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When it comes to traveling with kids, sometimes you just have to cross your fingers and hope they have a good time.

Ever take the perfect family trip, where your kids were the perfect age for every activity?

Or, ever take a family trip where everything was wrong for the kids, age-wise?

We're building a list of the best types of family vacations for every age, and we'd love your input!

Reply to this message to share your story -- where you went, the age of your kids, and why the trip was great (or a bust).

Thanks!

When it comes to our family's summer vacations...we really think about it. It is not easy choosing a destination that attracts an 8 year old girl, 4 year old boy, and a 3 year old girl. Those are my kids ages. But after a lot of crying, nagging, and bickering between my husband and I...and the constant..."we will never step foot in that place ever again"..."did u see the way they were looking at the kids"..etc., we finally found THE place.
For the past three summers, our family has been visiting: Ocean City, New Jersey. It is not too far from where we are which is New York City...the drive is short and if you sing in the car and play games with the kids, its a 2 hour drive.
But Ocean City is every parents dream. There are families with 2, 3, 4, and even 6 kids. You see kids running around at the beach. Families walking together on the boardwalk. Families eating ice-cream cones. Every Thursday is Kid's Night..there is face painting and other activities for kids of all ages.
Our whole family loves going to Ocean City. It's not just the activities...but the people are really polite and they understand you with your kids, because they have kids. But, other than this, our family really enjoys the time we spend together. The kids are growing up so fast and when we get to our hotel room after a long day at the beach, we all cuddle up and watch a movie together, or just sit and talk about our day. These are the moments that I'll remember always and the joy of listening to each one of my kids describe "the most wonderful day of my life." What more can a parent ask for?

It was nice to read this question being asked on your forum...I can't wait to read more responses.
I really believe that yes, some places just aren't as exciting as Disneyland would be for children, but that doesn't mean that children can't enjoy themselves just about anywhere! I have three little ones (that haven't been to Disneyland) ages 2,4,5 and they rave about our family trips even months later. We are temporarily living in Europe, so we've traveled to a few neighboring countries and I can tell you four things that I always do before a trip that the kids love and appreciate.

1. Buy a book that caters to families..i.e- Florence and Tuscany For Families versus just the typical travel book. These are chock full of ideas and places that children of different ages would enjoy.

2. I make a coloring book for ea. little one of things they will see on the trip. They get sooo excited when they actually see the real thing. In Florence, I made the appt.'s during my 2 year old's nap time and she slept through the museums while the boys enjoyed looking for "their" paintings and comparing theirs to the real one. My eldest boy still mentions the grandeur of David and loves re-enacting the story with his younger brother.

3. Include them in cultural arts! In Sevilla, we went to an early 7pm (very early for Spaniards) Flamenco show..the owners gave the kids (and us) front row seats so they could see clearly...the kids LOVED it! We like dancing at home, so this was perfect for us. You could buy castanets for 3euro for them so they can put on a show even back at home.

4. Try "Hop On-Hop Off" buses...Respect your little ones' nap times and don't overexert their little bodies. These buses (City Sightseeing-our favorite) are great for naptime-take the back row-they nap and you get to hug them while also listening to the narration of the city sights via earphones.

5. In Tuscany we stayed in a Villa over Easter and had an egg hunt on the grounds (permissable by the owners) The kids really enjoyed it and my husband and I couldn't believe the views we were enjoying. Afterwards, we had a picnic on the grass and a stroll through the vineyards..put the kiddos to bed and my love and I enjoyed a glass of their wine.


Really, it's what you make of it! I actually walked past a lady in Florence that was telling her husband as my families past by them "there's nothing for children here in Florence..." She obviously didn't approve of us being there, but little does she know, children are little sponges that will absorb anything you present them with. My boys still pretend they are Botticelli and paint away. My eldest son's favorite is Primavera and my little guy tells me I'm prettier than Venus!! My little girl takes her naps on schedule even during our family trips, and her favorite part of trip is trying all the different foods and gelato!!
Have a happy trip!

When our son was around 6 months old, we took a road trip from Indiana to Kansas. The drive was supposed to take around 8-10 hours. It took us 15. I am officially not a fan of road trips He has done great on a plane, but long road trips, for us, are not our idea of a vacation.

With that said, it could have also been our timing. On the way back to Indiana from Kansas we decided to drive at night, all night, and he slept the whole way there....it only took about 10 hours that time

I have to agree with 3monkies. We love to travel, but are not really very organized about it. (We don't make coloring books for each tourist attraction, but thank you for the idea!) Kids of any age can enjoy anyplace. We love exploring and we always have a grand adventure. The best thing to do is play to your kids' interests. If they love space, visit the National Air and Space Museum (my kids love this one). Or if they love art, visit a local gallery or art festival. Keep an open mind, find something you like in their interests. We don't try to see everything a city, park, or other attraction has to offer all in one day. We can always plan a return trip and see more of it.

I have 21 month old twins, and they have already traveled to 10 countries. My husband and I have always been avid travelers, and want to instill the same values in our children. I think the more our kids travel, the easier it is for them, and for us. In our travels, we have found that hotels and airlines are very accommodating to families with young children. Our kids are extremely portable - we just stick them in the stroller and see the sights (we take lots of breaks throughout the day). We select sightseeing activities that will interest the kids, or at least make periodic stops at fun sites (for example while in London this summer we spent a whole afternoon in Hamley's toy store. It was great fun for the whole family). My husband and I always work our schedule around theirs. We still go back to the hotel room for nap time. And we also make sure to return to the hotel in time for our regular bedtime routine.

Our all time favorite vacation is a Caribbean beach vacation! I think this is a great family destination. There is so much to do. We like going to big resorts that cater to families, where there are multiple pools and restaurants, a beach, and a kids club (kids under 2 or 3 are usually welcome as long as they are supervised by their parents). Some days we can opt to take a sightseeing tour, or just hang out at the pool. Because our twins are still quite young, we are concerned about heat and sun exposure. We usually spent mornings in the kids club (in the shade or air-conditioned play center). Thankfully, nap time is during the hottest time of day, and then we can spend time at the pool or beach later in the afternoon. Unless we travel with extended family, my husband and I don't often have a chance to go out in the evenings. But we usually splurge on room service for a date night. We are really looking forward to our next beach vacation in February. Antigua will be so much fun!

My daughter is 7 and my son is 2. We did the Disney trip last year and everyone was happy. He would nap in the stroller, which was a great place to stash gear, and fell asleep during every loud, dark, scary ride (The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean).
This year was more subdued and we did day trips from home and a few days at the beach. Both loved the beach. Living in PA, we did a day trip to Hershey (Chocolate World is always a must, it is FREE), Strasburg railroad and the Wilbur Chocolate Factory in Lititz. I find day trips seem to work best because even lunch in a chain restaurant feels like a treat when you are away from home. With little ones, local can be better.

My husband and I were big travelers, but after our son was born we didn't take any vacations until he was almost 2-1/2. Our first family vacation was to Disney World and it was the best vacation we have ever taken. Everything was SO kid friendly (obviously), from having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches available, to the meals with the Disney characters, the parades and the rides, we couldn't have been more pleased. Every resort has multiple pools which are open until all hours of the night, and our son who usually is in bed by 9:00 every night got a kick out of taking a nightly swim. I highly recommend this vacation for any one with children. If you book at the right time, you can find great deals that include your meals or give you free nights. We plan on going back next year!

i will be working in orlando once a month and we will have to fly there so i will be getting a lot of experience in traveling with a breast fed baby at all different stages. let me know if i can help.