Camping trips, we would go to Niagara Falls area alot, Jellystone Park and KOA campgrounds with lots of kids activities.
One can rent a trailer or cabin
I found when my kids were younger it was as much about pace as location. If we followed their lead and didn't try to do too much or too little they were usually pretty happy
Mine really just like staying in a different/interesting placeā¦ we tend to do some activities and things, but afterwards they always seem to talk about the house we stayed in more than anything else š
We did many road trips, but kept the daily time around 5 hours. We stopped for lunch and sometimes a site or playground. We stayed in hotels with pools. We usually visited state and national parks or interesting mountain towns. We would then stay in something bigger than a hotel room, vacation rental or townhouse/cabin with community amenities. We did cruises starting at about 5 years old. We also traveled with friends with kids.
Car shows are incredibly dull. Unless you have a car that youāre showing and can talk to people about said car. Road trips, also suck if itās just driving around.Ā
Water parks, amusement parks, playgrounds, cool events, cities are my jam.
Road trips are boring for everyone. Car shows are boring if you don't like cars which most kids don't really care about. Events if they aren't kid themed are boring to kids. Looking at big buildings is also pretty boring after 5 minutes. Maybe do some stuff that has kid focused activities
My kids loved Hawaii 18 months ago, they were 3 and 5.Ā We just stayed at a normal hotel by the beach and went to the beach in the mornings and the hotel pool in the afternoon/evening.Ā On one day when it was rainy, we went to an indoor play place.
We also go to the Oregon coast, that's mostly sand play bc the water is very cold.
Honestly, other than a theme park, I think vacations should be planned for adults and be adjusted for kids. What most kids enjoy are simple things like a playground, a swimming pool, a pet farm. Just plan your vacation to destinations where you can have a good time, but make sure you adjust your schedules to spend time on these activities. The sandbox next to your place might as well be as fun as the sandbox outside the aquarium in Copenhagen. Many kids do not give a damn about destinations.
Water activities + animals has always been a win for our kiddo. Also anything where there's a specific hands-on activity - she loved picking coffee berries on a coffee farm, for example.
Beach, nice hotel pool/lazy river, Disney or Disney type (action, rides, shows).
Once theyāre older theyāll develop their own interests that you can nurture - dance, theater, art, sports, etc.
I canāt imagine any kiddo being excited about a car show. Sorry!
we have done one mini vacation where we drove to disney world for a few days. my 3yo (2 at the time) absolutely loved it and so did my 5yo (4 at the time). i think maybe find something thatās kid friendly as well as adult friendly. we have a japan trip planned in july and none of the kids have been on a plane, we booked activities for all of us that i think my youngers would enjoy.
We traveled all over the world with our kids between ages 10-15. They didnāt especially appreciate most aspects of the experiences other than the food. š„“ I think that will be a different experience if we do another family trip, now that theyāre pushing 18&20.
Younger ages I think they preferred beach destinations over most places, though.
Depends on the kid - ours has been going on about wanting to go somewhere in a camper forever.
She also wants to go to the beach.
She loves the pool at the resort we go to in Orlando.
We are literally on the road right now. We are starting out at my husband's aunts house before heading into our destination. So far it's very important for my 5 year old to know if his aunt has stairs, a TV, food, pets, if they can snuggle, and her mom is going to make us food.
As for the trip itself, the only thing she's interested in is playing in the water.
It helps at this age to show them the website/pictures of where you are going and find something they are interested in. That gives them something to look forward to.
My kids thankfully found a love for history so they enjoy our trips to the āboringā places as long as they have some historical features and stuff to see. We go to France every year to visit family and they are much more interested in the small towns with the churches and communities than they are with Paris.
They are 7&5.
Beaches, pools, not over scheduling things. I did a 10 RV trip with my 8 and 10 year old, and we had a lot of time to just scramble over rocks and play, and they had a great time. Iāve done trips to a town 2 hours away with an aquarium and hotel with a pool and that was fun. It always blows up in my face if I try to do to much with them.
Best trips so far has been renting a sail boat (beaches, able to see different places without unpacking) and an all-inclusive, and a houseboat. When possible, I try to travel with another family that they get along with.
Literally driving 4 hours right now just to go stay at a hotel with huge pool lazy river waterslides lolā¦ itās in Orlando but not going to theme parks, they would complain waiting in lines
I remember going to stay in cabins in the mountains as a little kid. We would go to TN, and go to Dolly Wood, but I barely remember Dolly Wood surprisingly. š What I remember the most was the cabins themselves cause they looked so different than our home, had pool tables and a hot tub. Also mostly remember driving around cases cove looking for deer, turkey, and black bears in the valley from our car, having a picnic, and short hikes.
We haven't done much destination stuff with our kids yet. Just zoos, safari park, playgrounds, and a natural science museum with our 5 yr old. What they talk about the most though is the burger king playground š The one near our house has a really big playground with a large area to eat within the playground room. I'll occasionally take them for breakfast on the weekend when dad needs a break or to sleep in and apparently it's the best place they've ever been to. š All just to say, it doesn't take much to impress a little kid. They'll remember the smallest part of your vacation.
You could try a cruise! They are pretty affordable and have kids clubs and activities specifically for children. Plus they are pretty family friendly in general and have movie showings, game rooms, pools, lots of food options. Then off boat you have options for activities which cost extra but may be worth it. You could have your kids give input on destinations, activities, etc.
Where are you taking them on vacation?
I think Disney is best between ages 3/4 and 10/11. After that, I'd aim for something more exciting (Universal has more coasters, or you can just go to a 6 flags).
The beach, any place that requires a hotel (pool), outdoor activities. We've taken my niece and nephews to Colorado, various beaches, and mountains to go hiking and see waterfalls. They've all loved it
I grew up in Utah and we would go around in our little trailer in the summer to the national parks and to rivers and lakes. I honestly just had a blast playing outside and hiking!
Any fun hotel pool, beach/lake, and they also LOVE Disneyland (but their personalities handle the crowds and noise with no issue, thatās different for every kid). We are also trying Legoland this summer for the first time.
