Great Deals on Family Vacations

A grandfather poses with his grandfather on the beach.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 26 March 2024

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Family vacations and multi-generational travel are booming. Almost two-thirds of families planning to vacation together seek destinations that will keep kids, parents and grandparents happy, according to a recent survey from Gitnux.

Travel is a wonderful way to bond, to pass values down across generations and of course, to have some fun and rest. Some parents cite travel as a way of improving the mental health of children who were isolated during the pandemic. At the same time, U.S. travelers are cost-conscious, so budget travel, including getting off the beaten path, is also a popular trend.

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Travel in the U.S.: Although it may seem like inflation is boosting airline prices, the actual cost of domestic flights has declined significantly since 1995 when adjusting for inflation, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Similarly, the average cost of a gallon of gas increased in 2024 to $3.48 in March. But this price is down considerably from the recent high of $4.94 in 2022. Where have travel costs gone up? Mostly in pesky hotel fees and checked bag fees.

Travel to Europe: A passport is all you need to visit the European Union from the U.S. Starting in 2025 however, U.S. travelers will need a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETAS) visa anytime they travel to one of the 30 European countries in the E.U. Travelers under 18 or over 70 will not have to pay the application fee of € 7, or about $7.60 per person. Also, some countries will not admit tourists if their passport expires within six months of arrival.

Travel to the U.K. (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland): The U.K. now requires U.S. passengers to purchase an Electronic Travel Authorization from its website or as a downloadable app on Google Play or the App Store. The cost is £10 (about $12.63) per person. If you are cashing in rewards from a travel credit card or other program, remember that the U.K. imposes steep fees on airline passengers that your miles or points don't typically cover.

Nearly every national park, nearly every day, has free ranger-led programs. They include everything from arts and crafts and living history presentations to lessons in campfire cooking, musket fire, canoeing, paddling or snowshoeing, depending on the park and time of year. Families with young children can also take advantage of the Junior Ranger programs at almost every national park, which offer special activities geared toward children. Exploring the natural beauty and history of national parks lends itself to meaningful conversations — one reason multigenerational families enjoy them, says Kathy Kupper, of the National Park Service.

Of the 423 U.S. national parks, only about 100 have an entrance fee (typically about $15 to $35). All passes are good not only for the passholders but also for everyone traveling with them; you only need one pass per vehicle when visiting a park. Children younger than 15 are admitted free, and fourth graders get an Every Kid Outdoors Pass, which grants them and their families free access to all of the National Parks. If you plan to visit a few national parks with fees, you can purchase an America the Beautiful Pass, which grants access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, for $80 per year. If you’re 62 or older, you can also buy a lifetime senior pass for $80. Active-duty military , military veterans and people with permanent disabilities can get free lifetime passes.

National park visits surged during the pandemic and have remained high, as driving and domestic vacations gained popularity. Planning ahead is crucial to secure reservations at campgrounds. One workaround you might try if all campsites are booked up: Visit WanderingLabs.com, a platform that lists campsite cancellations. And be sure to include everyone in the family in the planning, packing and prep, says Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of Families on Foot.

Use NPS.gov and its trip-planning tools, or make an effort to speak with a park ranger and ask for advice ahead of your trip, says Wesley Trimble, communications director of the American Hiking Society. Try calling the park you’re planning to visit to speak with one; you’ll find the phone number for each park at NPS.gov. When you’re there, if you’re hiking with children, try to avoid trails that are steep, narrow or have drop-offs on the trails’ edges, says Trimble. Plan adventures that will be comfortable for your least fit or least able member of the family, says Pharr Davis.

A New England treasure along the coast of Maine, Acadia National Park hosts roughly 4 million travelers every year. The 47,000-acre park on the Atlantic has sand beaches, rocky shores, granite peaks and huge expanses of forest. Besides hiking on the 150 miles of trails, families enjoy drives along Park Loop Road and visits to Sand Beach. For an activity a little more off the beaten path, consider a scenic harbor cruise run by the Isle Au Haut boat service.

What it costs: The current fee per vehicle for Acadia National Park is $35, valid for seven days from the purchase date. According to Expedia, round-trip airfare within the U.S. to Bangor, Maine (BGR), which is about an hour from the park, ranges from $169 - $231. If you decide not to camp, the average hotel rate near Acadia National Park is $192 per night for a double occupancy room.
When to go: Families looking to make the most of a visit to Acadia at affordable prices should consider a trip in the early fall, when crowds disperse. Peak leaf-peeping season, when the landscape is covered in vibrant hues, is sometimes as early as late September, but it typically arrives the first couple of weeks of October.

