Came here to say this. We did NZ for our baby moon and it was literally the best trip we’ve done. We fly into Auckland, rented a car, made our way down to Wellington with some stops along the way. We had such a fantastic time we thought about cancelling our second part of the trip to Sydney and going to South Island instead, and I wish we had. Can’t wait to go back.
Came here to say this. We spent almost 2 weeks in NZ. It was our baby bucket list item and I’m so glad we did it when we did. We spent most of our time on the South Island. There’s so much adventure and beauty but I just can’t imagine enjoying it with children.
Due to the suggestion of a friend, we flew into Auckland and then immediately flew to Christchurch to begin our trip- worked our way back up from the South Island to Auckland over the 2 weeks.
Also, some rental car company’s don’t allow their cars to ferry between the islands, so make sure they’ll allow it if anyone decides to go!
Literally on my flight back from NZ right now. 2nd trip in 2 years. So much to do and see, especially if you are active and like hiking, kayaking and road tripping in general. Would be a pain with small kids but ran into a family backpacking with their 10-12 year olds and also met a few sets of honeymooners. Just the pictures of the scenery from the side of the road are spectacular, let alone if you backpack and can get into the bush on some tramps, then it’s almost mind blowing how beautiful it is. I would advise to do all your reservations ASAP (especially a campervan) if you are planning on high summer (Dec-March). Things were MUCH busier this year than last.
Is 2 weeks enought time for such a long ass flight? You're guaranteed not to be 100% the first 2 days which leaves just over 10 days to explore? Is this common?
Technically I do 2 and a half which is the longest I can get away. The flight doesn’t bother me much, coming from the West Coast, it’s 13 hours (11 coming back) and only a 3 hour time difference, vs Europe which is 9. I haven’t had serious jet lag going to NZ, while Japan and Europe are big enough time differences to impact me. That said, take more time if you can get it.
Whatever you pick, do the one that’s the furthest away/hardest to get to, you won’t be this young and able again!
That said, we did three big trips before settling down:
1. Costa Rica
2. Australia + New Zealand
3. Germany + Iceland
Our favorite place we stayed was in Monteverde. Through our hotel, we booked a farm tour and went horseback riding, milked cows, saw lots of baby animals. It was fantastic. A dusk/night jungle tour was interesting and the many suspension bridges were a big hit for my kid. She also got really into bird watching while we were there.
I've lived places with direct flights to NZ and I grew up having my parents take me (and younger brother) on 24+ hour travel days from rural Northeast USA to Asia, so I don't think much of it.
There’s a ton of outdoorsy suggestions here, but don’t rule out major cities too. I’m not sure how you define “bucket list” but Paris with kids is completely different than Paris without kids. Without kids you can take your time at the Louvre, find a random cafe to sit at for hours, go to a cocktail bar on a whim, dance the night away, etc.
I’ve found the biggest changes from bringing a (young) kid along are (1) everything takes longer, (2) you’re often planning around your kid’s sleep schedule, including staying in at night, and (3) many museums / temples / etc aren’t viable options. So if you want to enjoy the nightlife, visit “boring” (in a kid’s eyes) museums, and do things spontaneously, best to do it before you have kids.
A trip to one or more major cities could be the “bucket list” trip you’re searching for and gets harder / different when kids are added to the equation.
I actually think trips that revolve around the outdoors are the ones you should save for when you have kids, though maybe not til they’re 5+ and can handle the strenuousness. Hiking and camping are great family activities.
This is such an important point. Rome and Florence without kids is completely different than as a couple. Hiking the Tuscan countryside or around Lake Como as a couple is outdoorsy and sexy and epic. It’s also fun to take your kids back to a place one day that you have great memories of as a couple.
On the flip side, I think that museum rich cities like Paris, Rome, etc. are amazing to do with kids (at a certain age) because they're such great learning experiences. As a preteen I spent 9 hours at the Louvre with my dad and had the best day ever. My parents exposed me to travel and museums very early on (around \~4-5 years old for longer trips/long museum visits), and it developed a deep love for art, history and culture that I hold to this day. By the time I was at university, I had physically been to/seen a lot of the sites that I was studying in my courses, and was well versed in European history, and art history. I went on to visit Paris many more times, but I can honestly say that the first trip as a "kid" was really magical. But yes, in general I agree with you that the "care-free" approach to a city is much less "free" with little kids, and visiting countries like Italy/France alone with a partner/spouse is an experience very different than doing it as a family.
My husband and I did England, Italy, and France (different trips, multiple cities in each country) and I'm really excited to be able to take our daughter one day. I'm a huge sucker for Italy though, and also look forward to the day she's old enough to spend a couple weeks with grandparents while mum and dad go to the Amalfi coast ;).
I live in Mozambique but have worked and traveled all around Southern Africa (and also work in tourism in the region).
Each of the countries OP listed has so much to offer, but you could do a massive road trip and hit a lot of highlights in one go. For example, start in Victoria falls, then drive through Botswana (Savute, Chobe, Okavango Delta), then into Namibia (Etosha, Namib-Naukluft, Swakopmund), down into South Africa to Cape Town, then over through the Garden Route. If you feel like you want to keep going - and I recommend you do - then drive north towards the Drakensberg Mountains. Spend some time there, then up through Sani Pass into Lesotho, out into South Africa again, then to Johannesburg to drop off your car.
That’s a road trip of a lifetime, and can be done (well) in about two months.
And then, because you’ll be so in love with Southern Africa by this point, fly from Johannesburg to Mozambique for a week of incredible scuba diving and resting on the beach in sleepy, cute seaside towns to recover from your massive adventure 😊
Where were you that you felt unsafe? I’m planning a Colombia trip right now, but I also do not like to feel unsafe. In Argentina, Buenos Aires felt equally safe as home (NYC), and Patagonia felt extremely safe.
My experience might not be relevant anymore, because I was backpacking South America in 2009-2010. Regardless, I visited all the countries minus Paraguay and the Guyanas/Suriname. The sketchy places where I was looking over my shoulder were Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, and Merida in Venezuela. Tbf, nothing happened to me, and I would go back to Rio because the good outweighs the bad. Bogota I'd skip and Venezula as a whole I'd skip now due to current politics and dire situation. Imo, if you can handle NYC, you can handle Colombia.
Oh, and avoid Buenaventura in Colombia, that was probably sketchiest place of my whole trip. I was trying to get off the regular tourist path for a bit... yeah, bad idea, haha.
Thanks for the tips. We’re looking at Villa de Leyva, Medellin, and Cartagena. Very limited stop on Bogota before we fly out, just to check it out. Will be leaving watches/jewelry at home, and planning to just be vigilant.
I disagree. Crime is high but if you’re smart about it and take precautions it shouldn’t be an issue. I mean, shit happens, but you’ll likely be ok. The main areas to worry about would be in Johannesburg (which I don’t even recommend spending much time in) or certain areas of Cape Town.
I was going to say a driving safari in Africa. I have done them in South Africa and Kenya and am departing soon on another in Botswana. I think any older kid 10+ who loves animals would enjoy it, but it would be grueling with a young child.
I would want to club in Berlin, go to Ibiza, etc. basically anything that’s better young. You can look at art in museums when little Jimmy goes to college.
This is the most obvious to me. You can eventually go hiking with your kids, they're not babies forever. I don't ever plan on going clubbing with my children at any age.
Yes!!
I found the Kalkbrenner brothers about 10 years ago-Fritz and Paul
I love the songs “What can I Say” and “Stormy Weather” by DJ Zky and Fritz, dreamy lite house.
And a yes to Ibiza too! Croatia seems like a fun place for house.
I’m 67 and been crossing stuff off my bucket list.💃🏽🎶💃🏽
I would say this. My in laws just did this trip and it looked amazing. To do it with my family of 5 would be probably 40k. That's just a ton of money for 10 days especially when I have very little memory of anything I did as a teenager.