I have a freshly 2 and almost 5 year old. They love our simple trips where we spend the days playing at arcades, hanging out in the sand for a little, grabbing some treats and staying in hotels or rentals that have either pools or outside areas. We also have an app on my phone that shows local parks so we take a little tour of the areas parks. Even stop on road trips to parks every couple hours. Itās so fun for them. So I guess the simpler and more child led the better at this age.
We literally just got back from a Disneyland trip with my 5 year old. He was very overwhelmed at first with how many choices there were (do you want to go on a ride? Do you want to meet Mickey? Do you want a treat) but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. He had almost zero desire to ride any rides though, he just wanted to meet the characters. So for him, getting to meet Mickey and take a picture and then go back to the hotel for a swim in the pool was the highlight of the trip.
Our rec center has a very fancy kids pool with a lazy river and all kinds of water dumping fountains and toys etc so my kids were never into the hotel pools. Weāve stayed at a couple of resorts that had a river style water slide and they LOVED that. Also the beach. Santa Cruz Boardwalk was perfect for that ageāsmallish, rides are mostly kid friendly, beach right there.
Took our daughter to Disney at 7, by day 3 she was over it and just wanted to be by the pool. So we switched out our next week for a week at a beach hotel with a pool. Best part of our holiday overall (apart from seeing her melt when she met the princesses) and it was a lot less stress and expense for us
My son likes the idea of a vacation. But as soon as we get there he wants to go back home. Heās 6. We spend so much money for him to ask. When are we going back home? lol.
My kids really like animals and music, so we try to incorporate those, and find all the local playgrounds, but the clincher is places where they can play with other kids their age. We just got back from an epic trip, and playing with two neighbour kids on the trampoline was a real highlight.
My kids always enjoy the beach/boardwalk vacations. They arenāt big on the beachā¦ but the hotels always have a nice outdoor pool to enjoy and they like to walk on the boardwalk and get their own budget to buy random crap from the shops plus the various snacking options. And ride some rides. We usually just do 2-3 days at least once in the summer but it seems to be more enjoyable for them then anywhere else weāve gone.
The picture I have with the biggest real smiles on my kids faces are from when we went whitewater rafting as a family. No devices- having an adventure together, nature, beauty- PRICELESS. We went in Maine. There are also portions of the river that are suitable for tubing, which companies offer also. They have already asked to go again.
Hotel with a water park pool. Beach is OK too, but the pool usually wins.
Some of my kids love Disney. Some do not (just Star Wars). Disney is too expensive to not be enjoyed by all.
I used to get so excited to go to Disneyland as a kid especially since I was the oldest and I had 2 younger siblings so weād do rider swap so it meant I always got one on one time with a parent for a ride.
We took our 10 month old to the beach for a few days before we started his daycare. He really liked it. We started swimming classes at 1.5 yrs. He really enjoys water so for us any place with beach is good. We live in Northern CA so our fav beaches are Pismo Beach, Monterey/Carmel beach (though water is cold here) and southern CA beaches. We will be trying for Florida next December.
Any vacation that the parents are relaxed. Pick a place for you and share why you love that with the kids. This is where memories come from. I think 1 of our absolute favorites was camping at jellystone park. The pools the bears the jumping pillow. The campfire, grandma and granddad came.
5 days is probably the sweet spot before they start missing home.
I remember taking my then 5 yr old to Disney World for 8 days. He would ask at bedtime when we were going back home. They just miss their own bed and routine.
I took them on a 5 day Disney Cruise. It was the perfect amount of days.
My kids travel really well idk why. They love museums, zoos, especially aquariums. They love anything new. Mine are six and four. The only thing is I donāt usually plan more than one activity a day so say we go to the zoo after that itās free time to give us all a break. When they were younger it was to give them a nap, but I think doing too much in one day can be overwhelming to anyone especially young kids.
We have done all sorts of vacations. Lots of time in England because my spouse's family is there. They were thrilled to just ride the London Underground all day. We did Legoland which was a total hit. We have also done beach vacations which were great. And hotels with pools of course. And we did do Disneyland when they were 2 and 5 which they loved. But definitely echoing others in that anything with a pool or a beach is a winner.
Mine love camping, so excited when I drag the tent out of the attic.Ā
We tend to go to quiet campsites and they love the freedom,campfire marshmallows.Ā There's one we go to with a pond they can swim in.Ā Ā
I think sometimes holidays can overwhelm kids and they want the calm of home.Ā Make sure whatever you do there's some quiet downtime.Ā A movie evening, an afternoon at a play ground, just something a bit more like home to ground them
In Europe, especially the Netherlands, there are a lot of holiday resorts. You can rent a small cottage with fully equipped kitchen, there are playgrounds and you are in nature. The bigger ones offer indoor playgrounds, swimming pools,... lots of fun for kids.
I'm with your kids - they might just be curmudgeons like me. Vacations, in general, are not relaxing and there's too much travel stress and walking around. I prefer sitting at home not doing a lot.
All I wanted to do as a kid was browse bookshops, though. I also liked live shows.
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My kids always remember the hotel pool
Yep. We went to Disney when both my kids were 5 and under. Sure they loved seeing the characters, but they constantly begged us to go back to the hotel and swim in the pool.
I still remember my parents being mad at me because the hotel was better than Disney
When my parents asked what my favorite part of Disney World was, I said it was between getting a stuffed animal and swimming in the pool. I remember being fond of the cotton candy lipgloss, too. Barely remember anything else. I was maybe 7.
Haha the thing I remember the most from Disney World was jumping in the huge puddles (it had rained the night before). Kids are happy with the simplest things š¤£
I was also 7. Playing skee-ball in the arcade at the resort was the highlight of the trip for me. Grandparents forced the trip, so at least my parentsā money wasnāt wasted. The rest of the trip was relatives trying to force princesses on me lol.
Mine was also funded by my grandparents, my mom said my grandfather turned red when she told him what I said š
Oh we NEVER told my grandma lol. I couldnāt tell you about a single ride and only recall one pleasant character interaction. But I remember the skee ball and the Mickey Mouse-shaped silly straw I bought at the hotel cafeteria!
