There’s nothing I love more than Big January Energy—the ritualistic buying of the new notebook, the cozy nights by the fire, the whispered, blank slate of snow hushing our regular walks. The crescendo of the holiday energy has peaked and here’s the comedown, where I go deep into Planning Mode for the rest of the year.
Here’s to more silly summer fun!
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The Travel with Toddlers 2026 Destination Guide
This list is from all of the people I’ve interviewed in the last year+ for Travel with Toddlers. Some you’ve seen, like Aliza Sir from Platonic Love or Lisa Sibbett from The Auntie Bulletin—and some exciting interviews are coming up, which I can’t wait to share. Consider this a retrospective and a sneak peek of some of the awesome advice I’ve gathered from toddler parents and caregivers who just GET IT.
1. Cape and Islands, Massachusetts
Here’s to long beach days!
“My favorite place with my son is definitely Martha’s Vineyard. We spend a lot of time there in the summer, but it’s been awesome with my son because going to the beach is is a lot of fun, but they have amazing libraries and playgrounds and so many places to sit outside and eat and be messy.” – Aliza Sir from Platonic Love
Read more of Aliza’s recs here: Take Your Toddler Trips with Intention
“Nantucket. Once you get there, is a great place to go with kids! It can be tricky to set up all the logistics of travel (lodging, car rentals, flights/ferries to the island, etc.) but there are so many fun and low key things to do with kids.” – Carly Riordan from By a Thread
Read more of Carly’s recs: How to Bring “Chill Mom” Energy While Traveling
2. England
I’ve been thinking about taking a trip to London because my toddler is obsessed with Paddington…and it seems like a great destination:
“Our most recent big trip was London for my kids’ spring break in 2025, and we had the best time! A few highlights would be: walking across the transparent floor to see the traffic below at Tower Bridge, the high tea bus tour by Brigit’s bakery, and the Science Museum.” – Amanda Brown – Type A Mom (interview coming soon!)
10/10 always here for charming kid’s Brit lit tie-ins:
“I love The Lake District in England. Once you get there it’s so kid-friendly and easy to pop on the buses or trains to the various towns in the area (kids under a certain age are free!) There’s the Beatrix Potter House to visit and just a ton of kid-friendly activities in a really charming, nature-centric region.” – Bridget Shirvell (interview coming soon!)
3. East Coach Beaches, Virginia
My grandparents lived in Virginia Beach my entire childhood and only moved up to New England very recently, all things considered. But this was a destination I completely forgot about:
We spend a week each summer in Cape Charles, Virginia which is an under-the-radar beach destination four hours from Washington, D.C. on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It’s an amazing place for families. The beach is lovely and the water is shallow for little kids. Everyone drives golf carts around the town which is so much fun. And the town is this quaint, historic town with cafes, ice cream shops, and boutiques, but doesn’t have the crowds of many East Coast beaches. – Kathryn Beard (interview coming soon!)
4. The Maldives
Further afield, if you’re willing to brave the flight. But if there’s anyone who knows beach destinations it’s Christina—I can’t wait to share the full interview as she travels almost full-time with her two toddlers:
“The Maldives. It’s my favorite destination in the world with or without kids!! The hotels are absolutely insane, private islands with 7-star service. Lots of young kids and so many fun things for them to do. We loved Six Senses Laamu and One&Only Reethi Rah as a family.” – Christina Haisfield, Jetset Christina (interview coming soon!)
5. Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World
If you’re going to pick a single Disney park, make it Animal Kingdom! It’s my favorite toddler park, tbh.
“I love Animal Kingdom for kids of all ages. While some of the rides are scary or have certain height requirements, the shows at the park are great, and families should not skip all of the walking trails that feature animals and wildlife experts who can answer nearly any question.” – Megan Dubois, Disney Expert
Read all of Megan’s tips on theme parks here: A Maximalist Vacation Guide with Toddlers
“Not only will you be surrounded by other families (hello, safe space), Disney bends over backwards to make sure there’s everything you need. There is *always* a high chair available. There are tons of rides that require no height limit that are a true delight. You can catch a breather at baby/toddler centers in every park. And it’s just fun.” – from my Destination Guide: Walt Disney World
6. Greek Islands
I went to Greece a million years ago and I think it would be a great place to bring a toddler. Some places you go and there’s no kids anywhere (um, most of the U.S.) but in Greece? Babies, babies everywhere! We love to see it.