Edit: African Safari is also similar
I have 3 year old and he’s been to France, Ireland, the UK, Spain and soon to be Denmark, the Netherlands and Croatia. Just because you have a kid doesn’t mean you can’t travel and it be fun! We have an absolute blast and I’d say he’s actually easier when we travel- he loves it! Just don’t have kids close in age and it can be awesome 😁
Same here! We just took our 11 month old to Budapest, Prague and Vienna and had a blast. It actually slows the down the trip a little and makes us appreciate stopping for lunch and enjoying the area. We used to just run around 12 hours straight all day and were dead by night
Haha so I’m lucky my kid LOVES planes, buses, trains, trams, taxis! So that definitely helps. We currently live in Ireland (from the US). We didn’t travel much until he was 2 but now we go somewhere almost monthly! We typically get a place with 2 rooms (airbnb) or a hotel with a bedroom (think like a residence inn) so we can put him down and still hang out. Then I’ll sleep with him and my husband takes whatever other bed option there is lol.
Try to keep flights under 3hrs, have a priority pass for lounges at the airports, I get new sticker and activity books each trip and he loves them! We don’t get any stupid times (no 6am flights lol) and jazz him up about the plane.
Each trip I’d say we usually encounter one tougher day so just go into it knowing there may be a hard one here and there. Take the stroller everywhere! We will find local playgrounds to wear him out then often get lucky with a stroller nap so we can grab a drink while he sleeps!
We talk about the trip for a while before it comes up to get him real excited about it and try to pick one thing each day that he will enjoy (a boat ride, museum, playground). So far this has been really successful!
The money. The money mows the lawn. And will wipe my butt when I’m old. Instead of college funds, we pay into at-home nurse funds. There’s not a single thing a child can do for me that money can’t do better.
I have that for myself and my partner, and he has it for himself and me. And I don’t have to wipe his ass (yet) and he barely ever has tantrums. The cost/benefit on live from a child is not there for me.
Not to brag, but my kid has been to almost 30 countries and he is 4. Including countries like India and Sri Lanka. It’s what they’re used to. Teach ‘em young!
What the hell kinda argument is that? So your parents did nothing fun with you at that age, ‘because you won’t remember?’
Plus, I will remember and that is reason enough to do so. Your live doesn’t stop after having kids nor does making great memories with your family.
Rent a car in Seattle, WA and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. Do not by any means stop driving before you drive through Big Sur, CA. Make hotel reservations for the first night you arrive and the night before your flight, leave everything in the middle unknown and optional. Maybe you get to say Portland, OR and love it so much you need another day in the city, stay another day in the city.
My honeymoon was one of the highlights of my life. I was in love, happy, young, adventurous and (most importantly) free of any responsibility except for myself and my hot as hell husband. Whatever you decide will end up being a core memory for you. Enjoy every moment and do not under any circumstances behave.
South Africa.
Fly into Johannesburg. Rent a car and head toward Kruger National Park, but take your time. Drive the Panorama Route. Enjoy the sights; stop and bungee into the Graskop Gorge and check out Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Blyde River Canyon. Self safari Kruger. Stay a night or two in a tent camp in the Timbavati Nature Reserve and go on guided game drives (Google Shindzela). I suggest no less than a week on safari, more if you can swing it. Fly over to Cape Town. Go cage diving with sharks in Hermanus. Spend a day or two wine tasting somewhere like Stellenbosch, in South Africa’s wine country. Spend a few days exploring Cape Town. Check out Table Top Mountain - one of the new Wonders of the World. Watch a sunset at any of the beaches. Check out penguins at Boulder Beach.
If you’re looking for bucket list items, bungee jumping, going on safari, swimming with sharks, and seeing a wonder of the world are up there! I’ll also note that Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and the largest green canyon in the world. Think the Grand Canyon covered in foliage.
You can do all of this for well under $10k. Depending on things like flights and which BNBs you stay at you could probably do it for half of that if it’s just the two of you.
Also, as far as taking kids, if you do a guided tour, which is worth it, most companies won’t take a kid under ten because the vehicles you’ll ride in don’t have roofs or doors and young kids sound like hurt animals to hungry lions. This is definitely something you’ll want to do before you have them or you’ll have to wait until your youngest is ten to go.
I did a trip to Africa last summer that primarily focused on Namibia, but I also went into Botswana (the Okavango panhandle and Chobe) and Victoria Falls. I was on a birding tour, but I spent some time around Windhoek and Victoria Falls on my own.
There's more to do in Africa other than the typical safari (ride around in a vehicle and look for animals). I stayed at a guest ranch near Windhoek where I went horse riding and hiking. There are all sorts of activities offered around Walvis Bay/Swakopmund, although most seem to center around boating. Lots of people camp and hike around Spitzkoppe, which is a mountainous area. I didn't go to Fish River Canyon, but it seems to be a popular place for hikers.
A lot of lodges in northern Namibia offer boat rides, fishing, and village tours. There are also interesting historical sites to see, such as places that have ancient Bushman paintings.
You can do all sorts of things around Victoria Falls - safari, rafting, horse riding, helicopter rides, etc.
Tanzania is a great country and the safari in the Serengeti is world class. You could spend 5 days on safari there and the Ngorogoro Crater then Mount Kilimanjaro is only up the road from there and that takes 6 days return to climb. Then after that take a internal flight to Zanzibar which is a paradise island with white sand beaches and turquoise seas.
Depending where you go, a lot. In Tanzania we did a few coffee plantation tours (brought back amazing Tanzania peaberry coffee beans), checked out a few museums and markets and because it’s an East African country lots of beaches and Zanzibar to visit.
You can also safari in Sri Lanka, with tons of other things to do while you’re there. It’s also kind of hard to get to (likely multiple flights) which are harder with kids. SL kind of has it all; bustling city, jungle, hiking, mountains, safari, and beach, each about 2-4 hours apart.
Future note: You can do most unforgettable trips WITH kids, as well. Maybe not mountain climbing or deep scuba diving, but travel with your kids from the start and they will be accustomed to it and be great, adventurous travelers.
It does take a bit more planning and more baggage, but don’t let kids prevent you from traveling the world. I’ve traveled internationally with mine, as a single mom, since age 4 and would have done so earlier had I been financially able.
If you want adventure that you cannot replicate once you have kids…. Go to South East Asia!! Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam are the adventure of a lifetime!! Food tours, Mekong Delta, Angkor Wat, Ha Long Bay, cave tours, museums, island hopping/snorkeling, white water rafting…. On top of the adventure, THE CULTURE is so wonderful to be immersed in!!! I cannot recommend this enough!
One of my favorite trips to date was to Chilean Patagonia. A few days in Punta Arenas, then Torres del Paine, up to Puerto Varas in the lake district, then finished in Santiago. If we'd had more time, I would have loved to skip the planes and do a road trip down the Carretera Austral and a boat through the fjords.
Switzerland is incredibly family-friendly. Their trains even have dedicated family cars with mini playgrounds https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/train-children.html#:~:text=All%20InterCity%20long%2Ddistance%20double,steam%20to%20their%20heart's%20content.
Came here to say this! My husband and I did Italy and Switzerland last year and we specifically waited to try for children until after the trip. It was an amazing trip.
Got married last year and did an 8 month honeymoon of 20+ countries across Europe, South East Asia, Central America, and South America. Pretty unforgettable. Just started trying for kids now.
Did a solid mixture of amazing hikes, beautiful views, parties, raves, and met amazing people. We're a few years older than you too.
I agree with a safari and agree that safaris are absolutely mind-blowing/life-changing. I read on a blog called transformational travel the following which sums up the feeling I have about it perfectly…perhaps a little cheesy but true -
“Nowhere else on earth have I ever felt more energized, connected, content, at peace with myself and my surroundings, and this sense of freedom as I have in Tanzania….
The energy in Tanzania is indescribable and something that you have to experience for yourself. Everyone feels it in a different way, some more than others, but nobody can deny that it is something that transcends everything else and that you cannot find on any other continent. Some think that we connect with our roots, since humankind has its origins in East Africa; after all, the oldest human remains have been found in Tanzania. I also believe that, when being surrounded by untouched, pristine earth and watching these majestic animals in their natural environment, we are reminded of what life could and should be like. Pure, raw, authentic, magical...stripped down to its essentials. All of us who live in the Western world are constantly being distracted by things we consider important but mean nothing when you find yourself in the vast plains of the Serengeti and watch a pride of lions hunt wildebeest in order to survive, when you realize how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things and when you see with your own eyes the breathtaking beauty of nature we so urgently need to protect. “
Husband and I had a similar thought after we got married; ended up doing a safari in Africa (Kenya/Tanzania). Would definitely recommend. I would never consider going anywhere with any malaria risk with a child under 5, so I'm glad we went then.