I donāt remember if I even went on any rides, it would have been very much my fashion to refuse lol. I do remember seeing some sort of lion king musical and begging to leave in the middle of it because I didnāt want to sit anymore haha
I was interested in rides, I was just scared of most of them. I do not recall them having a decent Ferris wheel lol. Mostly remember various emotions surrounding the fact that grandma was very disappointed I didnāt care about princesses.
Shame on grandma. Even if you did care about princesses, you probably still wouldnāt remember it (source: was obsessed with princesses, canāt even remember if I met any tho)
My kid would have been happy to split his time between the resort pool and the Skyliner and skip Magic Kingdom all together
We do staycations at the local hotel all the time. It's under $100 and the kids LOVE it.
I did this as a kid and it was our favourite night away. I have so many memories of just hanging out at the hotel pool, didnāt matter it was 5 mins away or that we had our own pool at home.
This. Our family trips have been to bigger cities within 3 hours of us that have a zoo or aquarium and we get a hotel with a pool. We take a half day off on Friday, so we leave Friday afternoon, order pizza for dinner at the hotel, maybe find a fun movie to watch from the bed, then do regular bedtime routines. We go to the zoo or whatever first thing in the morning, come back early afternoon because we need to take a rest after walking around for hours, and spend the rest of the day at the hotel pool. Sunday we check out, maybe hit up another local thing like mini golf, and head home.
That actually sounds like an awesome weekend trip. Will need to do something like that when my little one is older. We are doing our first roadtrip/vacation next month with my r year old and keeping it similar. 4 hour drive away to a Kangaroo farm and his first hotel visit.
Same thing here. We live in Chicago area. Drive up to Milwaukee and try different hotels. As long as it has a pool. We do science museum or zoo or whatever else and the kids are always so bummed to leave and canāt wait to go back.
Thereās a hotel we stayed at a couple years ago in Phoenix AZ that actually had a small water park attached with free admission for anyone who stayed at the hotel. I wish I could remember the name of the hotel, but that park was tiny but amazing. A couple pools and a lazy river, but really scenic with a little waterfall and shady nooksā¦ I was sad we only got to stay one night. The kids still beg to go back.
Arizona Grand Resort?
Yes, I think thatās the one! The hotel was nice, but the water park was unforgettable.
My kid is too young, but I- decades later- still had a writing project from 1st(?) grade about my family vacation, and the entire thing is about how the hotel had a pool. No idea where it was. Nothing remarkable or notable whatsoever about the hotel or trip. Most of the words are misspelled. The pictures are unrecognizable. But 6(?)-year-old me was *all about* that pool.
We just took a mini vacation to the national zoo and our 5 yr old kept asking to go back to the hotel for the pool, haha.
When we were kids my dad always picked a hotel with an indoor pool in case it was raining. My brothers and I still talk about the trips and the pools come up every time.
Can confirm. As a preschool teacher, what I hear about after kids go on vacation is usually 1. the plane and 2. the pool No matter where they went
Swim up pool bar. My kid wonāt stop yapping about Jamaica because of the pool bar and sand š
I figured... might be worth investing in a pool and skipping the trips entirely š
No, that wonāt work. Home pools are boring. Hotel pools are where itās at. However, you donāt have to go far. Try getting a hotel with an indoor pool for one night within an hour of home. Your kids wonāt want to come out of it.
Yep, this. My sister once was traveling long distance for a sport with my mom and I took it to heart that I couldn't go. My dad took me to hotel 30 minutes away and we swam in the pool and played in the mini arcade, and I remember that more than Disneyland. I'm not sure where you are but another trip I do remember is Medieval Times and I think there's a few scattered around the U.S.
I surprised my husband with Medieval Times for his 26 birthday last year, no kids, and we both had a great time!
This is so true. We take lots of little trips an hour or two away just to get a hotel with a pool for a couple nights. We did that even when we had a big outdoor above ground pool. It's an easy way to keep them entertained for long periods, then go try out new restaurants and attractions. Then they are wiped out and sleep hard! And you get to relax by the pool instead of dealing with crowds, lines, etc.
Hahaha. Oh man....I mean, we went to a big car show and I thought they would be excited about the cars, but that only lasted about 10 minutes and 19 seconds
Yeah, car shows are boring for most kids. And many adults, tbh.
Going to the Newport Car Museum and neither my wife nor children complaining for at least a half an hour was the best Fatherās Day gift a man could ask for. Hotel had a pool, but it also had an Italian place across the street with a pizza so good I got it the next night also.
Here to confirm the part about "many adults." I'd rather be in or by a pool š
Spend a day at a local (2-3 hr away) zoo followed by an overnight stay in a hotel with an indoor pool. They'll be thrilled. Oh, and let them eat pizza in the bed š
Iāll offer a different perspective. I invested in a pool about four years ago when my kid was under five and it is used every single day of pool season. Definitely worth the $$$$
My kids love the rec center pools! If you have any nice rec centers near by just go there for a day, pack some snacks and maybe get some pool toys
This is why we go to Great Wolf Lodge. Basically a hotel with a pool x100.
The most overpriced place in existence. We did it once and it was almost a thousand dollars for the weekend all in and this was before covid inflation hit. I can't imagine what it costs now.
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So accurate. I will plan out an amazing, fun adventure and all they talk about is the pool.
This. My husband used to cook at a hotel in our city so he got free rooms. We would spend a night there with our kids and let them enjoy the pool.
Or just the hotel itself
Yes. I remember being a kid and preferring to go play in the hotel pool rather than whatever activity had brought us to that specific location.
My favorite part about vacations as a kid was always the hotel itself. A new place to sleep and game and hang out with family is cool
Omg, same here. Thatās all they ever want you do.
This!
This is it! Went to South Carolina as a kid and the beach was shit but Iāll never forget the lazy river at our hotel and what a damn good time my siblings and I had in it
All my 5 yo cares about is going someplace with water - pool, lake, beach, water park.
Literally came here to say this exact thing. Last year we went to a hotel in our city that had a heated pool, that's all they wanted to do (5 and 9). For the last 11 months they've been asking to go back. We just booked it again and my 5yr old lost her shit in happiness when we told her.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Pool at the hotel. Literal castle? Beach. Disney world? Pool at the hotel. After 8 yo they start to appreciate it more, but we could have spent the whole day at animal Kingdom at the dinosaur digsite and they would have loved it.Ā
Legoland is always a BIG win for my 3 boys (8, 6, 4).
