If you’re looking for inspiration on where to travel in 2025, we have a list of the best family travel destinations, including African safaris, treks in the Himalayas, Southeast Asian escapes and self-drive tours across epic Icelandic landscapes.
Are you looking to get off the beaten track and experience somewhere unique that hasn’t already featured in your guidebook or Instagram feed? Is there a particular ‘wonder of the world’ that you simply have to see for yourself, or do you instead crave the chaos and excitement of a bustling Asian mega-city? Perhaps your idea of paradise is just relaxing on a beach and spending quality time with your family.
The best family travel destination is a personal choice, so any or all of these might be the right answer for you and your family.
But what about us? Well, we love to get off the beaten track and take our boys on true adventures, going to the edge of our comfort zone and peering over the other side. In the past this has meant overlanding Africa in a Land Rover, living in India for a year, or backpacking around Southeast Asia for three months. Closer to home, we’re sometimes just as excited about a family camping trip to France or a weekend city break.
So, to help you find your ideal destination, we’ve come up with our top 13 family travel destinations for 2025 to give you some inspiration. And, if you’re planning an even longer trip, many of these places also feature in our top worldschooling destinations.
We’ve travelled to 30 countries as a family, but these are the 13 that have made the shortlist. You might notice the list is heavily skewed towards Africa and Asia. We do love these continents but we’re always looking to broaden our horizons and we’re sure that one day we’ll make it to the Americas, with Mexico very high on our list.
As our boys get older, they have their own views on what should and shouldn’t be on this list. Clearly they already have different criteria to us, and there certainly are some differences appearing already. Make sure you check out their top ten list here and see who you agree with the most.
Anyway, let’s get to our list first. In no particular order, here are our best family travel destinations for 2025…
1. Namibia
READ: Visiting Namibia with kids
Adventurous travel and safaris go hand-in-hand, and one of the best places for intrepid family friendly places is Namibia. If you crave epic lunar landscapes, affordable and rewarding safaris, and a true African adventure, Namibia gets our vote as one of the best places to visit.
You might be tempted to book an expensive, all-inclusive tour but instead follow our advice and hire a 4×4 with roof tents and go it alone (here’s our Namibia itinerary)!
The quality of roads in generally very good (at least in comparison to neighbouring countries) and the campsites are well setup, maintained and comfortable. Add to this a low malaria risk and an amazing climate, and it’s a definite winner in our books.
2. Sri Lanka
READ: Why Sri Lanka is great for kids
An absolute favourite of ours, we fell head over heels in love with Sri Lanka as soon as we arrived. We visited while we were living in Bangalore and although there were many similarities with India, we found it to be cleaner, gentler and less chaotic.
It’s a relatively small country so travelling between places is easy, yet it still offers enough activities, must-see sights, and fun to keep the whole tribe entertained. Indeed, for a country roughly the same size as Ireland, it manages to offer so much variety (both natural and cultural) that we’re sure you’ll fall in love with it too. Our favourite experiences in Sri Lanka were the incredible beaches and spotting wild elephants.
3. Iceland
READ: Visiting Iceland with kids
For a long time, Iceland had been on our radar but we’d put it off as we assumed it was too expensive. But we were tempted by cheap easyJet flights and photos of those dramatic landscapes.
Admittedly the car hire and accommodation are going to be your biggest outgoings, but self-catering can keep costs down and, if you travel independently, exploring Iceland’s natural wonders and hiking through its expansive landscape is totally FREE! There are definitely ways to do Iceland on a budget.
If you’re a family who love the great outdoors and wild landscapes, Iceland is a perfect destination for you. Just ensure you pack layers as the weather is extremely changeable.
4. Thailand
READ: Visiting Thailand with kids
We love the energy, the ornate temples, the colourful markets, the polite people and the food… oh my THE FOOD! Oh, and of course the incredible beaches!
Don’t rush straight to the islands though, enjoy your first few days in bustling Bangkok. It has to be of of our favourite cities to explore with our boys
There are so many reasons to travel Thailand with kids. It’s easily one of the most accessible countries we’ve visited with the boys. Many restaurants, even along the original backpacker enclave of Khao San Road, have highchairs, and we found that some beach restaurants in Koh Lanta have toys and kids’ play areas.
Also, kid-friendly food is available everywhere, with sticky rice, banana pancakes, and tropical fruit aplenty. Throw in tuk-tuk rides, exploring mystical temples, and jumping in the waves crashing on to tropical islands, and you have the perfect mix for a fantastic family adventure holiday.
5. India
READ: Visiting India with kids
It must be said that India isn’t everyone’s cup of chai. It’s loud, chaotic and confronting, but it was our home for a year, and it feels wrong not to include it. Although we wouldn’t recommend India if it’s your first time travelling with kids in Asia, as there are easier places to try first.
However, if you are ready to take on the challenge, India will be one of your most memorable family adventures ever. The tourist dollar goes far here, so you can spend a little more on accommodation to create an oasis away from the chaos.
Allow time to soak in the vibrancy and energy of this magical country, and once you’ve finished exploring the temples and spice markets, head for some downtime on the beaches of Goa.