“We have a friend that lives in Pefkochori, which is a beach town close to Thessaloniki. It is super chill and there are no waves which makes it baby friendly. Seeing Sebastian floating in the sea, enjoying the water is still one of my best memories. We loved Los Hermanos beach bar as a great place to relax. A lot of room for babies to run around and they have their own craft beer!” Leonid Ler (interview coming soon!)
7. The Florida Keys, Florida
Sensing a theme here? Find a great beach and the rest of the trip will come together:
Back in 2022, we visited the Florida Keys and stayed in Marathon. It was the perfect pace for traveling with a toddler. Mornings at the beach, afternoons at the pool, and plenty of time to reset in between. That natural rhythm made it easy to work in naps and slow things down when we needed to. One of my favorite memories is searching for seashells on the beach with my daughter. We brought the shells home and used them to fill clear ornaments for our Christmas tree. Now each year, we pull them out and get a sweet reminder of that trip together. – Christin from Elevate Toddler Play
Read more of Christin’s recs here: How to Use Play to Prep Toddlers for Travel
8. Thailand
This is another destination I would LOVE to get to someday but I’m not sure about going for such a long flight. Matt might have convinced me…
We took a big trip to Southeast Asia when our daughter was 2 1/2 and our son was a newborn, and we had an amazing time in Koh Lanta, off the west coast of Thailand. A lot of European families travel there in the winter because it’s cheap and reliably sunny and hot, and so our daughter always had other kids to play with, which makes such a huge difference. Set yourself up for a couple weeks, and take it slow. Our vibe is usually to alternate between a day trip to see something cool/different and a day of not going very far beyond the beach. – Matt Buccelli from Creative Parenting Club
Read more of Matt’s recs here: Why You Should Travel During the Baby Year
9. Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Just add water is the main theme of everyone’s destination recommendations, but I think there’s a major nature component, too. I love to hike and camp and that’s been one of the best parts about becoming a parent—long, slow outdoor exploration. Adding this to my list:
The Upper Peninsula is an incredible place to explore with kids, especially if you like the outdoors. We live in Marquette, Michigan, a cute college town on Lake Superior, which is a summer paradise, but it’s wonderful for all seasons. We’re surrounded by hundreds of miles of trails, waterfalls, a downhill ski hill, and more. We go camping a few times a year and really enjoy Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising and Porcupine Mountains State Park on the western end of the UP. I haven’t explored much of the lower mitten, but it is on my list! – Emily Hines (interview coming soon!)
10. Iceland
We visited Iceland in 2016 just as it was getting popular and it blew me away. Of all the international destinations that have floated through my head for this list, Iceland is the one I’m most seriously considering. We’re a big hiking family and it feels like the landscape there is built for the little wanderings perfect for toddlers.
“I was surprised how wonderful traveling to Iceland was with three kids. Walking around Reykjavik in the summer late at night was a magical adventure with kids who couldn’t believe the sun was still up at 11pm. We rented an incredible VRBO near the Golden Circle and the children loved all the various hot springs, hiking along waterfalls, and eating new cuisine (Icelandic pönnokökur are always a hit).” – Kaitlin Solimine from Postpartum Production
Read more of Kaitlin’s recs here: How to Find the Right Trips with Multiples
11. Maine
I’m obsessed with Maine (my husband and I met at college there) so Maine in the summer is always on my list. Similar to the Cape and Islands in Massachusetts, Maine is just *the* perfect family summer destination. Great beaches, hiking, food, adventure. You’ve got a little bit of everything.
“We rented a house in Cape Porpoise, Maine, for a week last summer and it was perfect. There was plenty to do — go to the beach, take walks, go out to restaurants, cook meals together, etc — but we also had a home base where the kids could stay roughly in their routine. I find the super packed trips to be stressful and unnecessary at this stage; there will be plenty of time for that when they’re older and aren’t as beholden to nap schedules and routine.” – Julie Bogen (interview coming soon!)
Plus, you can go to one of the best National Parks in the country: Acadia! West coasters have all kinds of incredible parks they can road trip to, but for us east coasters, it’s Acadia or bust.
“Our most recent trip to Acadia National Park was so great! From the beautiful hikes and bike rides to the cute town of Bar Harbor, we had a great time and were able to make this a road trip which seems to be our go-to travel style for this phase.” -Paris Athenian (interview coming soon!!)
12. Finland
The Nordic countries also came up multiple times as great family-friendly destinations for folks that can brave the long flight to get there. Unlike resorts or hotels billed as family-friendly where you’re dropping in to a curated experience, kids’ needs are built into the culture, so all those little aspects of moving around in public are just easier.