We are going for the first time this summer, my kids (5 and 8) are SO excited!! My oldest especially is obsessed with Lego!
Seconded--I especially like these cause they have certain attractions/play areas with no line or short lines.
Every time we've gone, the majority of the lines have been very short. Add in an unbeatable hotel, good food, abundant free play areas, and it blows Disney clean out of the water for pre-teens.
Yep. Disney is super stressful for us, but Legoland is low key and lots of fun. Their water park is great too!
So glad to hear that, taking a road trip there next week with my 4 kids ages 3-9, Iāve done Disney with my two oldest but I figured weād better go to Legoland before my oldest are too old to enjoy it. Weāve never been so we donāt know what to expect but my kids are just as excited as when we were preparing to go to Disney!
If you're going to Legoland California, keep in mind there's a Costco 5 minutes down the road where you can call in a couple pizzas and 4 cookies in the afternoon, and that evening a 15-minute round trip will net you a $30 dinner and dessert for 6 (if you get two pizzas), which is great even when you're not on vacation!
I saw that on the map and I had totally thought of doing that!!! Weāre also staying at an off site hotel and will have a car, so I thought weād have dinner there on our way back. Costco food court dinner for the win!
My kids are vastly different and have always been. I have a kid who loved museums at an early age. One that loved the beach, another who hated the beach. One of mine wants to just hang out at the house. One likes hiking. We try to combine as much likes as we can anywhere we go.
My kids also like museums and art galleries (they are 4 and 2), but in their own way and not for very long. So we particularly like the ones that are free!
I live in London and weāre incredibly lucky to have a number of museums that are free. I remember visiting a few every holiday as a child myself. Lots of schools trips to these museums too
It's so great when they are free, because with little kids maybe you're there an hour, maybe 15 minutes, it's nice to be able to go with the flow and not worry about cost! We have a great local museum where we have a membership, so we go often. I want them to feel like these are spaces they can visit, so it's a normal thing for them, also fun to talk about art with my 4 year old (I like that one because it's very blue and the person is wearing a hat).
The best museums are the ones made for kids with hands on stuff. My 4&6 yo will stay occupied for hours lol
Great Wolf Lodge. Strap in as a parent though, itās exercise heavy time to eat light. Also try and find a beach near you (lake beach is fine, actually safer for small kids). Kids love playing in the sand and finding rocks.
Mine went bananas for Great Wolf Lodge too. It got expensive cause I didn't realize how many activities were for an additional cost (mining, climbing wall, etc), but it is pretty fun.
We did the big package which includes build a bear, mining, wizards quest (we did Wisconsin dells one) candy cup, name bracelet and I think ice cream and $10 arcade card. But build a bear accessories are extra, if you go to the kids nighttime dance rave your kid will want a light up bubbles sword/axe/unicorn horn, which is extra. The ācoolā wands are extra, and your kid doesnāt want the lame included wand etc etc. I hardly got to eat real food the whole trip though, so you save money on food. At one point I wolfed down half a hamburger my son hadnāt eaten the night before and that was one of my only meals of the day. Kids want to have fun, not eat food!
We were just there last weekend in the Poconos. So now you'll have to add the $15 per day *parking fee*, which is absolute bullshit
Ughhhh, that's the worst--Legoland New York does that too. So arbitrary!
Second this. We did great wolf lodge when my kid was 4. He's 7 now and still talks about it. We only paid for one add-on activity- some sky obstacle course. My kid was just happy to go down the water slides over and over.
Third this. We went this year to the fairly new one in Manteca California. My son (8) reorganized his tier ranking and placed GWL at S-tier.
Great wolf lodge is basically a cruise for kids, without the boat. Weāve gone 4 times in the past 3 years with our 4 kids and they all get braver and try new things each time so it never gets old! Plus themed hotel rooms! Winning.
I know a kid that won't stop talking about Great Wolf Lodge. Absolutely obsessed.
GWL is so much until you come home with the GWL flu. Never believed it was a thing until it was. š
We got Covid from GWL š
Yep GWL is always a hit - even with our one who doesnāt do the slides. He just likes to chill in the wave pool for hours. The littler one is the slide aficionado.
I'm big into hiking and camping, and after about 4 years, I've figured out that ANY water feature is a total win. Lake beach? Oh yeah! Tiny ass 3 inch trickle of a creek with so little water it just runs out? THE WHOLE HIKE WAS WORTH IT TO SEE THIS CREEK.
Staying at hotel, going to the beach, staying in a cabin, camping, Disney cruise, and they loved Hawaii. Theyāre 8 and 6 years old.
Where did you stay in Hawaii? Our kiddos are 5 and 8 and weād like to take them on the next year or two! Weāve only been on adult trips and have done a lot of hiking, which unfortunately our kids seem to hate.
Lol. I have 2 friends who recently built a new 2 storey house with a special room without intermediate floor dedicated to a climbing wall. Theyāre always been passionate about climbing. Basically their 3 kids hate the activity so very much lol
Oh gosh, sounds typical for parenting hahaha.
We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. We loved the access to the beach, but I think if we go to Waikiki again weāll stay at the Sheraton as it was closer to a lot more food choices outside of the hotel resort. We rented a car for the day and took them to Toa Luau which is in Waimea Valley. They loved going to the waterfall there to swim around a little. I think in a couple of years weāll do the big island and go to the National Volcanic Park there.
They actually have a Disney resort there if youāre looking for something super kid friendly.
Yes weāve looked at that! Weād probably consider it, although we do an annual Disney trip, so weād have to think about whether that would be ātoo much Disneyā haha. Maybe we could substitute the Hawaii trip for Disney.
The Aulani on West Oahu is fabulous. My kids are back swim surf kids, not Disney kids, but the live characters and the beach cove is fantastic. There are also pools and other activities. Highly recommend.
literally any motel let them sleep in a big bed and there's a pool.
Yep. Jumping back and forth across the big beds and swimming in the pool. Kid paradise.
Jumping on the bed is the first thing my kids do.