With its turquoise lakes and pristine streams, dense forests and formidable glacier-carved peaks and valleys, Glacier National Park is an increasingly popular destination for families. Need to relax? The area is also rich in natural hot springs. For a luxury experience while touring the park, book a stay at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, which has family-friendly floor plans ranging from two-queen-bed studio suites with an available roll-away bed to three-bedroom lakefront condos with pull-out sofas, which accommodate up to seven guests and have full kitchens.

For families traveling with kids who want to see a glacier, consider a hike to see the Salamander Glacier at Glacier Lake on the east side. Between the two ends of the park is the beautiful Going-to-the-Sun Road. You may need to make a vehicle reservation to access the road during the peak season, but if it is open, it is worth the trouble. At Logan Pass you might spot mountain goats on rocky outcroppings.

What it costs: Average round-trip airfares to nearby Kalispell, Mont. (FCA) range from $193 to $404. Rates at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake range from $569 to $2,270 a night for a seven-night summertime stay. The average hotel rate in Kalispell is $244 , but you can find budget deals, especially in the springAverage round-trip airfares to nearby Kalispell, Mont. (FCA), are $501 this fall and $591 next spring, Berg says. Rates at the Lodge at Whitefish Lake range from $1,649 to $1,999 a night for a seven-night summertime stay. The average hotel rate this fall in Kalispell is $131 and only $84 next spring.
When to go: It might be tempting to visit Glacier in the off season to find the best deals and fewer crowds. But with 1 million acres of land, the park offers plenty of space for families to explore in the summertime and early fall. And Glacier may be a better bet for families with young children and/or less-able grandparents between early July and late October, when the weather is milder and more predictable.

If managing the logistics of planning a multigenerational family vacation doesn’t sound appealing, consider outsourcing the task by taking a cruise. Cruises can provide a host of activities for the whole family. That’s particularly true with the mainstream cruise lines, which often offer kids’ clubs and other activities geared to younger children. And even though you’ll likely explore many destinations at ports along the way, you only have to pack and unpack once.

Multigenerational families can also take advantage of a cruise ship’s many cabin choices. For example, grandparents may decide that they want a suite, while parents and grandkids can make do with a regular room at a lower cost. One thing to consider while shopping around for the right cruise, however, is that sometimes the luxury experiences on mainstream ships are available only to the people in suites, says Chris Gray Faust, managing editor of Cruise Critic, a cruise review website.

“It’s especially important while planning a cruise to think of what the whole family needs as opposed to what just some of the group wants,” she says. But “it’s very easy to find a cruise ship that has things that would appeal to people across all ages,” she adds. And sometimes cruise lines offer special discounts for kids in addition to other deals. You’ll find deals at CruiseCritic.com or ShermansTravel.com.

When to go: Book a trip on a mainstream cruise line in mid August for a good rate. Celebrity Cruise Lines offers programming for kids of all ages. Meanwhile, the whole family can enjoy the numerous onboard dining options, pools, shops, theater, library, sporting facilities and more.
What it costs: A Celebrity eight-night Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao cruise recently went for $971 (that’s $121 a night) for an interior room in August 2024. Be sure to research extra taxes and fees. And ask whether meals, drinks and other services are included.

River cruises, on smaller vessels than ocean-going cruise ships, are in a league of their own, offering more scenery and fewer crowds. While ocean cruises have well-established reputations for providing family-friendly amenities, river cruises have remained mostly “adults only” — until recently. Family-friendly cruise line A-Rosa recently offered a seven-night Danube River cruise from Engelhartszell, Austria for 1,299 Euros (about $1,332). The ship travels to Vienna, Esztergom, Budapest, Bratislava, Krems and back. The ship includes amenities such as a wood-paneled sauna, a fitness area, a pool, top culinary experiences and a full-service spa. It also has a kids’ club.

The cultural experiences in the cities of Vienna and Budapest are rewarding for the whole family as well. Families might enjoy touring Schonbrunn Palace, watching a marionette show or learning how to make strudel in Vienna, for instance. And in Budapest, families might explore the infamous Palatinus baths or the Buda Castle and the Funicular. As with any vacation, the more you get outside your comfort zone, the more opportunity you have to make lasting memories. For many families, a river cruise may be the way to do just that.

