Maybe it’s your first vacation as a new family. Perhaps you’re looking for a getaway from a hectic schedule — so much schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and oh those social calendars — and the thought of planning one more thing is overwhelming.
You want simple. So what about a family vacation package?
What Is a Family Vacation Package?
Vacation packages let you book most of your travel arrangements all at once. It’s quite literally a package that often includes hotels or other accommodations, flights and transportation, and other expenses. This “other” could include admission to attractions and, in some cases, food and drink.
Convenience is the main draw of family vacation packages. You typically work with a travel agent who helps you make the arrangements. They have all the insider knowledge of what to do, where to eat, and how to get there, freeing you from tedious research.
Even if you’re paying an agent to help you plan, a good travel package can help you save money. The right agent knows how to find the deals, and booking arrangements basically in bulk can sometimes cut costs as well.
Remember, too, that convenience sometimes comes at a price. Weigh the value of paying a little extra for planning assistance against the time it would take you to do it on your own. Traveling with a family, especially on a multigenerational trip, can be stressful. Not having to think about all the details can be a huge benefit.
Types of family vacation packages
Most people are more familiar with all-inclusive resorts when it comes to packages, but there are a variety of options to help you customize your family vacation to your budget and wish list.
- All-inclusive: includes resorts and cruises; typically includes hotel/accommodations, food, ground transportation and sometimes excursions and activities
- Kids do/eat/stay free: offered by attractions such as Sesame Place in Philadelphia; usually means that kids up to a certain age get free tickets and/or meals when you buy an adult ticket or stay the required length of time at a partner hotel
- Free dining: offered by some attractions such as SeaWorld San Diego; includes a certain number of meals, snacks, and drinks with the purchase of something else like admission tickets or a hotel stay
- Event-specific package: typically includes accommodations, event admission, and discounts on things like parking and merchandise at the event; common for food festivals like you’ll find at Busch Gardens
- Exclusive experience package: your booking may include access to attractions or behind-the-scenes tours not offered to the public
Where Can I Find the Best Family Vacation Packages?
Disney Vacation Packages
There are lots of ways to do a Disney vacation package. Book a stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, and you could get what they call “Magical Extras.” Disney packages for 2024 and 2025 include vouchers for miniature golf and admission to ESPN Wide World of Sports. There are also discounts for shows, bike rental, dining, and merchandise.
Beyond resort packages is Adventures by Disney. These kid-friendly vacations include tours around the world, from the U.S. to Europe to Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
It’s not all Disney characters, though. You’ll get a healthy dose of the local culture with age-appropriate activities for both adults and children.
Adventures by Disney also offers Small Ship Adventures. These river cruises are a great way to save some money if you plan ahead. Small ship Disney packages for 2025 opened in January of 2024 with early-booking offers — saving $500 per person — running until April 2024 while availability lasts.
Find more ways to do Disney on a budget, with or without a full package.
Cruises
Many cruise lines offer kid-friendly itineraries. Choose an all-inclusive ship, and you won’t have any surprise charges along the way. Entertainment, food, and activities are all built into your fare.
Kids’ clubs and childcare are available on some ships. This is a great option for when everyone wants to do their own thing. Adults can have some relaxation time while someone else keeps the kids entertained for a few hours.
The best cruises for families will not only separate kids for activities based on age, but by ability as well. These cruise lines also tend to be the most accessible and designed with kids with disabilities in mind.
Be sure to also check out KelliGregg Travel. It provides cruises and other types of travel packages, and is believed to be the first travel company to develop experiences for LGBTQ+ travelers and their families and allies.
All-inclusive resorts
All-inclusive resorts are an obvious choice for easy vacations, but there are so many, it’s hard to pick the right one. Look for properties labeled “family-friendly" or “adventure” resorts.
The adventure designation might sound strange, but it’s the resort’s way of signaling that there are things to do. Kids won’t be bored laying around a pool with nothing to entertain them. There will be activities designed specifically for children and teens.
When you’re looking for all-inclusive family vacation packages at a resort in Florida, experts usually point you to Orlando, Cocoa Beach, and Clearwater. The resorts in these areas have a popular mix of beach and water activities, not to mention Disney and other family-friendly attractions.
Some of the best Hawaii family vacation packages can be found on Oahu. You’ll find on-site dining with the freshest local ingredients, spas, movie nights, and activities like catamaran rentals either included in your stay or at a discounted rate. Hawaii can be one of the most expensive vacation destinations in the U.S., but the right all-inclusive resort can help you manage the costs.