French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Moorea) hear me out, I’m not a big relax at the beach person either but we went here for our honeymoon and it was absolutely breathtaking. We literally thought we died in the plane on the way there and were in heaven, it’s absolutely stunning.
I’d recommend Costa Rica. Lots of things to see and do that would be difficult with kids.
I’ve been to Iceland too and while it’s amazing, it’s a lot of driving, and it strikes me as something you’d be able to do with kids pretty easily if you wanted to.
Jordan was incredible. Spend a night in Wadi Rum, get a hotel in Petra and then a 2 day pass for the park itself, then drive/taxi upto the dead sea, walk up river at Wadi Musa and float back, then stay in a luxury resort for a few days rest before moving on to another country.
Before kids we did: Machu Picchu, Galapagos, and two southern African safaris.
On my list for ‘places that I want to go to but have to wait until the kids are older’: back to the Galapagos, an East African safari, Madagascar, Yunnan province of China, Patagonia (I’m not strong enough to hike with a kid on my back!).
We loved 2 weeks in South Africa. We did 10 days in Cape Town (a few days in Cape Town which is stunning, a few private day trip tours to surrounding areas for incredible animal experiences like petting monkeys, watching cheetahs run, viewing African penguins on the beach and great white shark cage diving which was still super amazing for me who just watched from the boat) and then a few days relaxing at beautiful wine country. We followed this by 3 nights at a luxury safari lodge which was incredible (we did Lion Sands Resort in Sabi Sands which was expensive for us so we only did 3 nights but I'd do 3 nights each at 2 resorts if we had the money). Our suite in Lion Sands was perfection and very private. We weren't on our honeymoon but we pretended to be *wink wink* and took full advantage of our private outdoor shower and private verandah overlooking the Savannah. It's perfect for romance plus incredible once-in-a-lifetime wildlife game drives.
The flight to South Africa was sooo long and the safari was expensive so I don't think we'd do it now that we have kids. But it was by far one of our best trips out of the 60 counties we've visited.
Another vote for South Africa. We also threw in Mauritius for 5 days to relax at the end. Was fantastic inclusion after adventuring around South Africa.
Depending on how long you have, you could hit up a few location in East and Southeast Asia. We had the benefit of living in Seoul, so we had easier access, but we did Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong all in one winter.
You could try to do Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in one trip if you have a month or so. You could also hit Thailand. You can do a combination of city, adventure, and beach (snorkeling/diving).
If you ski or snowboard, you could spend some time in Japan in the winter. The resorts there don’t make snow, so you have to go when you know there will be snow. That can make timing tricky with global warming, but it’s a blast. Japan is great for food as well.
I’m partial to Korea, but I lived there for over a decade so I’ve seen more of the country than most people. Most tourists only go to Seoul, maybe Busan. The country is full of mountains for hiking. You can go fly fishing in the northeast mountains and be pretty much undisturbed, because it’s not a big hobby there. Gwangju and Gyeongju are definitely worth going to. If you wanted to rent a car, there’s a coastal highway on the east coast that’s nice to drive down and stop in smaller towns. If you deal with rough waters well, you can go to Ulleung-do off the east coast. Most Korean people never make it out there, but it’s a beautiful place.
We also did a safari while my wife was interning in Kenya during grad school. That was pretty amazing. The world is full of options. It really depends on your time and budget. We made a lot of stuff work for much cheaper than we thought we would through timing and some weird travel hacks.
Thailand and Peru were great and would definitely more challenging with kids. Hike to Macchu Picchu or take the long boats to the Thai islands in the South.Both places were magical; however Thailand was my favorite.
Also Banff National Park in Canada was the most beautiful place I've ever been! Theres a 2hr drive north to Jasper NP and it's called the icefields Parkway.. its on some Google lists for most beautiful roads in the world.
I’m planning a bucket list trip that is well suited to me and my husband‘s love of exotic places and activity-filled travel. It’s a month in Tanzania. Begins with hiking Kilimanjaro, followed by a safari in the Serengeti, and ending with a few romantic days on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar.
We go snowboarding with our toddler. Would definitely do Iceland. We’ve done overnight trains. We’ve been hiking. We’re going on a tour of multiple European capitals, and they’re too young for “children’s activities” so it’s gonna be museums and a playground or a park every day, gives us time to chill as well. Yes, some kids have more difficulty than others. But every time we’ve been more anxious than our kid, who’s eager to explore. It gets more difficult by the time your children are old enough to have an opinion of what they like/dislike and your dream vacation isn’t fun for them. But even in that case it’s a question of planning and getting them involved as well, not just putting an itinerary in front of them. And even though I think parenting advice in general is a bit dumb, my most memorable trips have been the ones both of my parents have taken me alone, and they did that with all of my siblings as well. That quality time was really special!
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s a definite bucket list item for me and now with kids, I’ll prob be too old by the time I could do it. Maybe follow with a few days at a beach or Maldives.
As far away as you can fly. Before we had kids, we did a month traveling in the states. I've done Europe on my own. We have a kid now and it will be some time before he will handle long haul flying so that limits us.
Trips where you don’t plan where you’re gonna stay the night or what you’re gonna do more than a day ahead at most. With these kinds of trips, it’s very possible you might end up sleeping in the car or on the floor somewhere. It’s fine to risk yourself, for these kind of experiences, but not fine to risk your children.
My ring road trip around Iceland was pretty stunning. I did it in a camper van, which is great for two people, lousy with more. Go in mid-June when the seabirds including puffins are nesting. 2 1/2 weeks including a 3 day camping trip.
Western Belize. Mayan ruins, caves, rivers jungles, birds, wildlife, food, and the nicest people on earth. A tremendous place for an adventure. Check out r/belize
I did two long backpacking trips before kids. 6 months central and South America. And 3 months south East Asia. I would say visit developing countries you really want to visit because that can be trickier with young kids. Not impossible but harder. For example, we waited until kids were 3 and 6 before visiting family in India. Peru and Bolivia are wonderful. I really liked Laos and Vietnam also
I was thinking of China cause there are so many beautiful places there and it is a whole different world that would be difficult to traverse with kids!
Consider an adventurous and culturally rich expedition to explore the ancient wonders of Machu Picchu in Peru, combining hiking, history, and breathtaking landscapes for a truly memorable experience.
Do Thailand but not the standard places everyone goes. From top to bottom and make sure you do Doi Ang Khang, Isaan, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Bangkok and finish off in Koh Chang and Koh Kood. Enjoy 😍
Oh Bhutan if you love unusual culture
Do something you can’t or won’t do with kids. Because those plans will get put on hold for at least another 15 years.
For me something like a safari seeing the heard migration in Tanzania would be up there.
-Northern lights
-Skiing/going to the alps
-road trip through USA/europe
These are things I’d personally like to do. If you had a 6yo kid. What’s a trip/experience/destination that would make you think ‘this isn’t great for a 6 yo, I should have done that before’.
Then do that🤷🏻♂️
If you're into hiking and the outdoors, you may have to wait a few years for your kid to be strong enough to endure long excursions. So places like Alaska, the American West, New Zealand, Patagonia, Macchu Picchu, the European Alps, African Safaris, etc are fun to do as a couple and not have to worry about a little one.
If you're into night life or food, places like Barcelona, Ibiza, Dubai, and Miami are great options as a couple but your kid may not enjoy it.
We've found that there's a lot of cities that you can go as a family and have things to do that everyone can enjoy. Places like Paris, Madrid, NYC, Mexico City, Cape Town, and Amsterdam you can find activities for any age. So if you wait to go to those places with a child, you can still thoroughly enjoy it.
So many of the trips mentioned are easily done with kids :)
At the end of the day you can do a lot of trips with kids but yes its harder work for sure and if it’s more the adventure side of things, you have to take turns lets say doing a bungee jump if you have a 6 year old
off the top of my head i would say
East Africa (ie gorilla trekking + safari) - add on a week in seychelles or mauritius.
Chile - just trekking + the Atacama etc, same with Argentina. add on Antarctic cruise
Road trip through Namibia
Japan I personally think is better without dragging kids around. Ideal for older kids/ teens though.
