6 Places to Travel Abroad with Your Kids This Year, Including for Northern Lights, Safari, and Snorkeling

This article was originally published in 2024 and most recently updated on August 7, 2026.

With long flights and the effects of jet lag, already tired parents may be wondering if it’s really worth traveling abroad with young kids. After all, there are so many great family destinations in the U.S. But for me and Afar contributors with children, the answer is still a resounding yes. I’ve taken my three boys overseas several times in recent years, and the chance to immerse them in new cultures has outweighed the hassle every time. Seeing them dive into Mexican cuisine or gain an appreciation of British culture has been worth the sometimes fractious miles flown.

Afar’s parent contributors have road-tested numerous destinations around the world, battling long hauls, jet lag, and heat waves to bring you this list of six places to travel abroad with kids this year and next.

Athens, Greece

While history and ancient ruins may seem boring for little ones at first, Athens is actually an entertaining and educational family destination. Before you leave, get your kids into Greek mythology and history with the graphic novel series Olympians, which reinterprets the mythologies, and a funny and engaging podcast by National Geographic called Greeking Out that my eight-year-old son loves.

Once you land, kids will be eager to see the sites that otherwise might look like crumbling dirt. When I visited a few summers ago with my husband and two young kids, I booked a private tour with Be a Greek specifically meant for families. Our guide kept both of my children (and my husband and I) engaged with a scavenger hunt, trivia, games, and dynamic storytelling as we traipsed around the city, ticking off sites like the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium, and Syntagma Square to see the changing of the presidential guard.

Visiting the Acropolis is a bit more challenging, so be sure to go in early morning or evening when it’s cooler and less crowded, and leave the stroller behind (way too many steps!). Kids will also enjoy the Acropolis Museum (request a“family backpack” for educational resources, puzzles, and more), riding the Lycabettus Hill funicular, and strolling around the picturesque Plaka neighborhood.

When you need to escape the heat, head outside the city center to the Athens Riviera for some time swimming at Astir Beach or at the Ellinikon, a smart city with an incredible playground and park open until 11 p.m.

Where to stay

To be in the center, stay at the new boutique Apollo Palm Hotel, which offers triple rooms perfect for a family of three (or four if one child is in a crib, which can be provided) while still boasting a chic design, gorgeous rooftop bar, and delicious breakfast buffet. For a resort experience, complete with a kids club, beach, and pool, the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens has spacious rooms and an incredibly friendly and helpful staff who clearly love children. —Devorah Lev-Tov

Related: The Most Subversive Neighborhood in Athens Is Also Its Tastiest

Osaka, Japan

Photo by Usa-Pyon/Shutterstock

Wandering through Osaka’s neon-clad neighborhood of Shinsekai with my son—a hard-to-impress tween with a thirst for photo-worthy culinary creations—we passed takoyaki stands advertising their octopus-based wares with 3D tentacle-covered displays and a conveyor belt sushi joint, like Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera, where plates of nigiri rotate.

Memory-making experiences like this are only the beginning here, where maximalist signage beckons hungry travelers at every turn. And despite rising food costs across the globe, affordable eats are still easy to find in Osaka, making it an enticing choice for anyone looking to test their taste buds without breaking the bank. Even the pickiest of eaters will find something to love in this dynamic destination, and fun-loving families will find a variety of singular eateries.

Dine alongside Pikachu at the popular Pokémon Café, or enjoy impossibly cute Mario-inspired meals at Kinopio’s Café at Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World, which is also home to a Donkey Kong–themed land.

Where to stay

For an immersive experience, families can sleep on traditional tatami mats at Ukiyoe Ryokan. The Cross Hotel Osaka, meanwhile, provides comfy digs located steps from the bustling food stalls in the Dotonbori area. —Amanda Adler

Tanzania

Photo by Shutterstock

Taking a toddler on safari is not for the faint of heart; I knew if I was going to do it, I needed serious help. Enter Go2Africa, a seasoned tour operator staffed by specialists who’ve traveled extensively with small children throughout East and Southern Africa. These experts knew exactly which camps in Tanzania were the family-friendliest and how to safely travel between them. They arranged private safari drives for us in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO-protected World Heritage site with Africa’s densest population of large animals, and a quiet corner of Serengeti National Park.

We spotted lions, leopards, hippos, ostriches, flamingos, warthogs, and roughly a gazillion wildebeest over multiple game drives in the two regions, but it was a dazzle of zebras lingering within arm’s reach of our 4x4 that really had my son clapping up a storm.

Where to stay

Check out Taasa Lodge, a boutique bush camp in a 15,000-acre concession north of the Serengeti, and Gibb’s Farm, an 80-acre organic farm and coffee plantation less than an hour from Ngorongoro Crater. Both properties hire guides, trackers, and staff who truly love children, as opposed to merely tolerate them. Both also have swimming pools—a fantastic way for kiddos to spend time in between game drives.—Ashlea Halpern

Related: I Took a 23-Day Trip With My Toddler. It Was the Most Rewarding Trip I’ve Ever Taken.