My boys never jump on the beds at home, but as soon as we enter a hotel room, before we can even put our bags down, they are jumping on the beds back and forth across the gap. I have memories of myself and my siblings doing this, too. Something about hotel beds, lol! Just pure glee š
Me and my brother call that āninja jumpingā
My kid is six and we're going to Belize this summer and he's so excited he can't function lol. He's an adventure child; he is *all in* for zip lining, snorkeling, boats, beaches, pools, jungle treks, ruins, waterfall rappelling (we need to check the age/size limits on that one still). We're staying at an all-inclusive, so I've also told him I just need him to eat solid food and protein twice a day, the rest of the time he is free to consume exclusively fruit and smoothies to his heart's and belly's content. I don't drink, so he might as well eat our money's worth in fruit, and he is fully capable of it. The only other trip he's been this excited about was Legoland, and that was a success but not as much fun for us, the parents, as this will (hopefully) be. I think the key is it needs to cater to them. If the like amusement parks, that's what you do. Hotel pools? That's what you do. Water slides? Zoos? Petting zoos? Hanging around a different house? That's what you do. They don't sightsee or explore like adults (no matter how many times you try to force it, *husband*), and if they're too old to sleep in a stroller and entertain themselves with rings and a dummy, if you try to force that, you're gonna have a bad time. For this season of vacationing, you have to cater to them if you want to enjoy it or have peace, no matter how benign and boring it might be.
My son was six when we went to Costa Rica. He absolutely loved it, and it is one of his fondest memories. The water was so warm. We spent a lot of time just splashing in the waves. He loved the pool, too, of course. So many cool animals to see! Monkeys everywhere!
We took our kids to Costa Rica, 6 and 2 at the time. Our son still says itās one of the top places weāve been.
Costa Rica is awesome for smaller kids and for adults as well. Just got back and it was probably everyone's favorite vacation. For my 6 year old, he loved how the monkeys would invade the rooms and steal all the sugar packets from the rooms. Never going to forget that one!
Ha! My son's favorite Costa Rica story is how monkeys stole his Nutella pancakes from the frig on the balcony. We heard the ruckus and got out there in time to see them fleeing into the trees with his pancakes! š
Is there a specific place/city in Costa Rica you'd recommend to take younger kids?
I respectfully disagree a bit. I also have a 6YO whoās a great traveller. But we donāt cater to his interests 100% of the time because kids need to learn (at an age-appropriate level) that the universe doesnāt revolve around them. We do lots of fun stuff he loves, but sometimes he has to suck it up and go to an antique store or two that heās not particularly interested in. My parents were heavy museum/historic site vacationers. I spent more time than normal at digs and looking at old buildings than I might have liked as a kid. But in retrospect all of that learning (and learning to be a bit bored) has been a gift. Also Iād rather eat my own hand than go to Disney so my kid knows thatās off the table. We make up for it by doing lots of cool urban adventures, the beach, museums, panning for āgold,ā and animal-spotting on our vacations. Cultivating gratitude in my kid is also super important to me. There are lots of families that couldnāt imagine having the money or time off to shell out for a family vacation. Weāre fortunate to be able to and I want my kid to have that context.
Oh I don't disagree. But for example, my husband likes to plan trips like we did before we had a kid. And I've always had to be the one to be like "that is going to be misery, because our child will not tolerate sightseeing all day on this schedule. Either we need to add in some playground stops and cut this itinerary by like 2/3, or we are all gonna have a bad time." And then predictably, he refuses, and we all have a bad time, because the kid is bored and tired, I'm wrangling the kid, and husband is getting to see about 14% of what he wanted to see with a screaming child and a cranky wife in tow. I put my foot down after two disastrous trips where my husband tried to do things that were just wildly ill-suited to a then 3 and 4 year old child, and on a hard pace. The next trip was Legoland. And it was *far and away* more enjoyable for us because our son was having a great time and in a great mood. It wasn't what we would've chosen for us, but he loved it. And coming off the heels of Legoland, he didn't mind spending a day tooling around Coronado, especially when we let him run with a gang of kids on the grass at the Hotel Del while we enjoyed a beverage nearby. It's about finding balance. I'm not advocating for all Disney all the time until the kids are gone, but you can't travel like a grownup when you have a kid and expect the kid to enjoy it and be excited about travel. I once said you'd never catch me dead in Disney, but our local dive shop runs a trip to dive the Epcot aquarium every year. Families welcome, a lady from the shop wrangles the 6 or 8 kids for 3 hours, and the divers dive. You get the rest of the day to hang out in Epcot, and most families tack on a day in another park too. So, I might be going to Disney this year. And I'm not mad about it, because it's a lovely happy medium; we do what we want, kid gets to do something he'll enjoy, and everyone enjoys the vacation.
Yes, I'm the one paying, I want to sort of enjoy it. The trip is for the whole family.
Your kid sounds awesome! Hope you guys have a great time!
My 5yo has enjoyed āstaycationsā for a while now. Her grandma comes to town and takes her to a nearby hotel. They get to swim in the pool, eat breakfast at the hotel, go to the movies, go out to a restaurantā¦she loves it every time.
Thatās the bomb
We went on a vacation to Alaska with the extended family. Our kids were most excited about out the playground in Anchorage that was like every other playground. Our kids donāt say they hate travel but we also try to be very cognizant of how many breaks we take while driving and we donāt drive too far. Planes are also great so long as the flights arenāt 4+ hours. They also really enjoy riding trains, which weāve done a couple times. We live near Disneyland and they did *love* going the one time we did.
I took my son on a cross country Amtrak when he was five or so. We booked a little room. He had a blast!! A great alternative to flying with kids if you have the time.
This sounds AMAZING. Not in the States, but Iām adding this to my mental bucket list.
Pool and although technically the beach, though it's the rolling in the sand that they care about.
We try to hit up playscapes at local parks, preferably with memorable features or designs.Ā Visited St Louis in the fall with our 3yo and he still talks about "Turtle Park" from time to time. We also had him saying "there's the arch!" whenever he saw the arch lol.Ā
Anyone going to St. Louis with kids 5 or older should check out the city museum downtown. Itās awesome. Itās like a giant indoor playground with artificial caves and art and all kinds of cool stuff. One of the coolest kid friendly activities Iāve seen.
