The Antidote to Kid-Focused Travel
There are things I avoid when traveling, even since becoming a parent. Week-long Disney vacations. Cruises centered around kids. Your typical all-inclusive resorts.
This is not to say I haven’t enjoyed taking my daughter to overtly kid-focused experiences. We’ve had a great time at Trolls x CAMP in New York City and the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. In fact, I plan to take her to Disneyland sometime soon - it’s basically in our backyard. But I can’t wrap my head around an entire trip that is only geared towards children.
Saying this might make me seem a bit evil, so to help articulate my feelings on the matter I’ll lean on Brené Brown’s concept of the “family-focused family”.
In general, Brené Brown advocates not for a “kid-focused family”, where the children’s desires are always put first, nor for a “parent-focused family”, where the parents call all of the shots, but for a family unit that works together to prioritize the health of the team at large.
A family-focused family.
This concept is highly appealing to me, both on a macro level when thinking about how to build our family dynamics, and on a micro level regarding family travel.
While I might not be dying to spend a week of precious vacation time at a Nickelodeon resort, I also recognize that my daughter (and my husband, lol) might not share my pipe dream of full time worldschooling. It’s the family’s happiness that matters, not only mine or my husband’s or my daughter’s.
When planning travel in our household, there is a long list of factors to take into account, including two parents' demanding work schedules, the prioritization of our financial resources (currently including the sunk cost of pulling Mila out of daycare), and the social lives of three different people.
“We put the family as the system that we serve.
It’s not the kids at the parents’ cost or the parents at the kids’ cost - it’s the family.”
I certainly understand the ways in which travel experiences made primarily for kids have tangible benefits to parents.
It could be a cruise with a Kids Club for built-in babysitting or a week at a theme park where activities are abundant - these types of trips allow for parents to experience relief and relaxation. They remove decision-making pressure and fatigue. It’s obvious how this is valuable to a parent on vacation.
I am just here to say: there are more options than you think!
I’d argue that there is added value in kids doing some non-kid stuff. It doesn’t have to be all the time. We build in kid-specific activities while traveling and our plans always revolve around Mila to some degree, as is the nature of early parenthood. However, I believe there is merit in the adaptability gained by kids when they participate in so-called adult spaces.
Below you’ll find my inspiration for future family-focused travel. These are some of the places that came up in researching our next trip abroad. You’ll note there is a bias towards Europe due to our own planning parameters.
If you’re thinking “this sounds expensive,” well, it may be. But have you checked the price of Disney hotels and park tickets lately?
In my style, these are off-the-beaten-path lodging options that feel integrated to the cultures they are a part of and where you can reap the benefits of a packaged kids vacation without feeling like you’re on one. Some are made for families and some are not family specific, but could be made so.
These are spaces that promote relaxation and play, for both kids and parents alike. My antidote to kid-focused family travel.
Family-Focused Travel Ideas
@unboundamsterdam
Rate: $250-$350/night for peak summer, booking 3 months in advance
Why I’d go: This could be the answer to “how do I meet people while traveling” in the post-hostel years. This boutique hotel has enough privacy for a family, while the many common spaces create opportunities to interact with others.
Only a 20 min drive (or 30 min bike ride!) from Amsterdam, so you could do a combination city-nature trip.
Variety of room options; cabins or suites that fit 2-5 people.
Activities include a lake with a beach, sauna and plunge pool, and the Garden of the West - a unique farm-experience with a kids play park.
Feuerstein Nature Family Resort
@feuerstein_naturefamily_resort
Rate: $700-$800/night for peak summer, booking 3 months in advance. $550-$650/night for Fall booking 6+ months in advance
Why I’d go: As a family that doesn’t ski, this would be an incredible way to experience the natural beauty of the Alps together.
Hotel rooms that are configured for all types of families and age-specific Montessori childcare, ages 0-16.
Family spa with non-nude saunas and a “Snoezelen" room.
Seemingly endless activities for both summer and winter.
@hoshinoya.official
Rate: $250-$650/night for peak summer, booking 3 months in advance
Why I’d go: It’s Japan’s first glamping resort with unreal views of Mt. Fuji from each room.
Activities include early morning canoeing, aerial stretching in the trees, and a food smoking workshop and their search function can be filtered by child’s age.
Proper relaxation with nature walks or swims in the lake. Specific experiences can be customized to families, like an outdoor dinner in a private tent or cooking classes like the one @elifiljazovska did with her family.
Likely better for kids older than toddlers as the elevation around the property might be difficult for new walkers to navigate.
@leriadyasmine
Rate: $180-$250/night for peak summer, booking 3 months in advance
Why I’d go: Great location in Marrakech’s Medina and impeccably stylish for a hotel that accommodates kids this well.
It’s a small hotel and the owners have a young daughter, so they get it.
There is a swimming pool & rooftop terrace, and they offer bookings for all kinds of activities like a guided city walking tour, hammam, and camel ride.
@_lifeoflaurel visited with her young twins and said “We were met at the airport by a transfer kitted out with car seats and our girls were treated to a warm cow's milk bottle service every night.”
@fincamalvasia
Rate: $200-$250/night for peak summer, booking 3 months in advance
Why I’d go: My parents took my brothers and I to the Canary Islands when we were ages 12, 10 (me), 8 and 6 - so I’ve always thought of this as a family-friendly destination.
This is a working vineyard near the beach with lodging options that include apartments, suites & villa
Lanzarote is an island with the unique combination of volcanic landscape, beaches, and vineyards
Finca Malvasia offers yoga, meditation, massage, and surf lessons
Have other family-focused spots on your radar? Share them in the comments:
Thank you for reading! Know someone who travels, has kids or is thinking about having them? I’d appreciate if you’d send Carry On their way!
p.s. you can always see all posts on the website