It is a new year and time to start dreaming about planning an amazing family vacation to celebrate getting through the last two years. Since so many of us are in that dreaming stage right now, this week we talk to Tara Cannon, from Pint Size Pilot, to get her recommendations on some epic family vacation destinations and unique hotels for families to spark your wanderlust.
About Tara Cannon
Tara Cannon runs the family travel adventure blog PintSizePilot.com. Her goal is to encourage families to travel a little further afield to enjoy truly unique and exceptional adventures, whether in their home country or abroad.
Epic Family Vacation Destinations
- Panama - a great lower-cost alternative to Costa Rica for a jungle lodge vacation. Note that some jungle lodges have a minimum age requirement of about 5 or 6. Panama offers a good mix of jungle and beach within easy reach and distance of each other. Panama City also offers great hotels, restaurants, and culture. Also don't miss the Panama Canal observation center. The Guna Yala or Sand Bas Islands is another great spot to visit.
- Iceland - Iceland is very safe and fairly easy to get to from the U.S.. There is so much to offer in terms of excursions from whale watching, glacier hikes, geothermal pools, waterfalls, horseback riding, and more. It is easy to do a number of day trips from Reykjavik.
- France - A classic family trip that is easy to get to and you can be immediately immersed in another culture without being too far out of your comfort zone. It is nice to spend a few days in Paris but then spend time in Provence, the Dordogne, or South of France.
- Peru - Go beyond Machu Picchu. Lima is an incredible city for culture and food. From Lima, fly to Cusco and then spend time in the Sacred Valley before Machu Picchu. From Cusco, fly to Lake Titicaca. It helps for kids to be a bit older to appreciate the culture and spend more time on guided tours.
- Barbados/Caribbean - see episode 113 with Tara about the Barbados.Tara also likes Anguilla, Saba, and islands off of Guadeloupe.
- Galapagos - the Galapagos is another fantastic trip for families, but it is very expensive and takes a lot of years of saving. If you go, also spend some time in mainland Ecuador. It can cost an extra couple of thousand dollars for a family to fly to the Galapagos from the mainland.
Tips for Planning Epic Trips
- Look for inspiration from articles in online newsletters and print magazines, following travel bloggers that have similar travel styles, and Instagram.
- Sometimes you can find a hotel that you really want to visit and then build a trip around that hotel.
- Coffee table books can also provide inspiration.
- Create a loose family bucket list of places everyone would like to go.
- Timing will often drive where to go based on weather, pricing, time to get there, seasonality, etc.
- If you don't enjoy the research and planning process, it helps to work with an experienced travel advisor that really knows the destination.
- If you want to do it yourself, read posts from bloggers who have been themselves and don't be afraid to reach out to those bloggers and ask for some advice.
- Facebook Groups (such as our Travel with Teens group) can help a lot as other travelers will provide advice.
- Travel forums such as TripAdvisor are also helpful to ask questions and get advice.
Epic Hotels for Families
- Lapa Rios in Costa Rica - National Geographic Unique Hotels of the World, has individual casitas on the Oso Peninsula. This is a remote hotel that offers an all-inclusive package that includes guided excursions during the day. It borders a protected national park with incredible wildlife.
- Hacienda Zuleta - this ranch estate in the highlands of Ecuador is a family-run ranch estate that has been converted to a hotel. Each room is different and you are treated like family. The ranch is on an organic farm and working dairy farm. You can fed the calves, watch the cheese being made, go horseback riding, visit a condor protection center, and gather with other guests in the evenings.
- Adare Manor - provides the Irish manor house/castle experience without the high price of someplace like the Ashford Castle.
- Fogo Island Inn - an architectural masterpiece of a hotel in Newfoundland, Canada, on an island called Fogo Island. The hotel was created to support the economy of the island and it uses locally-made products and has created jobs in that area.
- Awasi Atacama - lodge in the Atacama Desert in Chile. You stay in a beautiful adobe casita and schedule tours with a guide in the desert each day. You can discuss and choose your excursions the night before. The hotel also has a great chef and wine program.
