NORTH AMERICA
Comfort‑first, school‑age family travel — with real itineraries, real costs, and practical planning you can copy
WHY USA FOR FAMILIES
The The USA has worked brilliantly for our family because of the sheer variety it offers within one destination. Our trips have included everything from the dramatic landscapes of the Colorado Rockies to the buzz of New York City, airboat adventures through the Florida Everglades, island‑hopping the Keys, theme‑park days in Orlando, and time on Miami’s vibrant beaches. Adding places like Mount Rushmore and South Dakota brought history to life in a way that felt tangible for the kids. It’s a place where road trips are part of the fun, every stop feels completely different, and travelling at our own pace has made each experience genuinely memorable.
COLORADO & SOUTH DAKOTA
A Colorado and South Dakota road trip is an ideal family adventure, combining dramatic Rocky Mountain scenery with classic American icons like Mount Rushmore. Expect big landscapes, easy driving days, outdoor activities, and a relaxed pace that works brilliantly with kids — perfect for a first USA road trip as a family.
COLORADO & SOUTH DAKOTA
Combine these two great states to experience an epic road trip, wide‑open landscapes, and national monuments.
COLORADO
From rafting and zip‑lining to hiking the Rocky Mountains, Colorado delivers unforgettable outdoor adventures for families.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Ever thought about visiting Mount Rushmore from the UK? It’s a great family stop for easy road trips and iconic scenery.
FLORIDA
Florida is a brilliant, family‑friendly destination that offers huge variety in one trip. From Orlando’s world‑class theme parks like Universal, Discovery Cove, and the new Epic Universe, to the natural side of South Florida with Everglades airboat rides, Miami boat trips to Raccoon Island, and island‑hopping through the Florida Keys — from Key Largo snorkelling all the way down to Key West. It’s an easy, flexible road‑trip style holiday that mixes thrills, wildlife, beaches, and laid‑back coastal adventures in a way that works perfectly for families.
ORLANDO & SOUTH FLORIDA
A Florida road trip itinerary blends theme parks, wildlife, beaches, and island‑hopping into one easy, family‑friendly adventure.
SOUTH FLORIDA
From Everglades airboat rides and Miami boat trips to snorkelling in the Florida Keys and laid‑back beach days, all in one easy road‑trip‑style region.
ORLANDO
Mix of Universal thrills, animal encounters at Discovery Cove, and even the chance to catch a live NBA basketball game, giving variety well beyond the theme parks.
NEW YORK CITY
New York City is a brilliant family destination — from iconic skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty to hands‑on museums like the Intrepid and bike rides through Central Park — and it works perfectly as an exciting add‑on to a wider USA trip.
NEW YORK CITY
We’ve laid out a clear, family‑friendly two‑day itinerary covering the key New York City sights that work best when travelling with kids.
NYC: WHAT TO DO WITH KIDS
From visiting the Statue of Liberty, the interactive Intrepid Museum, to cycling through Central Park and picking which sky scraper is best for kids
NYC: HOW TO PLAN
From where to stay & how to budget, to getting around the city, this guide covers everything you need to know to plan a New York City trip with kids.
pLANNING TIPS
When to book
We usually aim to book our trips around a year in advance, as soon as flights are released. This gives the best choice on flight times and routes, and often better value on family‑friendly hotels. In general, the earlier you can book long‑haul summer travel, the more options you’ll have — especially for school holiday dates.
Where to book
Start with comparison websites like Trip.com to review the latest flight, hotel, and route options. If your itinerary allows, a multi‑city flight can also make sense — for example, flying into one city and out of another, as we did in the USA (into Denver and out of New York), then booking internal flights to travel between destinations.
Trip.com is also a useful place to look for car rentals, hotels, and pre‑booked airport transfers in one place. That said, for accommodation we personally tend to favour Hotels.com and Expedia, mainly because their loyalty schemes have consistently worked well for us on longer trips.
What to pack
Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about what’s worth packing — and what never leaves the suitcase. That’s why for every big trip we share a practical, family‑tested packing list, designed to help you pack smarter, lighter, and with confidence for the destination you’re heading to. For a US road trip, here here.
Where to find things to do
Start with our state‑specific blog posts, where we share activities we recommend based on our own research and personal experience travelling as a family. We focus on things that genuinely work well with kids, not just the headline attractions.
You can also browse platforms like Get Your Guide and Viator to explore tours and activities — they’re a great way to see what’s available, compare options, and build an itinerary that suits your family’s interests and pace.
Setting a budget
We always start with a realistic budget for each destination and build the trip from there, the USA is not a cheap destination I would be budgeting £1,800 - £2,400 per person for a 2 week trip.
For every major trip on the site, you’ll find a full budget breakdown showing exactly what we spent and where — flights, accommodation, activities, transport, and extras — to help families plan future trips with fewer surprises. For the USA a good place to start is our USA budget guide here.
A quick note on links: some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to book through them, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
We only ever share places, tours, and experiences we’ve personally used and genuinely enjoyed. If you’re planning your own family summer trip, feel free to use these links as a starting point — they’re the same ones that helped us plan efficiently, avoid unnecessary expense, and cut down hours of searching.