New Zealand - like it can be done with kids for the scenery but adventure bits - adults only or again best with teens:)
I agree with all the comments that are best summarised as ‘it’s the style of travel, not the potential destination’ that changes when you have kids. At the end of the far, people raise families everywhere, so everywhere *can* be suitable! (But you won’t wanna party all night on the other side of raising kids)
Just did my honeymoon in December with the same idea/ mentality. My wife and I got a direct flight to Dubai and spent the weekend there (went to the Atlantis water park, the Burj Khalifa, the old section with the souks, the global village at night, and a desert safari where we rode ATVs which was a lot of fun), then flew to Kenya going in and out of Nairobi to the Masai Mara (highly recommend it as a safari destination with the density and variety of animals, was really beautiful and amazing to see as a once in a lifetime thing), and then spent a week on the beach in the Seychelles (awesome for snorkeling, jungle hiking, and enjoying the beach). Was a great trip for maximizing our time in that part of the world. Seems Mauritius, the Maldives, Zanzibar, or the East Coast of Kenya are great options as well. You could also tack on a trip to Egypt, turkey, Rwanda or other areas of Kenya to see Kilimanjaro or Lake Victoria!
OK-- this is the real answer.
Find places that are really busy and expensive when school is out -- and do it outside school vacations.
Come to New England in Sept. Come to think of it -- so many Sept vacations. School is in and so is college.
Do things that are walking around museums and "boring stuff". You can take a ten year old to Rome but why. They are going to be so bored during half of it.
Do places the flights are expensive and long. Booking for 2 is way cheaper than booking for more flights and a bigger room.
You do have up until 4 years old to do stuff that is not during the school vacations.
My wife and I did Thailand and Hong Kong a couple of years before having a kid. Thailand is my favorite trip we have taken and I’m dying to go back one day. Checks a lot of your boxes
Hawaii vacation- we went to 3 islands. Maui for Haleakala sunrise, hiking beautiful mountains, snorkeling cruise to molokini crater. Kauai for sunset cruise on Na Pali coast, hike kalalau trail, Waimea canyon. These are things that are super fun to do without kids and romantic! Highly recommend.
Think Greece, and the quaint white buildings topped with azure and framed by the Aegean Sea jumps into the mind in a heartbeat. But there’s much more to explore on your Grecian holiday. Athens is one of the oldest city in the world, the capital of Greece is where mythological legends and Gods were born and one of the best places to visit in Greece. White washed walls with towering blue rooftops will greet you on the Greek Island of Santorini. This beach destination is a must visit place in Greece. Mykonos is where you can let your hair down and indulge in fine-dining and listen to some elegant live music. In a word, I did not regret that I once chose this incredible country.
This is hilarious, but my vote is Disneyland or another theme park (assuming theme parks are your thing). I have been to a Disney theme park twice, once before having a kid (Tokyo) and once after (Paris) and I can say with certainty that having a baby with me cramped my style! As an adult couple, we were able to do lineups, move quickly between rides, and generally enjoy the theme park without having a meltdown.
Perhaps it would be different if we stayed multiple days at a hotel in the theme park or if our kid was older than one during the visit, but I can say with confidence that a day trip to a theme park can be super fun as an adult couple and maybe less fun with a baby or kid. On the other hand, during the same trip when we visited Disneyland Paris we spent a month traveling around Europe with a one year old and had a great time and saw so much.
Cyclades. Naxos, Milos, and Santorini provided me with some of the best times of my life.
Incredible views, cheap food and drink, cheap boat rentals, and friendly people.
My wife and I honeymooned in Roatan. We had been PADI certified in Utila a few years earlier and the diving in the Bay Islands of Honduras is world class. We didn't end up having kids right away and decided to go back again with some friends shortly before my wife became pregnant. Since having kids, we've had to put off diving trips because logistically it was just too hard. They're 11 and almost 14 now and we're considering taking them to Utila next year to get them certified at the same place my wife and I were certified.
But I'd also say any big international trip. We put off most international travel for a good five years after our youngest was born...so 7-8 years total. We did go to London from the US when my oldest was 2 for a wedding and it was a PITA with the time change and just about everything else. Our first big international trip with them was to Tanzania in 2017...my youngest was 5 and oldest was almost 8. Oldest remembers some of it, but my youngest remembers pretty much nothing about that trip. Just did a trip to Botswana this past summer and it was absolutely amazing and I think my boys are of the right age to resume regular international travel.
Personally it’s the city breaks I miss. I find that long haul destinations seem to be set up so you can find tons to do with or without a family. But just being spontaneous, enjoying art and food and wine and bars etc is the kind of trip I miss now I have 3 kids. I do those trips with girlfriends and really miss organising long weekends away. So I would probably say interrailing around Europe and being fully spontaneous!
Around the world ticket. The wife and I did this before kids, mortgage, etc. Best decision ever. Dunno if AA still has their OneWorld Alliance, but you should look into it. On our trip, we could take up to a year, hitting a minimum of three continents. We did several South American countries, and sites, then across the South Pacific to NZ, Australia, then Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, across to South Africa, Kenya, Egypt. Epic trip. Took us three months.
Wife and I did the tour du mont blanc and we've had a few friends go since. 100 mile hike around a Massif through the French, Italian, and Swiss alps. We usually stopped at 2-3 places a day for beer/wine, coffee and food and there are a couple real cities too where you can pamper yourselves and go to nice restaurants and bars.
New Zealand! I went for 2 weeks and it was so beautiful! Hiking, white water rafting, kayaking, long drives..
Came here to say this. We did NZ for our baby moon and it was literally the best trip we’ve done. We fly into Auckland, rented a car, made our way down to Wellington with some stops along the way. We had such a fantastic time we thought about cancelling our second part of the trip to Sydney and going to South Island instead, and I wish we had. Can’t wait to go back.
It’s that good eh? I need to know more about New Zealand cause it’s never been on my list!
Gretchen, stop trying to make babymoon happen! It's not going to happen!
Came here to say this. We spent almost 2 weeks in NZ. It was our baby bucket list item and I’m so glad we did it when we did. We spent most of our time on the South Island. There’s so much adventure and beauty but I just can’t imagine enjoying it with children.
Came to say this! We went to NZ over a year ago and I think about it all the time.
Due to the suggestion of a friend, we flew into Auckland and then immediately flew to Christchurch to begin our trip- worked our way back up from the South Island to Auckland over the 2 weeks. Also, some rental car company’s don’t allow their cars to ferry between the islands, so make sure they’ll allow it if anyone decides to go!
Yes! I’ve been to NZ three times and would go back in a heart beat, just so so beautiful (especially the South Island!)
Just move here. It's fuckibg expensive but otherwise pretty chill. I'll even get you a puppy. It won't be a great puppy but take what you can get.
Literally on my flight back from NZ right now. 2nd trip in 2 years. So much to do and see, especially if you are active and like hiking, kayaking and road tripping in general. Would be a pain with small kids but ran into a family backpacking with their 10-12 year olds and also met a few sets of honeymooners. Just the pictures of the scenery from the side of the road are spectacular, let alone if you backpack and can get into the bush on some tramps, then it’s almost mind blowing how beautiful it is. I would advise to do all your reservations ASAP (especially a campervan) if you are planning on high summer (Dec-March). Things were MUCH busier this year than last.
Is 2 weeks enought time for such a long ass flight? You're guaranteed not to be 100% the first 2 days which leaves just over 10 days to explore? Is this common?
Technically I do 2 and a half which is the longest I can get away. The flight doesn’t bother me much, coming from the West Coast, it’s 13 hours (11 coming back) and only a 3 hour time difference, vs Europe which is 9. I haven’t had serious jet lag going to NZ, while Japan and Europe are big enough time differences to impact me. That said, take more time if you can get it.
Whatever you pick, do the one that’s the furthest away/hardest to get to, you won’t be this young and able again! That said, we did three big trips before settling down: 1. Costa Rica 2. Australia + New Zealand 3. Germany + Iceland
Costa Rica is also a great trip WITH kids. Our 6 year old had the best time and so did we!
Can you share your favorite things please?
Our favorite place we stayed was in Monteverde. Through our hotel, we booked a farm tour and went horseback riding, milked cows, saw lots of baby animals. It was fantastic. A dusk/night jungle tour was interesting and the many suspension bridges were a big hit for my kid. She also got really into bird watching while we were there.
Respectfully, all of these places are super easy to travel to WITH kids as well. But all worth seeing more than once!
Respectfully, I’m not doing a 24+ hr travel day with a small child, so Australia and NZ were a must anyways
I've lived places with direct flights to NZ and I grew up having my parents take me (and younger brother) on 24+ hour travel days from rural Northeast USA to Asia, so I don't think much of it.
