Last Updated on February 4, 2026 by Adrienne
I often hear parents say that they don’t plan to travel until their kids are in elementary school – and I think they’re missing out. While it’s true that older kids are often (much) easier to travel with, there are lots of places you can travel with babies, toddlers and preschoolers and have a great time. Here are six of my favorite kinds of trips to do with kids 5 and under.
Looking for more detailed and customized advice about family travel? In addition to blogging, I’m also an independent travel advisor with Fora Travel and would love to help you dream up your next family vacation. I can book hotels, resorts, cruises, day trips and transportation at no cost to you, and can add perks like room upgrades, early check-in/late check-out and resort credit at some properties. Reach out to me at adrienne.miller@fora.travel for more information!
A city break close to home
Many US cities make a great trip with young kids. An infant can be pushed in a stroller pretty much anywhere the adults want to go, and toddlers and preschoolers will love the children’s museums, playgrounds and zoos that are in nearly every major city.
Tourist hotspots like New York City, San Francisco and Chicago have a lot to offer of course, but we’ve really enjoyed visits to smaller cities like Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Cincinnati and Madison and they can be more manageable in a long weekend. There are so many good options in the US that it’s easy to find something in your home time zone or nearby, which will minimize disruptions to sleep schedules (especially important with babies).
Renting a house on the lake or ocean
Babies and sand can be a difficult combination, but a beach vacation is a great option with toddlers and preschoolers, particularly if you rent a house right on the water so you can enjoy quick beach access and scenic views during nap time. We’re big fans of Florida’s Emerald Coast, which has the nicest beaches I’ve seen in the continental US, but no matter where you live, you can no doubt find a lake area with vacation home rentals within reasonable driving distance.
I tend to prefer staying in hotels when I travel, but even I can’t deny that a house has a lot of benefits when traveling with little kids, like being able to stock a fridge with favorite snacks, not having to eat every meal out and having more space for the adults to unwind while young kids sleep. As an added bonus, the extra space in a house makes it much easier to travel with family or friends, which is always fun and helpful (more pairs of hands!)
All-inclusive Caribbean beach resort
For relaxation on a trip with toddlers and preschoolers, it’s hard to beat the all-inclusive beach resort. In addition to all-you-can eat menus that cater to picky eaters and pools and waterslides that will delight kids, these resorts typically include kids clubs where potty-trained children over the age of 3 or 4 can participate in activities with other kids while parents hit the spa or golf course.
My family is especially partial to Beaches Turks and Caicos, which is relatively unique in that it includes free childcare for infants and toddlers as well as older children (check out my full review of the property here), but there are family-friendly all-inclusive resorts all over Mexico and the Caribbean at a wide variety of price points.
Hawaiian islands
The jetlag to Hawaii can be daunting (especially for those of us in Eastern time), but once you’re there it’s a great place to explore with little ones. I especially recommend Oahu for trips with young kids. Not only is it the easiest Hawaiian island to reach from the mainland, it has a great variety of toddler-friendly activities, from calm beaches and easy wildlife sightings to the laidback city of Honolulu and a Disney resort with its own man-made, very sheltered beaches.
European beach destinations
If you love exploring Europe but your kids want to live at the beach and pool on vacation, why not combine the two? Europe has a lot of beautiful and very family-friendly coastal areas. We’ve especially enjoyed Portugal’s Algarve Coast and Mallorca, the largest of Spain’s Balearic islands, both of which have food and scenery that will impress the grown-ups, along with lots of kid-friendly beaches and locals who warmly welcome families. Europe is filled with family-friendly hotels and resorts like PortoBay Falesia (my review here).
Small cities in Europe
You can save Paris, Rome and London for travel with bigger kids who can log more miles and better appreciate the local history and culture. For travel with kids in the 0-5 age range, we’re big fans of smaller European cities like Florence, Seville and Palma de Mallorca. These cities have plenty to interest adults for several days, but are compact enough for little kids to easily explore on foot and don’t have so much to do that you’ll feel like you’re missing out by traveling at a kid-friendly pace and making time for playgrounds and gelato breaks.
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