Most Memorable Travel Experiences for Toddlers and Little Kids

Feeling like your kids’ childhood is blowing past you and soon they will want to spend more time with their friends than you? I get it. Traveling with little kids can be scary and exhausting at times, but it’s so worth it.

How to Make Toddler Remember Their Experience?

My kids have been to 35 countries by the time they turned 5. One can say that they won’t remember much, and this is why it’s important to curate the trips to make them memorable.

Kids remember things differently than adults, but it doesn’t mean that they won’t remember things. If you take them to Vienna and show them historical sites, there’s a big chance that they won’t remember it at all if you ask them about that trip.

Why? Because they can’t connect with that experience, as they don’t understand the importance of it. It would be the same way if you took someone completely uninterested into a museum, it won’t really be a core fun memory for them.

Toddlers need a trigger they can understand to remember things. They need something so cool to them that they can’t forget it. Once they trigger their memory it’s going to open more memories.

For example, they remember the pretty buildings of Vienna, because I made sure to make them dress up at Schonbrunn Palace, or take them to the paternoster elevator. Plan the experience to include these little “cool to kids spots”.

What are the best trips you’ve ever taken with your kids and why?

Safari

Undeniably, the most memorable trip for everyone involved – both us parents and the kids, was a safari. Many think that safari with a toddler isn’t a good idea, but it’s the best idea if you plan it right. There are actually many kids-friendly spots all across Africa.

My kids were 2.5 and 4.5 years old and both absolutely loved the experience. A safari was a huge learning opportunity for the kids.

They won’t stop talking about it and beg to go again. Let’s be honest, which kid wouldn’t love seeing elephants or zebras around them?!

Maldives or French Polynesia

I grouped these two, as I think it’s pretty similar in a way. Maldives or French Polynesia isn’t just for honeymooners, it’s very family-friendly (if it wasn’t, kids club wouldn’t exist there). We met a ton of families in both places with babies, toddlers and school-aged.

We traveled to Moorea Bora Bora when kids were 6 months old and 2.5 years old. Then, we visited Maldives when they were 3.5 and 1.5 years old.

The most memorable experiences for the kids were: colorful fish everywhere, an overwater bungalow, and a seaplane in the Maldives.

It was definitely a luxury trip for us, but if you skip the overwater bungalow you can easily do Maldives on a budget too.

Paris

Paris is busy, big and might not seem very kids-friendly, but it’s wonderful with little kids as it offers things for everyone. The kids loved playing at a playground overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Even a simple metro ride was exciting because some trains have pretend driving boards for toddlers.

There’s always so much to do in Paris. In the summer we enjoyed the outdoors, while in the winter we took the kids to Christmas markets. It’s impossible to get bored and they never forget the city.

Cruise

Our family was never a cruise family before kids, but we decided to give it a try after seeing a good deal on a long itinerary. It’s safe to say that the kids are big fans of cruises and once they’re 3 and up, it’s also relaxing for the parents.

The ship is so big that this alone makes it fun for little ones. Every day they can get excited about the new spots to visit and on sea days and evenings, they can go to a kids club or watch a show. Plus, there’s unlimited ice cream and food to choose from.

Switzerland

Switzerland is the ultimate adventure destination for everyone, but it’s perfectly catered to little kids. Even hikes with toddlers can be fun, because every trail has play stations every mile or two and various playgrounds with a view.

The kids fondly remember their first zipline experience or the first time they hopped on a mountain gondola.

Universal Studios

We’ve been to Disney, but it was Universal that won my kids over. They enjoyed the immersive experiences and despite Universal being geared towards older crowd with crazy roller coasters, we spent a full day exploring the parks with then barely 2 and 4 year olds.

There were multiple play areas, rides were fun, and we didn’t wait in any lines thanks to skip the line pass from the hotel.

If your kids are over 36″ tall they will have enough to do, but under 36″ it might be a struggle.

Legoland

Last but not least, Legoland is the best amusement park for little ones. It’s never even half as busy as Disney, so nobody gets bored waiting in lines. And, if there are some lines, they have Lego building stations to entertain everyone.

There are plenty of things to do for smaller toddlers or even babies, and Legoland Hotel was an absolute gem. We went when the kids were 2 and 4 years old and they keep asking us to go again.