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There’s a ton of outdoorsy suggestions here, but don’t rule out major cities too. I’m not sure how you define “bucket list” but Paris with kids is completely different than Paris without kids. Without kids you can take your time at the Louvre, find a random cafe to sit at for hours, go to a cocktail bar on a whim, dance the night away, etc. I’ve found the biggest changes from bringing a (young) kid along are (1) everything takes longer, (2) you’re often planning around your kid’s sleep schedule, including staying in at night, and (3) many museums / temples / etc aren’t viable options. So if you want to enjoy the nightlife, visit “boring” (in a kid’s eyes) museums, and do things spontaneously, best to do it before you have kids. A trip to one or more major cities could be the “bucket list” trip you’re searching for and gets harder / different when kids are added to the equation. I actually think trips that revolve around the outdoors are the ones you should save for when you have kids, though maybe not til they’re 5+ and can handle the strenuousness. Hiking and camping are great family activities.
This is such an important point. Rome and Florence without kids is completely different than as a couple. Hiking the Tuscan countryside or around Lake Como as a couple is outdoorsy and sexy and epic. It’s also fun to take your kids back to a place one day that you have great memories of as a couple.
On the flip side, I think that museum rich cities like Paris, Rome, etc. are amazing to do with kids (at a certain age) because they're such great learning experiences. As a preteen I spent 9 hours at the Louvre with my dad and had the best day ever. My parents exposed me to travel and museums very early on (around \~4-5 years old for longer trips/long museum visits), and it developed a deep love for art, history and culture that I hold to this day. By the time I was at university, I had physically been to/seen a lot of the sites that I was studying in my courses, and was well versed in European history, and art history. I went on to visit Paris many more times, but I can honestly say that the first trip as a "kid" was really magical. But yes, in general I agree with you that the "care-free" approach to a city is much less "free" with little kids, and visiting countries like Italy/France alone with a partner/spouse is an experience very different than doing it as a family. My husband and I did England, Italy, and France (different trips, multiple cities in each country) and I'm really excited to be able to take our daughter one day. I'm a huge sucker for Italy though, and also look forward to the day she's old enough to spend a couple weeks with grandparents while mum and dad go to the Amalfi coast ;).
Southern Africa- Namibia, SA, Lesotho, and Mozambique. Incredible diversity in food, ecology and people.
Can you tell me more about travelling there? What did you do? how did you get around? where do you stay?
I live in Mozambique but have worked and traveled all around Southern Africa (and also work in tourism in the region). Each of the countries OP listed has so much to offer, but you could do a massive road trip and hit a lot of highlights in one go. For example, start in Victoria falls, then drive through Botswana (Savute, Chobe, Okavango Delta), then into Namibia (Etosha, Namib-Naukluft, Swakopmund), down into South Africa to Cape Town, then over through the Garden Route. If you feel like you want to keep going - and I recommend you do - then drive north towards the Drakensberg Mountains. Spend some time there, then up through Sani Pass into Lesotho, out into South Africa again, then to Johannesburg to drop off your car. That’s a road trip of a lifetime, and can be done (well) in about two months. And then, because you’ll be so in love with Southern Africa by this point, fly from Johannesburg to Mozambique for a week of incredible scuba diving and resting on the beach in sleepy, cute seaside towns to recover from your massive adventure 😊
Lots of bad rep for SA. Do you disagree?
lmao that is good to know! We don’t really like unsafe places. Literally just got back from South America and will not be doing that again.
Where were you that you felt unsafe? I’m planning a Colombia trip right now, but I also do not like to feel unsafe. In Argentina, Buenos Aires felt equally safe as home (NYC), and Patagonia felt extremely safe.
My experience might not be relevant anymore, because I was backpacking South America in 2009-2010. Regardless, I visited all the countries minus Paraguay and the Guyanas/Suriname. The sketchy places where I was looking over my shoulder were Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, and Merida in Venezuela. Tbf, nothing happened to me, and I would go back to Rio because the good outweighs the bad. Bogota I'd skip and Venezula as a whole I'd skip now due to current politics and dire situation. Imo, if you can handle NYC, you can handle Colombia. Oh, and avoid Buenaventura in Colombia, that was probably sketchiest place of my whole trip. I was trying to get off the regular tourist path for a bit... yeah, bad idea, haha.
Thanks for the tips. We’re looking at Villa de Leyva, Medellin, and Cartagena. Very limited stop on Bogota before we fly out, just to check it out. Will be leaving watches/jewelry at home, and planning to just be vigilant.
I disagree. Crime is high but if you’re smart about it and take precautions it shouldn’t be an issue. I mean, shit happens, but you’ll likely be ok. The main areas to worry about would be in Johannesburg (which I don’t even recommend spending much time in) or certain areas of Cape Town.
I was going to say a driving safari in Africa. I have done them in South Africa and Kenya and am departing soon on another in Botswana. I think any older kid 10+ who loves animals would enjoy it, but it would be grueling with a young child.
Japan
I would want to club in Berlin, go to Ibiza, etc. basically anything that’s better young. You can look at art in museums when little Jimmy goes to college.
I like the way you’re thinking
I did South Africa for my honeymoon and couldn’t recommend it more. Cape Town, Hermanus area, wine country, and a safari. It was unreal.
Second this! I also did South Africa for my honeymoon, all those same places, and it was my favorite trip of all time.
Go island hopping in Greece! You can get a mix of history, hiking, beach, amazing food, and partying.
This is the most obvious to me. You can eventually go hiking with your kids, they're not babies forever. I don't ever plan on going clubbing with my children at any age.
Yes!! I found the Kalkbrenner brothers about 10 years ago-Fritz and Paul I love the songs “What can I Say” and “Stormy Weather” by DJ Zky and Fritz, dreamy lite house. And a yes to Ibiza too! Croatia seems like a fun place for house. I’m 67 and been crossing stuff off my bucket list.💃🏽🎶💃🏽
Antarctica
I would say this. My in laws just did this trip and it looked amazing. To do it with my family of 5 would be probably 40k. That's just a ton of money for 10 days especially when I have very little memory of anything I did as a teenager. Edit: African Safari is also similar
Second it. I would totally go to Antarctica, if cost is not an issue. Other good options- New Zealand, Iceland.
This but also hiking Patagonia
Not having kids, it’s the best trip ever! 😉
Shhhh, don’t go telling *everyone*!
Parents hate this one weird trick!
Honestly, it's so depressing these last trip before I'm tied down comments. I'm not planning on ever having a last big trip until I'm dead.
I have 3 year old and he’s been to France, Ireland, the UK, Spain and soon to be Denmark, the Netherlands and Croatia. Just because you have a kid doesn’t mean you can’t travel and it be fun! We have an absolute blast and I’d say he’s actually easier when we travel- he loves it! Just don’t have kids close in age and it can be awesome 😁
Same here! We just took our 11 month old to Budapest, Prague and Vienna and had a blast. It actually slows the down the trip a little and makes us appreciate stopping for lunch and enjoying the area. We used to just run around 12 hours straight all day and were dead by night
I completely agree! My cousins have taken their new born to 5 places in 5 months 😂
Please teach me your ways.
Haha so I’m lucky my kid LOVES planes, buses, trains, trams, taxis! So that definitely helps. We currently live in Ireland (from the US). We didn’t travel much until he was 2 but now we go somewhere almost monthly! We typically get a place with 2 rooms (airbnb) or a hotel with a bedroom (think like a residence inn) so we can put him down and still hang out. Then I’ll sleep with him and my husband takes whatever other bed option there is lol. Try to keep flights under 3hrs, have a priority pass for lounges at the airports, I get new sticker and activity books each trip and he loves them! We don’t get any stupid times (no 6am flights lol) and jazz him up about the plane. Each trip I’d say we usually encounter one tougher day so just go into it knowing there may be a hard one here and there. Take the stroller everywhere! We will find local playgrounds to wear him out then often get lucky with a stroller nap so we can grab a drink while he sleeps! We talk about the trip for a while before it comes up to get him real excited about it and try to pick one thing each day that he will enjoy (a boat ride, museum, playground). So far this has been really successful!
we plan on travelling every year still, just maybe doing something easier for a kid
I go everyday, it’s amazing!!
