The Itinerary Family travel
Plans that survive contact with children — capped drives, a pool or a beach within reach, and honest notes on what is actually worth the ticket.
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Best for: Afro-Brazilian Salvador, then islands with no cars on them
Bahia in 9 days: Salvador, the turtles and Morro de São Paulo
Salvador → Praia do Forte → Morro de São Paulo → Boipeba → Salvador
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Best for: Three park days, then an actual holiday
Florida with kids in 8 days: Orlando, the Space Coast and the Gulf
Orlando → Kennedy Space Center → Siesta Key → the Everglades → Miami
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Best for: Big Five without the malaria tablets, on a road anyone can drive
The Garden Route in 9 days: Cape Town to Addo, malaria-free
Cape Town → Hermanus → Mossel Bay → Knysna → Tsitsikamma → Addo Elephant Park → Gqeberha
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Best for: The Colorado Plateau on one tank-and-a-half
US national parks in 10 days: Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon
Las Vegas → Zion → Bryce Canyon → Page → Grand Canyon → Las Vegas
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Best for: One drive instead of four, a pool at both ends, and a beach that is actually safe to swim
Bali with kids in 7 days: a villa with a pool and a Sanur beach
Ubud → Sanur
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Best for: A city where the heat decides the timetable, planned around that instead of against it
Dubai with kids in 5 days: parks, the aquarium and indoor afternoons
Downtown → Old Dubai → the parks → Marina
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Best for: A three-hour flight from the Gulf where the food is cheap and nobody minds a toddler
Georgia with kids in 6 days: cable cars, parks and short drives
Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Kazbegi → Tbilisi
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Best for: A country where the trains are the attraction and the temples are optional
Japan with kids in 10 days: Ghibli, trains and a slower Kyoto
Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka
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Best for: A cheap, easy, English-speaking week with a theme park built for exactly this age
Malaysia with kids in 6 days: Kuala Lumpur and Legoland Johor
Kuala Lumpur → Johor Bahru
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Best for: The easiest city in Asia to push a buggy around, used at a four-year-old's pace
Singapore with kids in 5 days: the zoo, the Gardens and Sentosa
The zoo → Gardens by the Bay → Sentosa → Jewel
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Best for: Three stops, one famous train ride, and elephants you can rely on seeing
Sri Lanka with kids in 7 days: the hill train, elephants and a calm beach
Kandy → Ella → Udawalawe → the south coast
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Best for: The scenic rail country with snow on it, costed honestly including the mountain railways
Switzerland in winter: Jungfraujoch, Zermatt and the snow trains
Zurich → Lucerne → Grindelwald → Zermatt → Zurich
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Best for: A country where the transport is the entertainment and every village has a playground
Switzerland with kids in 8 days: trains, playgrounds and easy ridges
Lucerne → Lauterbrunnen → Zermatt
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Best for: The largest water fight on earth, with the logistics worked out in advance
Songkran in 5 days: Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and how to survive it
Bangkok → Chiang Mai
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Best for: Two bases, one flight, and an elephant sanctuary that does not let you ride
Thailand with kids in 7 days: Bangkok, a beach base and the elephants
Bangkok → Khao Lak or Krabi
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Best for: Four nights in one town, a night on a boat, and the traffic designed around
Vietnam with kids in 8 days: a Ha Long cabin and a Hoi An base
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An
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Best for: Two days that are mostly indoors, which in this climate is the point
Abu Dhabi in 2 days: the mosque, the Louvre and Yas
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque → Qasr Al Watan → Louvre Abu Dhabi → Yas Island
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Best for: Japan's best eating city, and the day trip to the deer
Osaka in 2 days: Dotonbori, the castle and Nara
Dotonbori and Namba → Osaka Castle → Nara or Universal
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Best for: A tight three days in a city where nothing is more than forty minutes away
Singapore in 3 days: Marina Bay, Sentosa and the hawker centres
Marina Bay and the Gardens → Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam → Sentosa
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Best for: The classic hill-station pair, with a UNESCO railway to get there
Himachal in 6 days: Shimla, Kufri, Manali and Solang
Shimla → Kufri → Manali → Solang → Manali
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Best for: A palace, a tiger reserve and coffee country, all within a short drive of one airport
Karnataka in 6 days: Bangalore, Mysore and the Coorg hills
Bangalore → Mysore → Coorg → Bangalore