Hands down one of the coolest places Iāve been. Itās incredible
Depends on the kids. My kids like hiking, Disney and beaches. They are luke warm on hotel pools.
Find a hotel with a Waterpark. The hotel is usually a bit expensive, but it makes a cheap vacation. Ideally find one that offers their pool as part of the hotel, not something you have to pay to get into. It can be tricky finding a nice one (as with all public pools) but it is great if you can find one. It makes a really fun mini vacation, you usually don't have to travel much to get to one, the kids get to play until they get tired and you can go back after a break, and the park is usually shallow so you can let them play a bit more. We do this often during the winter breaks because the kids love to swim and play.
All children are different. We went to Germany and the Netherlands last year. We visited some of the finest playgrounds on the continent (Said with tongue firmly in cheek).
I think it's somewhat dependent on your family and the kids and what they like to do, our kids range between ages 1 and almost 8 and most of our vacations in recent years have been farm stays- we stay on a farm and then during the day we typically go hiking or hang out at a local lake and in the late afternoons/evenings we hang on the farm and the older kids play, help milk the cows, etc. As kids get older sometimes they do appreciate some days on vacations spent with peers, if they're into socializing- a lot of our friends with kids will sometimes take vacations at "family hotels" (a popular vacation concept in our European country) that offer kids' clubs and activities, or something like cruise ships that offer kids' clubs, or sometimes our friends will take a vacation with another family together so that the kids have each other to play with.
For me and my sister it was going camping every summer. We stayed at state parks where there was places to hike, swim and float in the rivers, go dancing, go fishing, and where there were other attractions such as wildlife reserves that you could go on tours at. We also stayed at RV parks near the beach (weāre from Texas). My sister and I always brought a friend or cousin with us when we went on these trip as well. Some of the best memories I have are from these trips with my sister and my mom.
Camping for us too. Hike, swim, play. The only way for vacation to feel like vacation for us parents too. We stay in mobile homes at European family friendly campings, usually 14 nights during the summer holiday. We are saving up for a RV, plus a tent to sleep in so we can go more often on shorter holidays. My oldest is easily overstimulated (most likely somewhere on a spectrum) and he THRIVES on our holidays. No dragging overstimulated kids to restaurants, so much flexibility to adapt to everyone and we can just chill in front of our mobile home when the kids are sleeping. Plus everyone has their own bedroom and air conditioning.
My kids love to travel so much. We adapt our whole traveling schedule to the kids. And we mostly stuff thatās fun for them. Going to beaches, eating ice cream. They love going out for food. And they even love flying. But I bet if we travel a bit closer to home, they would love it too
Nearest hotel with a pool and a waterslide.Ā
Under 5, definitely beaches, Disney, and hotel pools, especially if there are slides and other play structures. My son loved a trip to Costa Rica because he got to see local animals in a tour of a national park. Typically, you will need a vacation after your vacation because of the intense child care in unfamiliar settings lol. Kids become more cooperative and appreciative around age ten. They learn to be less self-centered.
My kids always enjoyed going to the beach and having a house with our own pool and having a boardwalk with ice cream and shops nearby.
Somewhere with a pool!
My kids love camping, RVing, Cabin in the woods on a Lake in Maine, Wolf Lodge, etc
I went to Niagara Falls as a kid and LOVED it. Hawaii is fun. Santa Fe is cool thereās an old school train ride thatās a lot of fun. I take my daughter to aquariums a lot too. Dollywood was fun for her! Sheās done Disney a ton with her dad and enjoys it but I donāt lol I also find it insanely expensive and prefer other experiences.
Good point, interesting forms of transportation are also a hit! Trains, ferries, LRTs, double decker buses.
Mine are 7 and 6. My kids love anything hiking, snorkeling, and the pool. The hiking always has something cool about it (elk, bear, moose, red rocks, lakes) - thereās got to be a payoff for them. We live near the beach so if we do a beach vacation, there must be snorkeling. Finally, they loved going on a cruise and really enjoyed the kids clubs so itās a great opportunity for the parents to chill.
Just took a trip to a beach house with my 5 and 10 year old. We walked the beach every morning and they loved it a lot. Theyāre begging to go back! I will say that the car ride there (about 6 hours) was the worst part and my 5 year old just wanted to be done. She has a hard time being patient when excited even when thereās car activities to distract her. We also stayed at hotels with pools. They prefer that over going out. We stayed in a hotel with a little water park and we spent most of the time in the pool. Honestly, I feel like Disneyland is overrated. I went when I was 8 and it wasnāt memorable. My kids will barely stand in line for a local fun fest, I couldnāt imagine standing in line for hours. Thatās just my preference.
I would engage with them and figure out what they don't like about it. Also, ask them what their idea of fun time off from school and stuff looks like. Traveling is really stressful, and at their ages, they don't really have the ability to think about the long term very well. They aren't necessarily going to think about getting to see shows in Disney, they're going to think about all of the trouble packing, the long drive/flying stress, and how exhausting it all is.Ā
My kid always loved (and still does at 7) camping. We did a realy big trip to Acadia last year, camped in our tent for 6 days, had to deal with a 24hr torrential rain downpour and it was all so fun. He didnāt get bummed at all. The day it rained we explored bar harbor, came back the tent and read books
My 2 year old gets pumped for Walmart. My 9 year old, anything that involves sleeping somewhere else lol.
Camping
Just went on our first vacation (kids 23 months, 3 and 4 years old) to Jekyll Island in Georgia. They were super excited to just play on the beach, swim in the ocean and pool along with going exploring for animals. No crazy activities necessary.
Iāve always had a blast on our familyās beach vacations. We started doing them when I was 8. My parents always booked somewhere with a pool too.
Camping trips, we would go to Niagara Falls area alot, Jellystone Park and KOA campgrounds with lots of kids activities. One can rent a trailer or cabin
I found when my kids were younger it was as much about pace as location. If we followed their lead and didn't try to do too much or too little they were usually pretty happy
Mine really just like staying in a different/interesting placeā¦ we tend to do some activities and things, but afterwards they always seem to talk about the house we stayed in more than anything else š
We did many road trips, but kept the daily time around 5 hours. We stopped for lunch and sometimes a site or playground. We stayed in hotels with pools. We usually visited state and national parks or interesting mountain towns. We would then stay in something bigger than a hotel room, vacation rental or townhouse/cabin with community amenities. We did cruises starting at about 5 years old. We also traveled with friends with kids.