“One of the first things I noticed after moving to Finland is how children are included in every aspect of every aspect of society. It’s an extremely family-friendly destination. For example, on public transport (which is excellent) there is a special kids carriage on inter-city trains that has a play area with a slide, toys, and books. Children are pretty much welcome everywhere and accommodated. A typical Finnish summer holiday sees families going to their summer cabins by the lake, spending their days together swimming, having BBQs and saunas, and spending time in nature.” – Tanja from Almost Finnished (interview coming soon!)
It sounds so fun:
“My native country of Finland is also a super convenient destination for families with kids. Most long-distance trains have a playground carriage with a little slide and some toys, Helsinki’s beautiful Oodi library has a wooden climbing area next to the kids’ play area and the Viking and Silja cruise ships that go between Finland and Sweden offer a ton of activities for children, from discos to treasure hunts and ball pits.” – Mirva Lempiainen, Travel writer
Read more of Mirva’s recs, plus her favorite spots on St. Martin/Sint Maarten, her favorite Caribbean island: Take Your Time While You Travel
13. Turks and Caicos
I’m definitely looking for a warm-weather trip this winter (the downside of living in a place where it’s so cold your face hurts for several months out of the year.) Last year, we went to Turks and Caicos and honestly, there’s a reason why Grace Bay Beach is consistently ranked as one of the best in the world. I absolutely LOVED it.
Look at this view!!! (From the Ritz-Carleton Turks and Caicos. We split our trip between the two properties and I’d recommend both, but Beaches is for sure more family-friendly.)
The big draw at Beaches is their partnership with Sesame Street and omg, it really was so great. Our toddler did not want to leave the daycare, which literally never happens. They did snacktime and playtime with Elmo and friends, went to the pool, went to lunch, had naptime…it was great to feel like our kid could have fun while we went to the spa for massages. I could truly relax knowing he was going to be okay! We also went to the Sesame Street show, parade, and breakfast with the characters. WE WERE ALL IN. – from Toddler Friendly Hotel: Beaches Turks and Caicos
Beaches Turks & Caicos is opening a new village, called Treasure Beach, this year. If this is your first international trip, they’ll issue $135 resort credit per child to cover the cost of your passport.1 That’s definitely the most toddler-friendly place I’ve ever been to, for sure.
Read my full review of Beaches Turks and Caicos (c/o).
14. Mexico
Sooooo many people I talked to love traveling to Mexico! I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never been, pre-kids or otherwise. What’s interesting is very few people said the exact same place in Mexico, which makes this the all-around pick for every type of family: Adventurous hiking folks, let’s-just-play-in-the-sand folks, and everyone in between.
“Mexico is so family-friendly. We spent 6 months in La Paz in Baja California Sur, which is basically heaven.” – Ashley R. Cummings from Life in a Backpack
Read more of Ashley’s recs: Why There Are No Rules About Traveling
“We go to a town called Bucerias, which is just like half an hour cab ride north of Puerto Vallarta. It’s one of the primary destinations for humpback whales in the winter, so it’s got awesome whale watching, and lots of kid-friendly beaches. It’s gorgeous just so easy to get there from the west coast.” – Lisa Sibbett from The Auntie Bulletin
Read more of Lisa’s recs here: Next Time You Travel, Bring an Auntie
15. The Berkshires, Massachusetts
Last on this list is the place I picked for my first solo trip with my toddler…The Berkshires! What’s so cool about this destination is it has a little big of everything, anchored by a set of college towns and arts institutions that make it a great summer or fall destination in particular.
Williamstown is adorable, with Main Street spilling into William’s campus. I chose the Williams Inn (c/o) because of its location; each afternoon we could play on the quads nearby, hit the arboretum for easy local trails, or walk down to the athletic center for the courts, pool, or fields very easily. – from my Trip Report: Berkshires Getaway
Thanks for being here.
Okay, two things every destination on this list has in common:
- Water!! Mostly beaches.
- The ability to mix different kinds of trips—city, nature, sightseeing, etc. So you and your partner can see cool things AND go to the playground.
That’s two great criteria to start your trip planning with.
On my end, there’s summer camp to triangulate, next year’s school to figure out (!!), weddings to attend, and then the fun decisions, like where to spend our school breaks, or whether or not we’ll be able to cash our points to visit the newest baby in the family.
To traveling far and wide in 2026,
Kayla
If you liked this post, please consider supporting my work. I’m just a mom in the thick of the toddler years trying to create core memories for our whole family while minimizing meltdowns—I sincerely hope this helps you do the same.
This post was originally published on Travel with Toddlers. Subscribe for more real-talk travel advice, toddler-friendly itineraries, and tried-and-true gear recommendations.
