Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation
With warm weather stoking your wanderlust and free time abounding, summer is the perfect time to take a family vacation. But you don’t want to take just any vacation — you want this to be the ultimate trip, which you’ll recall with pleasure for years to come.
We’ll take you through some of the best family summer vacation ideas. These destinations offer a bit of everything and appeal to a wide range of ages so mom and dad don’t have to sacrifice their enjoyment for the kids to have a great time.
You’ll come away from the trip feeling closer as a family and more worldly as individuals. So which of these places will your traipse off to this summer?
Interlaken, Switzerland
Switzerland is stunning year-round, but is especially pleasant in the summer for family travelers. The weather is mild but the snow-capped mountains make for exciting day trips.
Interlaken is a picturesque town in a valley between two lakes in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region. From here, you can easily access the Jungfrau region (Latterbrunnen remains a favorite), as well as many other parts of Switzerland via the country’s highly efficient and fast train system.
The town is walkable, mostly stroller-friendly, and offers tons of activities for the adventurous and active types, as well as the more laid-back travelers who just wish to relax and enjoy the unparalleled scenery.
Wisconsin Dells
This list of summer family vacations would certainly be missing something if we left off the “Water Park Capital of the World.” While some of the attractions can tend toward kitschy, there are countless things to do in the Dells for family travelers.
The water parks are some of the best around and both indoor and outdoor options abound. You and your kids will enjoy spending your days enjoying the world-class water slides, rides, wave pools and lazy rivers, but that’s not all the Dells have to offer.
There’s also a big upside down White House, the delightful Country Bumpkin Farm, mini golfing, duck boat tours, and a charming river-walk that is the perfect place to stroll in the evenings and enjoy some window shopping.
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Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii is a bucket list topper for many and makes for one of the best summer family vacations. Adults and kids of all ages will enjoy paddling around the warm, shallow and mostly calm water. These qualities also make it a great place to try your hand at surfing for the first time.
While you’re there, make sure to bring a bit of history education into your trip by visiting the Pearl Harbor sites such as the USS Arizona Memorial.
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Yellowstone National Park
Straddling the borders of three US states — Wyoming, Montana and Idaho — Yellowstone National Park was the country’s first national park and remains a popular family vacation destination. The park not only has the highest concentration of geysers in the world, but it also offers ample opportunities to see amazing wildlife such as bison, wolves, bears, bighorn sheep, elk and more.
Other attractions such as ziplines, hot springs and hiking trails will ensure this is a memorable trip for each member of your family. Plus Yellowstone is located in close proximity to many dude ranch vacations, which are a great way to encourage some family bonding in new and challenging situations.
For the Yellowstone portion of your trip, make sure to book your accommodation early as popular hotels and campgrounds can book up more than a year in advance.
Rome, Italy
Those parents who want to make sure their kids keep learning over the summer break will love exploring the history-filled streets of Rome. Pick up a few books about Ancient Rome to read to your kids on the flight over, and make a game out of picking out the ancient sites among the city’s modern buildings once there.
The Colosseum and the Roman Forum are must-sees and are right in the center of town. Some tour operators even offer tours of these sites that are specially curated to families traveling with kids. Other attractions such as the Pantheon, Vatican City, Rome’s many beautiful parks and several kid-friendly museums make Rome a place we keep wanting to go back to. Of course endless pizza and gelato doesn’t hurt.
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Amsterdam, The Netherlands
While kid-friendly may not be what first comes to mind when you think of Amsterdam, the city is pleasantly surprising when it comes to how welcoming it is to family travelers. Nearly every restaurant has a play space for kids and there are nicely designed playgrounds on seemingly every corner.
The city offers many family-friendly attractions such as the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Zoo and the NEMO Science Museum. Strolling the city’s walkable and cycling-friendly streets is such an enjoyable way to pass the days and enjoy Amsterdam’s sights and sounds. It’s especially great as a weekend break destination for those living in nearby countries.