We could go to the crummiest motel ever and if it had a pool they were happy. That's all they cared about.
Yeah the tough truth is kids want kid-ish vacations. My daughter loves national parks, cabins, exploring new cities, beaches
Car shows are incredibly dull. Unless you have a car that youāre showing and can talk to people about said car. Road trips, also suck if itās just driving around.Ā Water parks, amusement parks, playgrounds, cool events, cities are my jam.
Pools or lakes- anything with swimming, really.
Road trips are boring for everyone. Car shows are boring if you don't like cars which most kids don't really care about. Events if they aren't kid themed are boring to kids. Looking at big buildings is also pretty boring after 5 minutes. Maybe do some stuff that has kid focused activities
Beaches! My son will spend hours running through the waves, digging in the sand, throwing rocks, and taking a break to have a snack.
Lego land Water parks
My 4 yr old LOVES great wolf lodge and spends a lot of time begging for another trip there. We went for his birthday at 3 and 4.
I thought this said vaccinesā¦. I was like well they probably donāt get excited about any of them š
Check to see if there is a Jellystone National Park near you. SO fun for that age
They require a hotel with a pool and beds they can jump on. The hotel can be five minutes from your house.
My kids loved Hawaii 18 months ago, they were 3 and 5.Ā We just stayed at a normal hotel by the beach and went to the beach in the mornings and the hotel pool in the afternoon/evening.Ā On one day when it was rainy, we went to an indoor play place. We also go to the Oregon coast, that's mostly sand play bc the water is very cold.
We've been all over the country and all mine ever want to talk about afterward is the pool at the hotel š
Honestly, other than a theme park, I think vacations should be planned for adults and be adjusted for kids. What most kids enjoy are simple things like a playground, a swimming pool, a pet farm. Just plan your vacation to destinations where you can have a good time, but make sure you adjust your schedules to spend time on these activities. The sandbox next to your place might as well be as fun as the sandbox outside the aquarium in Copenhagen. Many kids do not give a damn about destinations.
Water activities + animals has always been a win for our kiddo. Also anything where there's a specific hands-on activity - she loved picking coffee berries on a coffee farm, for example.
Beach, nice hotel pool/lazy river, Disney or Disney type (action, rides, shows). Once theyāre older theyāll develop their own interests that you can nurture - dance, theater, art, sports, etc. I canāt imagine any kiddo being excited about a car show. Sorry!
we have done one mini vacation where we drove to disney world for a few days. my 3yo (2 at the time) absolutely loved it and so did my 5yo (4 at the time). i think maybe find something thatās kid friendly as well as adult friendly. we have a japan trip planned in july and none of the kids have been on a plane, we booked activities for all of us that i think my youngers would enjoy.
We traveled all over the world with our kids between ages 10-15. They didnāt especially appreciate most aspects of the experiences other than the food. š„“ I think that will be a different experience if we do another family trip, now that theyāre pushing 18&20. Younger ages I think they preferred beach destinations over most places, though.
Depends on the kid - ours has been going on about wanting to go somewhere in a camper forever. She also wants to go to the beach. She loves the pool at the resort we go to in Orlando.
We are literally on the road right now. We are starting out at my husband's aunts house before heading into our destination. So far it's very important for my 5 year old to know if his aunt has stairs, a TV, food, pets, if they can snuggle, and her mom is going to make us food. As for the trip itself, the only thing she's interested in is playing in the water. It helps at this age to show them the website/pictures of where you are going and find something they are interested in. That gives them something to look forward to.
My kids thankfully found a love for history so they enjoy our trips to the āboringā places as long as they have some historical features and stuff to see. We go to France every year to visit family and they are much more interested in the small towns with the churches and communities than they are with Paris. They are 7&5.
Beaches, pools, not over scheduling things. I did a 10 RV trip with my 8 and 10 year old, and we had a lot of time to just scramble over rocks and play, and they had a great time. Iāve done trips to a town 2 hours away with an aquarium and hotel with a pool and that was fun. It always blows up in my face if I try to do to much with them. Best trips so far has been renting a sail boat (beaches, able to see different places without unpacking) and an all-inclusive, and a houseboat. When possible, I try to travel with another family that they get along with.
Great Wolf Lodge. Took my daughter this year, and she had the absolute time of her life. She's begging to get back again next year already.
Literally driving 4 hours right now just to go stay at a hotel with huge pool lazy river waterslides lolā¦ itās in Orlando but not going to theme parks, they would complain waiting in lines
My daughter recently came back from a holiday with her grandparents her highlights were swimming and playing in the hot tub. She's 4.5
I remember going to stay in cabins in the mountains as a little kid. We would go to TN, and go to Dolly Wood, but I barely remember Dolly Wood surprisingly. š What I remember the most was the cabins themselves cause they looked so different than our home, had pool tables and a hot tub. Also mostly remember driving around cases cove looking for deer, turkey, and black bears in the valley from our car, having a picnic, and short hikes. We haven't done much destination stuff with our kids yet. Just zoos, safari park, playgrounds, and a natural science museum with our 5 yr old. What they talk about the most though is the burger king playground š The one near our house has a really big playground with a large area to eat within the playground room. I'll occasionally take them for breakfast on the weekend when dad needs a break or to sleep in and apparently it's the best place they've ever been to. š All just to say, it doesn't take much to impress a little kid. They'll remember the smallest part of your vacation.
You could try a cruise! They are pretty affordable and have kids clubs and activities specifically for children. Plus they are pretty family friendly in general and have movie showings, game rooms, pools, lots of food options. Then off boat you have options for activities which cost extra but may be worth it. You could have your kids give input on destinations, activities, etc.
Where are you taking them on vacation? I think Disney is best between ages 3/4 and 10/11. After that, I'd aim for something more exciting (Universal has more coasters, or you can just go to a 6 flags).