Swedish Lapland

Photo by Tommy Alven/Shutterstock

My kids were just toddlers when we visited Swedish Lapland’s Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, teetering across packed-snow floors in rooms carved out from river ice by artists from around the world.

On a recent solo visit, I found several other reasons to plot a trip back soon with my now-older crew. The best winter adventures in this part of Sweden come with experiential elements that go beyond chasing the northern lights. At Arctic Bath in the small hamlet of Harads, I watched a British family with elementary school–age kids brave cold plunges together following a sauna session, stepping down a metal ladder straight into the frozen Lule River and whooping it up before beelining for the outdoor hot tubs.

Nearby, the whimsical variety of cabins on stilts at Treehotel—including one shaped like a bird’s nest and another like a UFO—were pure fantastical fun, with ice fishing and snowshoeing among the activities.

Plan your trip to Swedish Lapland in early February to join in the 421-year-old annual Jokkmokk Winter Market; it draws hundreds of Sámi people from all over the Sápmi region of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia for an outdoor festival with live music, reindeer processions, shopping for silverwork and traditional clothing, and food stalls selling cloudberries, coffee cheese, and reindeer meat.

Where to stay

All the aforementioned stays are a treat worth planning a trip around. But I’m dreaming of a multi-generational winter adventure at Fjellborg Arctic Lodge, 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where you can arrive on dogsled from nearby Jukkasjärvi. Families stay in a luxurious four-bedroom cabin with its own sauna and outdoor hot tub overlooking Lake Väkkärä. (Smaller cabins can accommodate more people nearby.) The lodge’s wilderness guides lead all manner of excursions—including snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and ice fishing. —Terry Ward

Related: The World’s Most Magical Places to See the Northern Lights

London, U.K.

Photo by Jacob Smith/Unsplash

From a wickedly funny Yeoman Warder guide at the Tower of London to a bike tour with London Bicycle and a visit to the Harry Potter studios (where all eight movies were filmed), my family’s weeklong trip across the pond was equal parts educational and fun. We also adored the Matilda musical, based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book, in the West End, with all four of us singing along to its catchy tunes as we left the theater.

The city’s many green spaces (Hyde Park; Kensington Gardens, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground; Battersea Park) also allow ample opportunity for little legs to stretch, run, and stop to smell the roses.

With a food scene that’s the stuff of legend, eating at chain Dishoom, which serves bites from Mumbai and other parts of India, and plant-based Mallow in Borough Market were also musts and didn’t disappoint.

Where to stay

London has many great hotels. I liked the elegant 101-room One Aldwych in the heart of Covent Garden, within blocks of theaters, restaurants, and museums. At the fantastic London Transport Museum, kids can see double-decker buses and grown-ups can marvel at the history of the Tube.

Along with spacious suites, thoughtful touches like the daily replenished complimentary mini-bar (with biscuits and chips to keep little ones happy) and a “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” afternoon tea make the hotel truly perfect for families. —Tanvi Chheda

Related: How to Have the Perfect Long Weekend in London, According to Locals

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Courtesy of Los Cabos Tourism

Los Cabos has a reputation as a party destination (something the alfresco bar at airport arrivals does nothing to diminish). But it also has a lot going for it as a family travel destination. Top of the list for my three boys, all under 10 during our last visit? It’d be a toss-up between snorkeling among prismatic shoals of fish in Chileno Bay or releasing baby turtles on the sand an hour away in Todos Santos. (Two groups that work to protect and organize hatchling releases are Tortugueros Las Playitas and Grupo Tortuguero Pescadero.)

The southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula has numerous other pulls, from glass-bottom boat excursions to whale-watching to road trips among the singular landscape where the cacti meet the sea—not to mention the beaches and endless pool time under a reliable sun.

Where to stay

Our three kids loved Chileno Bay Resorts and Residences, Auberge Collection, with its multiple pools, private cinema, and Pescaditos Kids Club for ages 5 and up. They also had a blast at nearby Tortoguitas Kids Club at Esperanza, Auberge Collection; as of this writing, access to Tortoguitas is included in the room rate (for ages 5 to 11).

The Four Seasons Resort Cabo Del Sol is another strong contender. Here, kids under 5 dine for free, and those ages 4 to 12 can head to the Kids For All Seasons club, where programming based around Mexico’s Pueblo Mágico towns offers a more culturally immersive alternative to traditional camp and is included in the room rate. Think beaded lizard crafting, piñata-making, and games of lotería, a kind of bingo.

Finally, the One & Only Palmilla and its kids club (ages 4 to 11) entices with a schedule of complimentary activities like pizza-making and tie-dyeing. Splash about in the family pool and play with the Connect 4 board or at the ping-pong table. Older kids (with an adult) can up their adrenaline levels, and yours, on off-road vehicles and underwater scooters. —Tim Chester