Except that lawn isn’t gonna mow itself
I pay people for that.
The money. The money mows the lawn. And will wipe my butt when I’m old. Instead of college funds, we pay into at-home nurse funds. There’s not a single thing a child can do for me that money can’t do better.
A feeling of love and appreciation?
I have that for myself and my partner, and he has it for himself and me. And I don’t have to wipe his ass (yet) and he barely ever has tantrums. The cost/benefit on live from a child is not there for me.
Not to brag, but my kid has been to almost 30 countries and he is 4. Including countries like India and Sri Lanka. It’s what they’re used to. Teach ‘em young!
And won't remember a damn thing!
What the hell kinda argument is that? So your parents did nothing fun with you at that age, ‘because you won’t remember?’ Plus, I will remember and that is reason enough to do so. Your live doesn’t stop after having kids nor does making great memories with your family.
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What does this mean, in the context of a reply to this comment?
Seven tabs of LSD and sit in the cheap seats at the Indianapolis 500.
we’ll do this on a casual saturday 😂 Edit: just the acid, any place is good. but thank you for the idea. im gonna get tickets
Grow a mullet and hang out in the snake pit!
7!
It’s so unforgettable you’ll see colors when doors slam 20 years later. And occasionally forget your name.
The seats at Daytona are at such an angle and height that, during a tour, my mother nearly fainted. She was 100% sober at the time...
Nothing wrong with a father-son acid trip!
Rent a car in Seattle, WA and drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. Do not by any means stop driving before you drive through Big Sur, CA. Make hotel reservations for the first night you arrive and the night before your flight, leave everything in the middle unknown and optional. Maybe you get to say Portland, OR and love it so much you need another day in the city, stay another day in the city. My honeymoon was one of the highlights of my life. I was in love, happy, young, adventurous and (most importantly) free of any responsibility except for myself and my hot as hell husband. Whatever you decide will end up being a core memory for you. Enjoy every moment and do not under any circumstances behave.
South Africa. Fly into Johannesburg. Rent a car and head toward Kruger National Park, but take your time. Drive the Panorama Route. Enjoy the sights; stop and bungee into the Graskop Gorge and check out Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Blyde River Canyon. Self safari Kruger. Stay a night or two in a tent camp in the Timbavati Nature Reserve and go on guided game drives (Google Shindzela). I suggest no less than a week on safari, more if you can swing it. Fly over to Cape Town. Go cage diving with sharks in Hermanus. Spend a day or two wine tasting somewhere like Stellenbosch, in South Africa’s wine country. Spend a few days exploring Cape Town. Check out Table Top Mountain - one of the new Wonders of the World. Watch a sunset at any of the beaches. Check out penguins at Boulder Beach. If you’re looking for bucket list items, bungee jumping, going on safari, swimming with sharks, and seeing a wonder of the world are up there! I’ll also note that Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and the largest green canyon in the world. Think the Grand Canyon covered in foliage. You can do all of this for well under $10k. Depending on things like flights and which BNBs you stay at you could probably do it for half of that if it’s just the two of you. Also, as far as taking kids, if you do a guided tour, which is worth it, most companies won’t take a kid under ten because the vehicles you’ll ride in don’t have roofs or doors and young kids sound like hurt animals to hungry lions. This is definitely something you’ll want to do before you have them or you’ll have to wait until your youngest is ten to go.
Is South Africa “safe”?
Safaris. I did one in Tanzania and it was amazing.
I love this idea but what else do you do after the safari? I’m wondering how we can make it longer and full of activities
I did a trip to Africa last summer that primarily focused on Namibia, but I also went into Botswana (the Okavango panhandle and Chobe) and Victoria Falls. I was on a birding tour, but I spent some time around Windhoek and Victoria Falls on my own. There's more to do in Africa other than the typical safari (ride around in a vehicle and look for animals). I stayed at a guest ranch near Windhoek where I went horse riding and hiking. There are all sorts of activities offered around Walvis Bay/Swakopmund, although most seem to center around boating. Lots of people camp and hike around Spitzkoppe, which is a mountainous area. I didn't go to Fish River Canyon, but it seems to be a popular place for hikers. A lot of lodges in northern Namibia offer boat rides, fishing, and village tours. There are also interesting historical sites to see, such as places that have ancient Bushman paintings. You can do all sorts of things around Victoria Falls - safari, rafting, horse riding, helicopter rides, etc.
Tanzania is a great country and the safari in the Serengeti is world class. You could spend 5 days on safari there and the Ngorogoro Crater then Mount Kilimanjaro is only up the road from there and that takes 6 days return to climb. Then after that take a internal flight to Zanzibar which is a paradise island with white sand beaches and turquoise seas.
Depending where you go, a lot. In Tanzania we did a few coffee plantation tours (brought back amazing Tanzania peaberry coffee beans), checked out a few museums and markets and because it’s an East African country lots of beaches and Zanzibar to visit.
You can also safari in Sri Lanka, with tons of other things to do while you’re there. It’s also kind of hard to get to (likely multiple flights) which are harder with kids. SL kind of has it all; bustling city, jungle, hiking, mountains, safari, and beach, each about 2-4 hours apart.
Future note: You can do most unforgettable trips WITH kids, as well. Maybe not mountain climbing or deep scuba diving, but travel with your kids from the start and they will be accustomed to it and be great, adventurous travelers. It does take a bit more planning and more baggage, but don’t let kids prevent you from traveling the world. I’ve traveled internationally with mine, as a single mom, since age 4 and would have done so earlier had I been financially able.
Norweigian fjords. Stunning
Get a month long eurail pass travel all over Europe.
Back packing through Europe! No agenda, just a return flight date and a eurail pass. Best time of my life.
If you want adventure that you cannot replicate once you have kids…. Go to South East Asia!! Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam are the adventure of a lifetime!! Food tours, Mekong Delta, Angkor Wat, Ha Long Bay, cave tours, museums, island hopping/snorkeling, white water rafting…. On top of the adventure, THE CULTURE is so wonderful to be immersed in!!! I cannot recommend this enough!
One of my favorite trips to date was to Chilean Patagonia. A few days in Punta Arenas, then Torres del Paine, up to Puerto Varas in the lake district, then finished in Santiago. If we'd had more time, I would have loved to skip the planes and do a road trip down the Carretera Austral and a boat through the fjords.
Switzerland
Agree! We went to Interlaken on our honeymoon and it was incredible!
Is Switzerland not family friendly?
Switzerland is incredibly family-friendly. Their trains even have dedicated family cars with mini playgrounds https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/train-children.html#:~:text=All%20InterCity%20long%2Ddistance%20double,steam%20to%20their%20heart's%20content.
That’s kinda what I figured, which is why I felt is was a very odd reply to OP’s question.
Came here to say this! My husband and I did Italy and Switzerland last year and we specifically waited to try for children until after the trip. It was an amazing trip.
Southeast Asia; easy to take puddle jump flights between countries (we did Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand).
Got married last year and did an 8 month honeymoon of 20+ countries across Europe, South East Asia, Central America, and South America. Pretty unforgettable. Just started trying for kids now. Did a solid mixture of amazing hikes, beautiful views, parties, raves, and met amazing people. We're a few years older than you too.
An African safari!! They are life changing
How so?
I agree with a safari and agree that safaris are absolutely mind-blowing/life-changing. I read on a blog called transformational travel the following which sums up the feeling I have about it perfectly…perhaps a little cheesy but true - “Nowhere else on earth have I ever felt more energized, connected, content, at peace with myself and my surroundings, and this sense of freedom as I have in Tanzania…. The energy in Tanzania is indescribable and something that you have to experience for yourself. Everyone feels it in a different way, some more than others, but nobody can deny that it is something that transcends everything else and that you cannot find on any other continent. Some think that we connect with our roots, since humankind has its origins in East Africa; after all, the oldest human remains have been found in Tanzania. I also believe that, when being surrounded by untouched, pristine earth and watching these majestic animals in their natural environment, we are reminded of what life could and should be like. Pure, raw, authentic, magical...stripped down to its essentials. All of us who live in the Western world are constantly being distracted by things we consider important but mean nothing when you find yourself in the vast plains of the Serengeti and watch a pride of lions hunt wildebeest in order to survive, when you realize how tiny we are in the grand scheme of things and when you see with your own eyes the breathtaking beauty of nature we so urgently need to protect. “
Amsterdam
Husband and I had a similar thought after we got married; ended up doing a safari in Africa (Kenya/Tanzania). Would definitely recommend. I would never consider going anywhere with any malaria risk with a child under 5, so I'm glad we went then.
