Creative Kid-Friendly Trips
Exciting Announcement! Now Selling Premium Flights!
Summer is here! Before I dive into this week’s newsletter, I have some news for you! Do you have an international flight coming up? After vetting multiple air partners to make sure my clients would have support in-travel, I am now selling premium economy, business class, and first class flights. Get in touch if I can help you. Because I have access to wholesale rates, my rates are sometimes better than what you can find with the airlines directly, and yes, you can still earn frequent flyer miles. Plus, included in any flight purchase through me is Blue Ribbon Bags, a service that tracks down your bags if they get lost in transit. (They do all the hard work for you so you don’t have to wait on hold, trying to find your bags!)
Kid-Friendly Trips
Back to kid-friendly trips…now that the kids are out of school, vacation planning for the rest of the year really starts to begin. I have no shortage of creative ideas for a great family-friendly vacation, but here are some of my favorite ones. Need some help planning a family-friendly vacation? Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.
Japan with Kids
Want to take the family to Japan? Then this Japan with Kids itinerary is for you! Eight days of child-friendly luxury travel taking in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, packed with fun activities. With high-speed trains, deer-filled forests, and a relaxing soak in a natural hot spring - there’s something for everyone in the family. Sample unique local cuisine and even learn to make select Japanese delicacies that will wow your friends at home. Explore and catch a unique glimpse into Japanese culture and life during the day and enjoy the sweet life in your luxury hotels at night. Please note that Japan is very busy at the moment and there is a shortage of guides, so I recommend booking this trip at least 9 months in advance.
Kid-Approved Morocco
Seeing the world through children’s eyes is easier when they’re the ones planning the trip. Enter the Kids Kouncil, Big Five Tours & Expeditions’ new junior think tank, which helps design the company’s family-focused tours. In Morocco, kids will love touring Marrakech in a sidecar of a motorcycle, with stops to see the upside-down house, "The House Fallen from the Sky," and the "The Giant’s House." They’ll also enjoy a thrilling down hill bike ride and a camel ride into the desert to see the sunset. Trek into the Valley of Roses on guided walks with donkeys for children. This will be a family journey to remember.
Yellowstone, Grand Tetons & More
Tauck teamed up with filmmaker Ken Burns for an eight-day Wild West adventure that has families blazing trails to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, and touring South Dakota’s Black Hills and a working ranch in Wyoming. Kids will love riding horses at the ranch, roasting s’mores around campfires, and spotting wildlife on a float down the Snake River. You'll love snapping photos of weathered 1890s homesteads in Grand Teton’s Mormon Row Historic District and spying Yellowstone’s most famous geyser while staying at the iconic Old Faithful Inn.
Galapagos Islands with Lindblad Expeditions
Operating year-round as a roving base camp in the Galápagos Islands, Lindblad Expeditions’ 96-passenger National Geographic Endeavour II hosts a Global Explorers Program designed for under-18s. On nine-night round-trips from Guayaquil, Ecuador, staff and naturalists match activities to the age level of those on board, engaging young travelers in marine biology, geology, photography, and other fields through snorkeling near sea lions, hiking across ancient lava fields, and close-up views of iconic blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds. The ship’s “open bridge” allows kids of all ages to meet the captain and learn about navigation, and connecting cabins are available for families.
Biking River Cruise on the Danube or Rhine
Active tour company Backroads is beloved for its cycling journeys throughout Europe, but when AmaWaterways’ river ships serve as a base, families unpack once and spend six days riding from one UNESCO World Heritage site to the next. Gentler route options on seven-night sailings aboard various Ama ships are designed for riders ages 7 and up, and bonus activities range from scavenger hunts to kayaking and dessert-making lessons. Danube River trips travel from Prague to Budapest through five countries, and scenic highlights include cycling the vineyards and storybook towns of Austria’s Wachau Valley, biking rail trails through the Bavarian Forest, and a side trip to the Czech Republic’s lollipop of a city, Cesky Krumlov. Or cycle the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam, past the Rhine Gorge’s fairy-tale castles and beside the Netherlands’ enchanting canals and windmills. Plus you only have to unpack once!
Tahiti and French Polynesia Cruise
Based year-round in Tahiti, Paul Gauguin Cruises’ Moana Explorer program, designed in collaboration with marine education and conservation foundation Te mana o te moana, shows off its South Pacific backyard to families. Children and teens ages 6 to 15 are invited to snorkel in legendary lagoons, hike to volcanic aeries, and design a temporary Polynesian tattoo. Treasure hunts, stargazing, and jewelry-making sessions keep kids immersed in the beauty, nature, and culture of the Society Islands. The 330-passenger Paul Gauguin sails from Tahiti on seven-night voyages through French Polynesia, calling overnight in Bora Bora and Moorea.
Cruising Alaska with Holland America
Holland America Line knows Alaska well, having sailed the Last Frontier for more than 75 years, offering an array of immersive sea and Cruisetour experiences. One of the line’s classic Alaska itineraries is a seven-night, Whittier, Alaska-to-Vancouver, BC sailing. Search for sea otters and orcas in Whittier before boarding the 1,972-passenger Noordam to cruise south to the Hubbard Glacier, with its awe-inspiring icebergs that reach up to three stories tall. While motoring quietly through Glacier Bay National Park, adults can listen for the crackling sound of calving glaciers while sipping craft cocktails at the Crow’s Nest while kids hang with naturalists and learn about the surrounding environment as part of the ship’s Junior Rangers program.
Those are some of my latest and greatest ideas on kid-friendly trips. Need help planning your family’s next adventure? Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.
About Krista
I’m a Notre Dame grad and a Chicago Booth MBA. I spent over 11 years living and working in London, England, selling financial data. My career and personal travel have taken me all over the world. To date, I’ve been to 78 countries. Now I bring the joy of travel to others. Let me make your next vacation seamless for you.
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