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Best for: The full hills-and-water circuit, with spice country added to the short version
Kerala in 7 days: Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and the backwaters
Kochi → Munnar → Thekkady → Alleppey → Kochi
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Best for: A hill station and a tiger reserve within a day's drive of Delhi
Nainital and Corbett in 5 days: a lake town and India's oldest tiger reserve
Delhi → Nainital → the Kumaon lakes → Jim Corbett → Delhi
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Best for: A long layover or a weekend, with the old city included rather than skipped
Dubai in 3 days: a stopover itinerary
Downtown → Old Dubai → desert
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Best for: The modern city, the old one most visitors never find, and a day in Abu Dhabi
Dubai in 5 days: Downtown, Old Dubai, the desert and Abu Dhabi
Downtown → Old Dubai → Marina → desert → Abu Dhabi
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Best for: Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings on a long weekend, with no cruise and no pretence
Egypt in 5 days: Cairo, Giza and a flying visit to Luxor
Cairo → Giza → Saqqara → Luxor → Cairo
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Best for: Pyramids and the Theban necropolis, without a Nile cruise eating half the week
Egypt in 7 days: Cairo, Giza and Luxor
Cairo → Giza → Saqqara → Luxor → Cairo
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Best for: The classic three, with the train times that make them fit
Italy in 7 days: Rome, Florence and Venice
Rome → Florence → Venice
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Best for: The Golden Route with the two things everyone regrets missing: Kanazawa and Miyajima
Japan in 14 days: Tokyo, the Alps, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima
Tokyo → Nikko → Hakone → Kanazawa → Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → Hiroshima → Miyajima
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Best for: A first trip, or a stopover, that does not waste two of its five days on trains
Japan in 5 days: Tokyo, Kamakura and Hakone
Tokyo → Kamakura → Hakone → Tokyo
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Best for: The Golden Route done properly rather than the ten-day version with three days cut out
Japan in 7 days: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka
Tokyo → Hakone → Kyoto → Osaka
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Best for: A city and an island on a short break, with one 70-minute flight between them
Malaysia in 5 days: Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur → Langkawi → Kuala Lumpur
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Best for: The peninsula's three best stops, with tea country instead of a beach
Malaysia in 7 days: Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands and Penang
Kuala Lumpur → Cameron Highlands → Penang → Kuala Lumpur
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Best for: The Maldives without a resort, which almost nobody writes about and plenty of people want
The Maldives on a budget in 4 days: Maafushi and the local islands
Malé → Maafushi → Gulhi or Fulidhoo → Malé
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Best for: Four stops, all by train, with the mountain excursions costed honestly
Switzerland in 7 days: Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Zermatt
Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Zermatt → Zurich
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Best for: A long weekend from the Gulf that stays in one city and gets it right
Thailand in 5 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Amphawa
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Amphawa → Bangkok
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Best for: One city, one ruined capital and one beach, without a domestic flight every other day
Thailand in 7 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Krabi
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Krabi
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Best for: The classical coast added to Istanbul and Cappadocia, without doubling back
Turkey in 14 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Pamukkale and Ephesus
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Antalya → Pamukkale → Ephesus → Izmir
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Best for: Two places, one short flight, and the balloon morning you came for
Turkey in 7 days: Istanbul and Cappadocia
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Istanbul
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Best for: All seven emirates' worth of country, including the mountains and the east coast nobody visits
The UAE in 10 days: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah
Dubai → Abu Dhabi → Al Ain → Ras Al Khaimah → Fujairah → Dubai
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Best for: The north done properly, plus one flight south for the lanterns
Vietnam in 7 days: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Hoi An
Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long → Hoi An
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Best for: Two countries, four hundred years of North America, and a waterfall in the middle
Eastern USA and Canada in 13 days: New York, Niagara, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec
New York → Boston → Niagara Falls → Toronto → Ottawa → Montreal → Quebec City