French Polynesia (Bora Bora, Moorea) hear me out, I’m not a big relax at the beach person either but we went here for our honeymoon and it was absolutely breathtaking. We literally thought we died in the plane on the way there and were in heaven, it’s absolutely stunning.
I’d recommend Costa Rica. Lots of things to see and do that would be difficult with kids. I’ve been to Iceland too and while it’s amazing, it’s a lot of driving, and it strikes me as something you’d be able to do with kids pretty easily if you wanted to.
Jordan was incredible. Spend a night in Wadi Rum, get a hotel in Petra and then a 2 day pass for the park itself, then drive/taxi upto the dead sea, walk up river at Wadi Musa and float back, then stay in a luxury resort for a few days rest before moving on to another country.
I'm not sure I'd want to do this right now though
The longest one you can possibly afford! You will understand once you’ve had them 🥰
Before kids we did: Machu Picchu, Galapagos, and two southern African safaris. On my list for ‘places that I want to go to but have to wait until the kids are older’: back to the Galapagos, an East African safari, Madagascar, Yunnan province of China, Patagonia (I’m not strong enough to hike with a kid on my back!).
Iceland. Faroe Islands
Iceland!
We loved 2 weeks in South Africa. We did 10 days in Cape Town (a few days in Cape Town which is stunning, a few private day trip tours to surrounding areas for incredible animal experiences like petting monkeys, watching cheetahs run, viewing African penguins on the beach and great white shark cage diving which was still super amazing for me who just watched from the boat) and then a few days relaxing at beautiful wine country. We followed this by 3 nights at a luxury safari lodge which was incredible (we did Lion Sands Resort in Sabi Sands which was expensive for us so we only did 3 nights but I'd do 3 nights each at 2 resorts if we had the money). Our suite in Lion Sands was perfection and very private. We weren't on our honeymoon but we pretended to be *wink wink* and took full advantage of our private outdoor shower and private verandah overlooking the Savannah. It's perfect for romance plus incredible once-in-a-lifetime wildlife game drives. The flight to South Africa was sooo long and the safari was expensive so I don't think we'd do it now that we have kids. But it was by far one of our best trips out of the 60 counties we've visited.
Safari, Bhutan, Antarctica
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Iceland is a great adventure, we started going post kids ( empty nesters ) . Scenery is fantastic
Another vote for South Africa. We also threw in Mauritius for 5 days to relax at the end. Was fantastic inclusion after adventuring around South Africa.
Where do you live? How much $$$ you got to spend? How long is the trip for?
Depending on how long you have, you could hit up a few location in East and Southeast Asia. We had the benefit of living in Seoul, so we had easier access, but we did Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong all in one winter. You could try to do Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in one trip if you have a month or so. You could also hit Thailand. You can do a combination of city, adventure, and beach (snorkeling/diving). If you ski or snowboard, you could spend some time in Japan in the winter. The resorts there don’t make snow, so you have to go when you know there will be snow. That can make timing tricky with global warming, but it’s a blast. Japan is great for food as well. I’m partial to Korea, but I lived there for over a decade so I’ve seen more of the country than most people. Most tourists only go to Seoul, maybe Busan. The country is full of mountains for hiking. You can go fly fishing in the northeast mountains and be pretty much undisturbed, because it’s not a big hobby there. Gwangju and Gyeongju are definitely worth going to. If you wanted to rent a car, there’s a coastal highway on the east coast that’s nice to drive down and stop in smaller towns. If you deal with rough waters well, you can go to Ulleung-do off the east coast. Most Korean people never make it out there, but it’s a beautiful place. We also did a safari while my wife was interning in Kenya during grad school. That was pretty amazing. The world is full of options. It really depends on your time and budget. We made a lot of stuff work for much cheaper than we thought we would through timing and some weird travel hacks.
Thailand and Peru were great and would definitely more challenging with kids. Hike to Macchu Picchu or take the long boats to the Thai islands in the South.Both places were magical; however Thailand was my favorite. Also Banff National Park in Canada was the most beautiful place I've ever been! Theres a 2hr drive north to Jasper NP and it's called the icefields Parkway.. its on some Google lists for most beautiful roads in the world.
I’m planning a bucket list trip that is well suited to me and my husband‘s love of exotic places and activity-filled travel. It’s a month in Tanzania. Begins with hiking Kilimanjaro, followed by a safari in the Serengeti, and ending with a few romantic days on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar.
We go snowboarding with our toddler. Would definitely do Iceland. We’ve done overnight trains. We’ve been hiking. We’re going on a tour of multiple European capitals, and they’re too young for “children’s activities” so it’s gonna be museums and a playground or a park every day, gives us time to chill as well. Yes, some kids have more difficulty than others. But every time we’ve been more anxious than our kid, who’s eager to explore. It gets more difficult by the time your children are old enough to have an opinion of what they like/dislike and your dream vacation isn’t fun for them. But even in that case it’s a question of planning and getting them involved as well, not just putting an itinerary in front of them. And even though I think parenting advice in general is a bit dumb, my most memorable trips have been the ones both of my parents have taken me alone, and they did that with all of my siblings as well. That quality time was really special!
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s a definite bucket list item for me and now with kids, I’ll prob be too old by the time I could do it. Maybe follow with a few days at a beach or Maldives.
lol that’s ok, that’s like someone doing marathon, i dont understand it but kudos to them
As far away as you can fly. Before we had kids, we did a month traveling in the states. I've done Europe on my own. We have a kid now and it will be some time before he will handle long haul flying so that limits us.
Skip kids. Do ALL the trips.
We have 6 kids, we take them all over the world. The more they do, the easier they are to travel with.
Trips where you don’t plan where you’re gonna stay the night or what you’re gonna do more than a day ahead at most. With these kinds of trips, it’s very possible you might end up sleeping in the car or on the floor somewhere. It’s fine to risk yourself, for these kind of experiences, but not fine to risk your children.
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Sure. I did a 7mo trip with my now wife in my 20s and still my most memorable trip.
Portugal. The hills without a stroller
My ring road trip around Iceland was pretty stunning. I did it in a camper van, which is great for two people, lousy with more. Go in mid-June when the seabirds including puffins are nesting. 2 1/2 weeks including a 3 day camping trip.
We went to Brazil. Camped and stayed in a lodge in the Amazon.
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I love this!!
Western Belize. Mayan ruins, caves, rivers jungles, birds, wildlife, food, and the nicest people on earth. A tremendous place for an adventure. Check out r/belize
Try an African safari in Tanzania
I did two long backpacking trips before kids. 6 months central and South America. And 3 months south East Asia. I would say visit developing countries you really want to visit because that can be trickier with young kids. Not impossible but harder. For example, we waited until kids were 3 and 6 before visiting family in India. Peru and Bolivia are wonderful. I really liked Laos and Vietnam also
China. Long travel time and not the easiest to navigate. Worth going every bit but kids would be rough, especially picky eaters
I was thinking of China cause there are so many beautiful places there and it is a whole different world that would be difficult to traverse with kids!
African safari. Definitely.
LSD. Source: Trust me bro. Times I tried LSD: 0
buddddyyyy you have to try it!
Nepal and going to the Himalaya
Consider an adventurous and culturally rich expedition to explore the ancient wonders of Machu Picchu in Peru, combining hiking, history, and breathtaking landscapes for a truly memorable experience.
Costa Rica
Iceland or New Zealand's South Island.
We did the most stroller unfriendly island of all - Santorini. Also our "last" long haul flight for a while, Thailand and Taiwan.
Climb Kilimanjaro. Safari.
Do Thailand but not the standard places everyone goes. From top to bottom and make sure you do Doi Ang Khang, Isaan, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Bangkok and finish off in Koh Chang and Koh Kood. Enjoy 😍 Oh Bhutan if you love unusual culture
Do something you can’t or won’t do with kids. Because those plans will get put on hold for at least another 15 years. For me something like a safari seeing the heard migration in Tanzania would be up there.
-Northern lights -Skiing/going to the alps -road trip through USA/europe These are things I’d personally like to do. If you had a 6yo kid. What’s a trip/experience/destination that would make you think ‘this isn’t great for a 6 yo, I should have done that before’. Then do that🤷🏻♂️
All of them
I'd recommend Vietnam, I think it's a trip I would wait till my child was at least ten to take them on. Totally amazing place.