There are plenty of options and a wide range of prices. “For travelers interested in planning multigenerational trips abroad, select a destination that’s easy for everyone to reach — and not prohibitively expensive,” says Melanie Lieberman, managing editor for global features for The Points Guy. “An all-inclusive getaway booked with points, for example, can be a great way to keep the trip more affordable for everyone, even when eyeing an international getaway,” she says. Because you’ll likely be buying multiple tickets, you might opt to go in a shoulder season or the off-season to save money.

But if you have to travel in the summer, the cheapest time to buy airfares is in the winter. “Think of it like buying a swimsuit. The cheapest time to buy a swimsuit is in the winter; same with those summer flights,” says Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights. And the more flexibility you have about where to go, the better, he says. Sometimes, it pays to choose your destination based on an available deal. Once you’re booked, families with young children should call the airline ahead of time and ask to be put in the bulkhead row; many airlines will provide bassinets for families with infants.

Cancun and Cabo are easy to get to and offer a number of family-friendly resorts. The variety of programming and amenities is often perfectly suited to multigenerational families. For example, the all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva in Cancun has amenities suited for travelers of all ages, and once everyone arrives, no one will have to stress about where to eat or how much the bill for a big party might be. Day trips to see the Mayan ruins are an added bonus.

Multigenerational families might enjoy the newly renovated Schweizerhof resort in Zermatt, Switzerland. Nestled in southern Switzerland’s Valais canton, Zermatt is noted for its skiing and the signature, pyramid-shaped Matterhorn peak. The hotel has oak walls and marble bathrooms, and the walls are adorned with cowbells and quilts emblazoned with images of the Matterhorn. The hotel’s kids’ club offers arcade games, movie nights and even a climbing wall.

More than ever, travelers are willing to pay up for a sustainable travel experience, according to a recent survey from Virtuoso, a network of travel advisers. Multigenerational families can take a trip that is both sustainable and educational. A sustainable and shared learning trip is an opportunity for all generations to bond and find common ground, says Jessica Hall Upchurch, vice-chair and sustainability strategist for Virtuoso. When you plan your family trip, share with the kids (and adults) how you are trying to protect the planet, celebrate cultures and support local economies along the way.

For a domestic trip on a tighter budget, check out Vermont, home to the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. One top destination for families is the Farm Animal Sanctuary Retreat and “glamping” campground in East Middlebury. At the base of a mountain, the property has more than 65 acres to explore and is in close proximity to a number of spots for hiking, biking and swimming. The hosts also offer a personal tour of their sanctuary, which includes spending time with all of their rescue animals — among them cows, goats and pigs.

What it costs: At $119 a night for four adults and two children, families can enjoy the feel of camping, but with slightly elevated accommodations; a yurt on the site sleeps up to six people and includes access to a large fire pit with firewood, a deck with chairs, a picnic table and grill, and room to pitch an extra tent.
When to go: For warmer overnight temperatures, go in the summer. Amtrak now offers a route from New York City to Burlington, with stops along the way in a few charming Vermont towns, including East Middlebury. Or bundle up and go in the fall. Peak foliage there tends to come around the first or second week of October.

For a true luxury getaway that blends adventure and education, try the newly opened Gili Lankanfushi sustainable resort in the Maldives, southwest of Sri Lanka and India in the Indian Ocean. This private island, located 20 minutes from Malé by speedboat, offers an idyllic family vacation with 45 recently refurbished overwater villas, including the largest of its kind in the world, as well as wellness programs, an onsite organic garden that supplies fresh ingredients to the resort’s three restaurants, and a host of family-friendly activities.

What it costs: A cancellable, modifiable six-night stay for two adults and two children younger than 11 in October 2024 goes for about $19,000, but the resort may offer a 20% discount for people who book well in advance. Look for the “Gili Advance-ture” deal at checkout.
When to go: January to April are the driest months in the Maldives, with little rain and low humidity, making those months the peak season. But the climate is mild year-round, and average high temperatures range from 84 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to a recent survey conducted by VacationRenter, a vacation review site, budget travelers who took four months or longer to plan a trip spent significantly less on accommodations and travel ($370) than those who planned for less than a month ($446). For luxury accommodations, the savings would be significantly more. Book transportation and lodging when you see good deals. Consider using flight-tracking features on Google Flights, signing up for the Scott’s Cheap Flights newsletter or using Hopper’s flight-alert features to monitor deals.

Emma Patch joined Kiplinger in 2020. She previously interned for Kiplinger's Retirement Report and before that, for a boutique investment firm in New York City. She served as editor-at-large and features editor for Middlebury College's student newspaper, The Campus. She specializes in travel, student debt and a number of other personal finance topics. Born in London, Emma grew up in Connecticut and now lives in Washington, D.C.

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