Vacation Ideas for Families with Young Children

For me, the month of January always means carving out a time to sit down and come up with a number of “plans.” For instance, every year at this time I sit down and make a list of the debt my husband and I have…I include everything but the car note and the mortgage. Then, my husband and I go over the list and determine which things we can get paid off by the end of the year…then we make a “plan” for how to do this. I also use this time to get our tax information in order and schedule an appointment with our accountant so we can get our income taxes done early.


Financial planning is not the only type of planning I do during the month of January. I also plan for upcoming events such as weddings, holidays (Easter), family pictures and, my favorite, a family vacation. Although I don’t necessarily enjoy spending money, I do love planning our yearly family vacations, especially now that my husband and I have children. However, in order to successfully plan a family vacation, I have to start planning (and setting money aside) early…this is why I get it done in January.

Perhaps, you have always wanted to take family vacations but don’t think vacationing with young children is going to be pleasurable. While there are unique challenges when traveling with young children, it is possible to have wonderful vacations during this stage of your life (and still bring the kids!). Below are a few vacation ideas for those of you with young children. Whatever you decide to do, get it planned (and possibly booked) now to ensure you have enough time to save up and prepare for it.

• Disney Cruise – Disney cruises are great vacations for families with children (of all ages) as Disney is in the business of entertaining. This means there is something to do all the time for you and your children! The Disney cruises even offer childcare, ensuring that you and your spouse can have alone “adult” time together. You can choose cruises that range from 3 to 14 nights and visit places like the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, Mexico and the Bahamas! The best part about Disney is that there is something for everyone, regardless of age, but especially young children!
• Branson, MO –If you live within driving distance to Branson, MO this is definitely a great place to vacation with kids. It doesn’t matter if you want a short weekend trip or wish to stay a week, you won’t be disappointed here. The only complaint you’ll most likely have is that you ran out of time to do everything. And, if you don’t mind attending a small meeting, you can often find great Branson deals for two or three day trips as many time share companies offer specials to those who agree to sit through an hour long presentation during their visit.
• The Beach – If you simply can’t decide what to do for your family vacation because you aren’t sure what your little ones will enjoy, you can’t go wrong with a vacation at the beach. There are a number of excellent beaches around the country and when you plan a beach getaway, the most you’ll be out is for your lodging, food and travel expenses. Some beaches do have a fee to use them, but if you do your research you can find beaches that are free to the public…making a beach vacation very affordable. Most young children love the water and will happily spend day after day at the beach building sandcastles and wading in the water!