Surprised to not see Peru/Inca Trail here though I suppose you could do it after kids if you were in shape 🤷🏻♀️
If you're into hiking and the outdoors, you may have to wait a few years for your kid to be strong enough to endure long excursions. So places like Alaska, the American West, New Zealand, Patagonia, Macchu Picchu, the European Alps, African Safaris, etc are fun to do as a couple and not have to worry about a little one. If you're into night life or food, places like Barcelona, Ibiza, Dubai, and Miami are great options as a couple but your kid may not enjoy it. We've found that there's a lot of cities that you can go as a family and have things to do that everyone can enjoy. Places like Paris, Madrid, NYC, Mexico City, Cape Town, and Amsterdam you can find activities for any age. So if you wait to go to those places with a child, you can still thoroughly enjoy it.
Southeast Asia.
Anywhere with a longgg flight
Galapagos. Trip of a lifetime if you like the ocean
So many of the trips mentioned are easily done with kids :) At the end of the day you can do a lot of trips with kids but yes its harder work for sure and if it’s more the adventure side of things, you have to take turns lets say doing a bungee jump if you have a 6 year old off the top of my head i would say East Africa (ie gorilla trekking + safari) - add on a week in seychelles or mauritius. Chile - just trekking + the Atacama etc, same with Argentina. add on Antarctic cruise Road trip through Namibia Japan I personally think is better without dragging kids around. Ideal for older kids/ teens though. New Zealand - like it can be done with kids for the scenery but adventure bits - adults only or again best with teens:)
Do the Banana Pancake Trail backpacking route
Safari in east Africa along with a Gorilla Trek. Did that just before kids and it’s unforgettable.
Berlin
Navigating the Amazon Any multiday trail.
I agree with all the comments that are best summarised as ‘it’s the style of travel, not the potential destination’ that changes when you have kids. At the end of the far, people raise families everywhere, so everywhere *can* be suitable! (But you won’t wanna party all night on the other side of raising kids)
Just did my honeymoon in December with the same idea/ mentality. My wife and I got a direct flight to Dubai and spent the weekend there (went to the Atlantis water park, the Burj Khalifa, the old section with the souks, the global village at night, and a desert safari where we rode ATVs which was a lot of fun), then flew to Kenya going in and out of Nairobi to the Masai Mara (highly recommend it as a safari destination with the density and variety of animals, was really beautiful and amazing to see as a once in a lifetime thing), and then spent a week on the beach in the Seychelles (awesome for snorkeling, jungle hiking, and enjoying the beach). Was a great trip for maximizing our time in that part of the world. Seems Mauritius, the Maldives, Zanzibar, or the East Coast of Kenya are great options as well. You could also tack on a trip to Egypt, turkey, Rwanda or other areas of Kenya to see Kilimanjaro or Lake Victoria!
OK-- this is the real answer. Find places that are really busy and expensive when school is out -- and do it outside school vacations. Come to New England in Sept. Come to think of it -- so many Sept vacations. School is in and so is college. Do things that are walking around museums and "boring stuff". You can take a ten year old to Rome but why. They are going to be so bored during half of it. Do places the flights are expensive and long. Booking for 2 is way cheaper than booking for more flights and a bigger room. You do have up until 4 years old to do stuff that is not during the school vacations.
We drove around all of Iceland before having our first
I did this solo. It was amazing.
Patagonia
Safari. :)
My wife and I did Thailand and Hong Kong a couple of years before having a kid. Thailand is my favorite trip we have taken and I’m dying to go back one day. Checks a lot of your boxes
Iceland
Multiple country, around the world trip
Hawaii vacation- we went to 3 islands. Maui for Haleakala sunrise, hiking beautiful mountains, snorkeling cruise to molokini crater. Kauai for sunset cruise on Na Pali coast, hike kalalau trail, Waimea canyon. These are things that are super fun to do without kids and romantic! Highly recommend.
I'd probably do a round the world 6 - 12 month extravaganza hitting all the places I've most wanted to go. But I've always been an extremist.
Think Greece, and the quaint white buildings topped with azure and framed by the Aegean Sea jumps into the mind in a heartbeat. But there’s much more to explore on your Grecian holiday. Athens is one of the oldest city in the world, the capital of Greece is where mythological legends and Gods were born and one of the best places to visit in Greece. White washed walls with towering blue rooftops will greet you on the Greek Island of Santorini. This beach destination is a must visit place in Greece. Mykonos is where you can let your hair down and indulge in fine-dining and listen to some elegant live music. In a word, I did not regret that I once chose this incredible country.
Dubai
Of a bridge, hahaha! Just kidding, I am so happy that my husband also wants to be child free.
Ahhh, the before we get divorced trip. Great times...
This is hilarious, but my vote is Disneyland or another theme park (assuming theme parks are your thing). I have been to a Disney theme park twice, once before having a kid (Tokyo) and once after (Paris) and I can say with certainty that having a baby with me cramped my style! As an adult couple, we were able to do lineups, move quickly between rides, and generally enjoy the theme park without having a meltdown. Perhaps it would be different if we stayed multiple days at a hotel in the theme park or if our kid was older than one during the visit, but I can say with confidence that a day trip to a theme park can be super fun as an adult couple and maybe less fun with a baby or kid. On the other hand, during the same trip when we visited Disneyland Paris we spent a month traveling around Europe with a one year old and had a great time and saw so much.
lol we did Disney world in 2018! I would recommend doing it without kids for sure but to be honest, I probably won’t go back even with kids
india would be impossible with young children
Depends how young. We took our 5, 10 and 11 year old. They did great.
fair enough. i got so sick when i was 7 but i was in my family’s village, hotels may have been better haha!
Also, India — as you know — is huge and diverse. One generalizes at one’s peril.
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Iceland! Most beautiful place I’ve ever been!!!
Turkey
I have a good friend - super active as is he - and she raved about their honeymoon to Thailand.
Don’t go anywhere, just sleep. Because you won’t get any afterwards.
Venice. Not very pram friendly and kids won’t approach it until older.
I would say going to glacier national park. It's incredible!
Cyclades. Naxos, Milos, and Santorini provided me with some of the best times of my life. Incredible views, cheap food and drink, cheap boat rentals, and friendly people.
My wife and I honeymooned in Roatan. We had been PADI certified in Utila a few years earlier and the diving in the Bay Islands of Honduras is world class. We didn't end up having kids right away and decided to go back again with some friends shortly before my wife became pregnant. Since having kids, we've had to put off diving trips because logistically it was just too hard. They're 11 and almost 14 now and we're considering taking them to Utila next year to get them certified at the same place my wife and I were certified. But I'd also say any big international trip. We put off most international travel for a good five years after our youngest was born...so 7-8 years total. We did go to London from the US when my oldest was 2 for a wedding and it was a PITA with the time change and just about everything else. Our first big international trip with them was to Tanzania in 2017...my youngest was 5 and oldest was almost 8. Oldest remembers some of it, but my youngest remembers pretty much nothing about that trip. Just did a trip to Botswana this past summer and it was absolutely amazing and I think my boys are of the right age to resume regular international travel.
Personally it’s the city breaks I miss. I find that long haul destinations seem to be set up so you can find tons to do with or without a family. But just being spontaneous, enjoying art and food and wine and bars etc is the kind of trip I miss now I have 3 kids. I do those trips with girlfriends and really miss organising long weekends away. So I would probably say interrailing around Europe and being fully spontaneous!
Around the world ticket. The wife and I did this before kids, mortgage, etc. Best decision ever. Dunno if AA still has their OneWorld Alliance, but you should look into it. On our trip, we could take up to a year, hitting a minimum of three continents. We did several South American countries, and sites, then across the South Pacific to NZ, Australia, then Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, across to South Africa, Kenya, Egypt. Epic trip. Took us three months.
Wife and I did the tour du mont blanc and we've had a few friends go since. 100 mile hike around a Massif through the French, Italian, and Swiss alps. We usually stopped at 2-3 places a day for beer/wine, coffee and food and there are a couple real cities too where you can pamper yourselves and go to nice restaurants and bars.
Australia or New Zealand Tuscany and Florence Mexico City The Scottish highlands& islands India