16 Things to Consider When Choosing the Perfect Destination for Your Family Vacation
You know you need a vacation but how do you choose the best place to take your family on your next trip? I’m sharing my list of things to consider when thinking about where to go next. I’ll walk you through my destination selection process and will guide you to help you discover the best location to take your family on your upcoming vacation.
“I believe almost any destination will work for family travel but some places are better suited for certain ages.”
Choosing your next destination for your family vacation should be a fun process. With so many amazing places to see, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Below is my list of sixteen things you can consider when selecting where to go on your next trip.
How to Choose the Best Destination for your Next Family Vacation
Time. Determine how much time you can spend on vacation. If it’s three days, it will narrow your options to places closer to home. If you have two weeks (lucky you!) then you can expand the options to include faraway places.
When can you go. Decide if you are planning a trip for the summer, a long weekend in the fall, or a getaway around the holidays. The weather, crowds, and seasons will help narrow down where you will want to go. For example, if you plan a trip in the summer, that will weed out going on a snow skiing trip to a cabin.
Trip Goals. Decide what you want to get out of the trip. Is it for relaxing, learning about history, exploring a new city, checking a National Park off of your bucket list? If you decide that you want a relaxing vacation, then you will know that you do not want to explore a busy new city. It will put things like beach days or relaxing at a cabin on your idealist.
Consider your budget. Yep, we can’t ignore this one. This will help determine where you are able to go. If you don’t have a lot to spend, consider a road trip to a nearby city. If this is the trip of a lifetime, consider a faraway destination. For trip budgeting ideas, listen to these podcast episodes: Practical Ways to Make Your Vacation More Affordable and Ways to Save Money for Vacation.
Check your bucketlist. Keep a list of dream destinations and consult the list when thinking about where to go next. When you hear about an interesting new place, add it to your list! You can see my travel bucket list: Dream Big with a Delightful Travel Bucketlist.
Trip Type. What type of trip is calling to you right now? Need a few days at the beach, want to walk your feet off in a big city, or do you want to spend a lot of time exploring the outdoors? Let the answers to this question help you start to narrow down the possibilities.
Travel Time. Are you willing to spend a full day getting to your destination? Are you up for a couple of long flights or an all-day car ride? Do you only want to spend a couple of hours in the car or take one 3 hour or less flight? Answer these questions to help you further narrow down options.
Transportation at the destination. Is it important to you to have a car at your destination. How much will a rental car be if you are flying? WIll you need to use public transportation? Are you comfortable with that?
Expenses at the destination. How important is it to stick to a tight budget? Looking at a couple of destination options, which will best fit your budget? A little town in Mexico will cost less than a trip to NYC.
Passports. Do all of your family members have passports? If yes, take a look at options outside of the country. If no, stick to domestic trips unless you have enough time to apply for passports and get them back before you head out on vacation.
Consider your famly’’s needs at this stage in life. Do you have a houseful of energetic toddlers? Will you be traveling with three teenagers? While I believe that there can be something for everyone at almost any destination, I think some destinations are better suited for certain ages. If you want to do some hiking at the Grand Canyon, toddlers probably aren’t at the best stage for this.
Visit friends or family. Do you have friends or family that live in a place that you haven’t visited before? Consider mixing a visit with them plus explore a new place.
Sports tournaments. Do your kids compete on sports teams that travel for tournaments? Plan a trip around the tournament by adding a couple of days after the games for your family to explore the area.
Weddings. Do you have a wedding coming up in the next year that you will need to travel to? This could be a great starting point for planning a family trip. Plan to go early or stay after the event and turn that time into a family getaway.
Family Reunions. Plan a family reunion in a fun, new destination that you have wanted to visit. Or let someone else do the planning and let this event guide your plans for your family vacation.
Be open to new ideas. If you love to return to the same place each year, that’s great, but consider trying out something new next time. You may be surprised with how much you enjoy a new place.