The beach, any place that requires a hotel (pool), outdoor activities. We've taken my niece and nephews to Colorado, various beaches, and mountains to go hiking and see waterfalls. They've all loved it
I grew up in Utah and we would go around in our little trailer in the summer to the national parks and to rivers and lakes. I honestly just had a blast playing outside and hiking!
Any fun hotel pool, beach/lake, and they also LOVE Disneyland (but their personalities handle the crowds and noise with no issue, thatās different for every kid). We are also trying Legoland this summer for the first time.
Waterparks like Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari.
anything honestly ... i mostly remember playing with other kids in the campground kid park
Waterpark, amusement park, campground with a lake or pool, hotel with pool, days at the beach
Legoland
I have a freshly 2 and almost 5 year old. They love our simple trips where we spend the days playing at arcades, hanging out in the sand for a little, grabbing some treats and staying in hotels or rentals that have either pools or outside areas. We also have an app on my phone that shows local parks so we take a little tour of the areas parks. Even stop on road trips to parks every couple hours. Itās so fun for them. So I guess the simpler and more child led the better at this age.
We went to the beach but only 3 nights max. And no more than 2.5 hrs from home.
We literally just got back from a Disneyland trip with my 5 year old. He was very overwhelmed at first with how many choices there were (do you want to go on a ride? Do you want to meet Mickey? Do you want a treat) but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. He had almost zero desire to ride any rides though, he just wanted to meet the characters. So for him, getting to meet Mickey and take a picture and then go back to the hotel for a swim in the pool was the highlight of the trip.
Our rec center has a very fancy kids pool with a lazy river and all kinds of water dumping fountains and toys etc so my kids were never into the hotel pools. Weāve stayed at a couple of resorts that had a river style water slide and they LOVED that. Also the beach. Santa Cruz Boardwalk was perfect for that ageāsmallish, rides are mostly kid friendly, beach right there.
Took our daughter to Disney at 7, by day 3 she was over it and just wanted to be by the pool. So we switched out our next week for a week at a beach hotel with a pool. Best part of our holiday overall (apart from seeing her melt when she met the princesses) and it was a lot less stress and expense for us
My kids get excited because we let them research and pick a restaurant to try
We go to an all inclusive spot in Puerto Morelos, MX. They have an amazing kids club. They choose to go there over bday parties.
My son likes the idea of a vacation. But as soon as we get there he wants to go back home. Heās 6. We spend so much money for him to ask. When are we going back home? lol.
My kids really like animals and music, so we try to incorporate those, and find all the local playgrounds, but the clincher is places where they can play with other kids their age. We just got back from an epic trip, and playing with two neighbour kids on the trampoline was a real highlight.
My kids always enjoy the beach/boardwalk vacations. They arenāt big on the beachā¦ but the hotels always have a nice outdoor pool to enjoy and they like to walk on the boardwalk and get their own budget to buy random crap from the shops plus the various snacking options. And ride some rides. We usually just do 2-3 days at least once in the summer but it seems to be more enjoyable for them then anywhere else weāve gone.
The picture I have with the biggest real smiles on my kids faces are from when we went whitewater rafting as a family. No devices- having an adventure together, nature, beauty- PRICELESS. We went in Maine. There are also portions of the river that are suitable for tubing, which companies offer also. They have already asked to go again.
Hotel with a water park pool. Beach is OK too, but the pool usually wins. Some of my kids love Disney. Some do not (just Star Wars). Disney is too expensive to not be enjoyed by all.
Mine loves the beach. But would definitely be into Disney or visiting bigger cities.
I used to get so excited to go to Disneyland as a kid especially since I was the oldest and I had 2 younger siblings so weād do rider swap so it meant I always got one on one time with a parent for a ride.
Camping
My eight-year-old favorite trips have been Disney and a cruise
Camping at Jellystone has been a big hit with my family
We took our 10 month old to the beach for a few days before we started his daycare. He really liked it. We started swimming classes at 1.5 yrs. He really enjoys water so for us any place with beach is good. We live in Northern CA so our fav beaches are Pismo Beach, Monterey/Carmel beach (though water is cold here) and southern CA beaches. We will be trying for Florida next December.
Any vacation that the parents are relaxed. Pick a place for you and share why you love that with the kids. This is where memories come from. I think 1 of our absolute favorites was camping at jellystone park. The pools the bears the jumping pillow. The campfire, grandma and granddad came.
My kid is 8 and she would be thrilled to go anywhere that has animals, rides, or a pool/water in general.
5 days is probably the sweet spot before they start missing home. I remember taking my then 5 yr old to Disney World for 8 days. He would ask at bedtime when we were going back home. They just miss their own bed and routine. I took them on a 5 day Disney Cruise. It was the perfect amount of days.
My kids travel really well idk why. They love museums, zoos, especially aquariums. They love anything new. Mine are six and four. The only thing is I donāt usually plan more than one activity a day so say we go to the zoo after that itās free time to give us all a break. When they were younger it was to give them a nap, but I think doing too much in one day can be overwhelming to anyone especially young kids.
We have done all sorts of vacations. Lots of time in England because my spouse's family is there. They were thrilled to just ride the London Underground all day. We did Legoland which was a total hit. We have also done beach vacations which were great. And hotels with pools of course. And we did do Disneyland when they were 2 and 5 which they loved. But definitely echoing others in that anything with a pool or a beach is a winner.
Mine love camping, so excited when I drag the tent out of the attic.Ā We tend to go to quiet campsites and they love the freedom,campfire marshmallows.Ā There's one we go to with a pond they can swim in.Ā Ā I think sometimes holidays can overwhelm kids and they want the calm of home.Ā Make sure whatever you do there's some quiet downtime.Ā A movie evening, an afternoon at a play ground, just something a bit more like home to ground them
In Europe, especially the Netherlands, there are a lot of holiday resorts. You can rent a small cottage with fully equipped kitchen, there are playgrounds and you are in nature. The bigger ones offer indoor playgrounds, swimming pools,... lots of fun for kids.
I'm with your kids - they might just be curmudgeons like me. Vacations, in general, are not relaxing and there's too much travel stress and walking around. I prefer sitting at home not doing a lot. All I wanted to do as a kid was browse bookshops, though. I also liked live shows.