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Best for: One mountain range, one road, two park systems and a border in the middle
USA and Canada in 12 days: Banff, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper and Glacier
Calgary → Banff → Lake Louise → the Icefields Parkway → Jasper → Waterton → Glacier
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Best for: The Gulf's two opposite answers to the same desert, a two-hour flight apart
UAE and Oman in 9 days: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and the Wahiba Sands
Dubai → Abu Dhabi → Muscat → Nizwa → Wahiba Sands → Muscat
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Best for: The classic Indochina run, with the temples at the end rather than the start
Vietnam and Cambodia in 12 days: Hanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Saigon and Angkor
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap
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Best for: Mountains without the Alpine price, and a country run by two princes
Andorra in 4 days: the Pyrenees, Romanesque churches and Europe's highest capital
Andorra la Vella → Ordino → Canillo → Madriu valley → Andorra la Vella
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Best for: Old towns + short hops
Belgium in 6 days: Bruges, Ghent and Brussels
Brussels → Bruges → Ghent → Antwerp
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Best for: Wildlife + rainforest
Costa Rica in 10 days: Arenal, Monteverde and the Pacific
San José → Arenal → Monteverde → Manuel Antonio
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Best for: Design + cycling
Denmark in 6 days: Copenhagen and the coast
Copenhagen → Helsingør → Roskilde
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Best for: Islands + reefs
Fiji in 9 days: the Yasawas, Viti Levu and a village stay
Nadi → Yasawa Islands → Coral Coast → Nadi
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Best for: Winter + family
Finland in 6 days: Rovaniemi and the real Santa
Helsinki → Rovaniemi → Lapland
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Best for: City break + culture
Qatar in 4 days: the Doha long weekend
Doha → Inland Sea → Katara → The Pearl
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Best for: First-time Southeast Asia
Singapore and Malaysia in 10 days: two countries, one easy border
Singapore → Melaka → Kuala Lumpur → Penang
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Best for: First-time visitors
Australia in 10 days: Sydney, the Reef and Melbourne
Sydney → Blue Mountains → Great Barrier Reef → Melbourne
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Best for: Winter magic
Germany's Christmas markets: Nuremberg, Rothenburg and Munich in 7 days
Nuremberg → Rothenburg → Munich
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Best for: Safari + wildlife
Kenya in 7 days: Masai Mara and the Rift lakes
Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Naivasha
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Best for: Food + beach
Malaysia in 10 days: Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur → Penang → Langkawi
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Best for: Canals + museums
Netherlands in 6 days: Amsterdam and beyond
Amsterdam → Zaanse Schans → Keukenhof
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Best for: First-time visitors
Singapore in 6 days: Marina Bay, hawker trails and Sentosa
Marina Bay → Sentosa → Jewel
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Best for: Safari + city
South Africa in 10 days: Cape Town and a Kruger safari
Cape Town → the Winelands → Kruger
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Best for: First-time visitors
Thailand in 10 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Phuket
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Best for: First-time visitors
United Kingdom in 10 days: London and Edinburgh
London → Windsor → Edinburgh → the Highlands
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Best for: First-time visitors
USA in 10 days: New York, Washington DC and Niagara Falls
New York → Washington DC → Niagara Falls
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Best for: Cities + canyons
USA West in 10 days: Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco
Los Angeles → Las Vegas → Grand Canyon → San Francisco
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Best for: Beach and diving travellers
Andaman Islands in 7 days: Port Blair, Havelock and Neil
Port Blair → Havelock → Neil
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Best for: Slow-paced travellers
Kerala in 9 days: Kochi, Munnar, the backwaters and the beach
Kochi → Munnar → Backwaters → Kovalam
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Best for: Winter travellers
Hokkaido in winter: snow festivals, penguins and powder
Sapporo → Otaru → Asahikawa → Furano
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Best for: Second-time visitors
Turkey's Black Sea: Trabzon, Uzungol and the Ayder highlands
Trabzon → Uzungöl → Ayder
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Other ways to travel
- Beach escapes Sand, snorkelling and somewhere to do nothing.
- Mountains & nature Peaks, parks, deserts and the long views.
- Culture & history Old cities, great museums, food worth travelling for.
- Couples & honeymoon Slower days, better dinners, a view worth the detour.
- Multi-country Several countries, one trip — and one set of paperwork.
- Budget-friendly Great trips under $100 a day.