#family-travel

#family-travel

Over the years, we've learned that Liz enjoys a trip more when she can help shape it rather than just show up for it. So before heading to Charleston, I had a visitor's brochure mailed to her in Texas.

The Surselva region is best known for its wintertime skiing and snowboarding opportunities, but there's a wealth of things to do throughout the year, including hiking, swimming, and biking.

Congress Hall, established in 1816, has hosted celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Oprah Winfrey, and was used as a 'summer White House' by President Benjamin Harrison.

Disney is betting on more magical moments like these with its new World of Frozen, part of a $2-billion transformation of the resort and a highlight of its newly christened Disney Adventure World.

Darren Hayes, who has lived in France for 15 years, expressed frustration over the new UK passport rules, stating, 'I first saw this requirement a few weeks ago on the BBC, I know the UK government says that it has been well publicised but I didn't see it anywhere.'

Upon first glance of the architectural marvel that is the magnificent indoor-outdoor lobby, my mouth gaped open; on every return visit since, it's done the same.

The business-class tickets included access to the Star Alliance Lounge, which allowed me to spend some quiet time with my toddler before our flight. Instead of waiting near the crowded gate, we relaxed in comfortable armchairs and enjoyed a buffet spread with burgers, sandwiches, pastas, salads, and desserts.

Planning the trip, however, filled me with apprehension. Our boys were no longer little travelers content to trail along behind us through forts and museums. They were teenagers now-15 and 13-with strong opinions, independent streaks, and a finely tuned radar for boredom.

The Lake District was the inspiration for William Wordsworth, John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter, but its big skies, gentle waters, lofty fells and landscapes were surely designed to seduce modern-day, digitally ambushed families. In fact, escaping to the countryside and one of the best family-friendly hotels in the Lake District might just feel as other worldly as diving into a classic novel.

The Bloor-Yorkville corridor gets a lot of attention for its shopping, but for families, it's the Royal Ontario Museum around the corner, smooth subway access, leafy streets for stroller walks, and density of good cafés that make it the neighborhood worth settling into.

When booking a seven-day cruise on Carnival Legend for my family of five, I decided to split us into two rooms. On past vacations, we've all stayed in the same hotel room. Once, we all crammed into the same tiny cabin on a cruise. This time, though, I had reserved two 185-square-foot staterooms on the Carnival Legend's Riviera deck for more space and privacy.

Italians are famous for upholding a culture of family unity. Across Italy, it's not unusual to see children welcomed into restaurants late into the night, being the centre of attention at social gatherings, living in multigenerational households, and inspiring strong community bonds that put family life first.

Usually when people have children, it deters them from travel, but we went completely the other way,

If I'd told my parents 10 years ago that they'd have the opportunity to stand on top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps, they wouldn't have believed me. For most of their lives, they operated a small family dairy farm in rural Wisconsin and were tied to its constant responsibilities. Because of this, their vacations were limited. So, last year, when I learned my parents were ready to book their first trip to Europe to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary, I was beyond excited.

As summer school breaks stretch longer and childcare becomes harder to secure, some families are turning to an unexpected solution: hotels offering full-day, structured kids' camps that allow parents to travel, work and keep routines intact.

Scary Mommy can exclusively reveal that for just 24 hours, starting February 6, 2026, families of four staying in a standard room can snag a price point of just $26 per person, per night. Using the promo code 2626, all you have to do is log on February 6 and reserve an overnight stay at any Great Wolf Lodge vacation (all U.S. locations are participating), with the offer valid through June 18, 2026.

This year, my husband and I took our 8-year-old daughter to Europe for a 7-week vacation - overlapping with her school break and a few weeks of term. We started in the Greek islands in early September and made our way slowly by train from Italy to Germany by the end of October. We tried to plan the trip around experiences and activities that our daughter would both enjoy and learn from.

On the approach to Arosa in the Graubunden Alps, the road is lined with mountain chapels, their stark spires soaring heavenwards; a portent, perhaps, of the ominous route ahead. The sheer-sided valley is skirted with rugged farmhouses and the road twists, over ravines and round hairpin curves, to a holiday destination that feels like a well-kept secret. On the village's frozen lake, young families ice skate, hand in hand.

"I liked our last holiday house better," announces my niece on arrival at Gairnsheil Lodge's Laggan Cottage in the Scottish Highlands. The thing about six-year-olds is that they famously have very little taste, and this isn't the first thing we've disagreed on (other topics include bedtimes, what constitutes 'dinner' and how often you should brush your hair). You'd think for someone who was being treated to a bucket list holiday she'd have a little more respect.

Playfulness is at the heart of the Art and Play holiday, based on a farm outside the Bay of Kotor. A family-friendly retreat designed to reignite joy and reconnect with the inner child, it's one for solo travellers and couples as well as parents with kids. There are creative sessions on everything from dance to painting, as well as time to enjoy the farm feeding the animals, collecting eggs or helping harvest vegetables for farm-fresh meals.

"Mexico has a culture where family is at the heart of everything, and you really feel that in how resorts are designed and in how staff welcome family travellers," says Meagan Drillinger, founder of boutique travel planning business Good Horizon. "You can have five-star luxury and still feel like you're actually in Mexico, as opposed to other destinations where the luxury tends to feel cookie-cutter."

Children's museums have evolved from rainy-day backups into stand-alone destinations, and the U.S. is home to some of the best in the world. Size can help-yes, some of these museums are enormous-but it's far from the deciding factor. What really sets the best children's museums apart, however, is how intuitive they feel: The focus is on learning through fun as opposed to text-heavy exhibits that tend to fall flat.