6. Morocco
READ: Morocco with kids travel guide
For those of us living in the UK, Morocco is Africa at its most accessible. Although it’s only a three hour flight away, you’ll land in a totally different world of vibrant medinas, endless apricot-coloured deserts, and jagged snow-capped mountains. It’s a country that’s the definition of exotic and offers year-round sunshine.
It’s a fantastic place to explore on a family road trip and there are so many things to do in Morocco with kids. The highlights for our boys were sandboarding in the Sahara Desert, trekking the Atlas Mountains on a mule, and running around the quiet medina on Essaouira.
In fact we love Morocco so much, we’ve now visited five times and even spent four months living there.
7. Malawi
READ: Visiting Malawi with kids
Rightfully known as the ‘warm heart of Africa’, Malawi packs a lot in to its relatively small landmass; with majestic mountains rising from the tea plantations in the south, to the tropical white-crescent beaches fringing the lake, to an intimate big-five safari experience.
More than anything though, it’s Malawi’s people and the everyday interactions full of warmth and kindness that will make your visit so memorable.
Malawi isn’t the obvious choice of for an African destination with kids. South Africa often steals the top spot. But this modest landlocked African country is much more manageable with young kids and it’ll steal your heart.
8. Nepal
READ: Visiting Nepal with kids
Nepal is perhaps one of the most difficult countries we’ve travelled with the boys. Seemingly short distances on a map take a full day bouncing around stomach-churning bends on old rusty buses, and dressing the kids in layers to keep them warm in the colder months can become a battle.
But our five-day trek amongst the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to Poon Hill was truly exhilarating, momos will forever be one of my favourite foods, and thinking about the genuine friendships we made with locals on our travels warms my heart.
Travelling Nepal with kids was most definitely rewarding.
9. France
READ: Visiting France with kids
France is an obvious choice for us as it’s easy to get to from the UK in our Bongo camper over on the Dover to Calais ferry. Plus j’adore France – the wine, the climate, the landscapes, the croissants, the history.
Over the years, we’ve made multiple trips over to France, including a five-week road trip from Calais to the Pyrenees and then a six-week road tripping France in our Bongo. We’ve visited dozens of French campsites and share our favourite family sites here.
So yes, we love France and keep on returning year after year.
10. Spain
READ: Visiting Spain with kids
Just like neighbouring France to the north, Spain is a well-known and popular destination for families. With excellent internal travel links, including a high-speed train network, you’ll find it easy to explore this fascinating country.
Try out affordable and varied skiing in the Pyrenees ski resorts, the world class beaches and resorts in the south, wonderful city breaks in ancient Andalucía, or sat outdoors with some tapas and wine.
11. Malaysia
READ: Visiting Malaysia with kids
Easily one of our favourite family travel destinations, Malaysia is a rich and diverse country that offers families a taste of everything. It’s a fantastic destination in its own right, although it’s also commonly used as a handy stopover between Europe and Australia.
On Peninsular Malaysia, you’ll have access to world-class diving spots, cultural hotspots like Malacca and Penang, the mega-city of Kuala Lumpur, and the constant joy of the different cuisines on offer.
On the island of Borneo, Sabah and Sarawak offer some of the world’s premier wildlife and nature attractions, all easily accessible and surprisingly affordable. There’s so much on offer, ranging from a cruise on the Kinabatangan River, watching turtles laying eggs, visiting the relaxed city of Kuching, and getting up close to the Orangutans in Sepilok.
12. Cambodia
READ: Visiting Cambodia with kids
A country with a tragic recent history, Cambodia has emerged from its past and is now an intriguing destination for an adventurous family adventure.
Kids will enjoy visiting the temples at Angkor Wat, especially if it’s combined with a canopy-high trip through the trees on a zipwire. Elsewhere you have the fascinating city of Phnom Penh where older kids can learn about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge, the quiet country town of Battambang and the exciting town of Siem Reap next to the temples of Angkor.
Cambodia is a safe country to visit which is still finding its way back onto the full tourist trail. Affordable and friendly, now is a perfect time to visit and see it for yourself.
13. Vietnam
READ: Visiting Vietnam with kids
If one country manages to capture the excitement, chaos, beauty and diversity of Southeast Asia, it might just be Vietnam. From the bustling cities of Hanoi and Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City), to trekking in Sapa and the ancient town of Hoi An, Vietnam continues to offer memorable family travel experiences.
The country is becoming more and more switched on to tourism and you’ll find travel here simple and streamlined, with an excellent internal bus and railway network linking the towns and cities. If you fancy travelling some of the way in style, book yourself on a motorbike tour and feel the wind rush through your hair.
The country’s tragic past continues to shape the country and it offers a fascinating contrast to the natural beauty you’ll witness on your travels. With some care and pre-planning, there are many museums and sights you can visit that explain the recent history in an accessible way to (slightly) older children.
With affordable accommodation, friendly people and a huge range of sights and activities, many families rate Vietnam as their number one travel destination.
You may also like to read:
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How we afford to travel with kids
What is worldschooling: everything you need to know