Outside the U.S., all-inclusive family-friendly resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean are a good place to start. Before you think Cancun is all about spring breakers, give this hotspot a second look. Your young travelers will love visiting a sea turtle farm, snorkeling at a natural reef park, or taking a pirate ship tour. If activities like these aren’t included in your resort, they can easily be arranged on your own.
Head to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for the Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts. They’ll get to meet their favorite characters and wear themselves out on obstacle courses (with slime) and at the on-site water park.
Club Med Punta Cana has Baby Club Med, plus amenities especially for young families — kitchenette appliances for preparing baby meals, prepared baby foods, bottle warmers, and more. Older kids can learn to be acrobats at Circus School, and you can tap in on-demand childcare for an extra fee when you’re ready for some alone time.
No matter where you go, remember to check on resort fees. These hidden fees can quickly make what seems like a budget-friendly getaway much more expensive than expected.
How Can I Save Money on Family Vacation Packages?
Check booking sites for family vacation deals.
You’ve probably already checked sites like Expedia. They’re a great place to get ideas and comparison shop.
In our experience, some of the results on those sites can be difficult to decipher, though. If you’re looking for an all-inclusive resort, double-check the listing. We’ve found that what gets flagged as all-inclusive isn’t always. It might be luxurious, but you’ll still have to pay for meals and extras when you get there.
We’ve had better luck with individual companies like G Adventures and Costco Travel. You’ll still have plenty of budget-friendly and family-friendly options, plus it’s easier to contact customer service if you have questions or need help with your booking.
Hotel chains like Marriott are getting in the vacation package game, too. If you’re part of a chain’s loyalty program, see what they have available. You might be able to snag a good deal with your points.
Comparison shop all-inclusive family vacation packages with airfare.
Several airlines now offer vacation planning services beyond just helping you find flights. They function much like other comparison sites where you choose a destination and your travel dates, and they’ll serve up a list of family vacation deals at all-inclusive resorts combined with airfare.
Because they’re run by airlines, these vacation planners make it easy to get your flight along with everything else. You might be getting a great deal ... and you might not.
That’s why it’s important to comparison shop. You might be able to save money by booking your resort stay separately from your airfare if you can get a better deal with a different airline.
Check out the family vacation packages from JetBlue and Southwest, both of which made our list of kid-friendliest airlines.
Book well in advance.
It’s rare these days that you’ll find last-minute booking deals. Waiting until the last minute can also add unnecessary stress when traveling with a family, so why risk it?
Instead, book your package well in advance. Give yourself time to research and choose the options that best fit your budget. This will help you avoid rushed decisions that you might end up regretting later.
To save a few extra dollars, you might call the travel provider shortly before departure and ask if there are any inexpensive or free options for upgrading your package. Getting a nicer room or extra entertainment options at the last minute, when the company has a better idea of what is and isn’t sold out, might still be possible.
Weigh the pros and cons of all-inclusive family Christmas vacation packages.
Traveling at Christmas has upsides and downsides. It’s festive and fun, it’s a great way to start new family traditions, and you might have extra time off school and work. But it’s also one of the most expensive times of the year to travel, finding reservations can be difficult, and the weather can be dicey.
All-inclusive family Christmas vacation packages can make a winter trip easier during a time when you’re already loaded with holiday stress, though, so if you choose this route, there’s still hope to save some money.
Booking early is key. You definitely won’t find last-minute discounts. In fact, it’s more likely to be sold out the longer you wait.
Consider alternative destinations. Disney Cruises at holiday time sell out years in advance. Pick somewhere a bit off the beaten path — the Grenadines, Costa Rica, Panama — to give you more options. And because they’re not the most popular, the rules of supply and demand mean that they’re probably also cheaper.
Ask about family vacation packages with payment plans.
Some resorts do offer payment plans. You pay the required deposit when you book, then pay off the rest over time, which could be anywhere from three months to two years.
Expedia also lets you pay off your family vacation over time, as do some of the airlines, such as United Vacations and American Airlines Vacations.
It’s important to remember that some booking agencies charge interest and other fees for this layaway option.
Travel Insurance for Families
You’re investing in travel for your family. Protect your finances and your loved ones with the right travel insurance. If you have to cancel your trip for a covered reason and your prepaid package is nonrefundable, travel insurance can reimburse you for those trip expenses. Put that money back in the bank for when you are ready to travel.
If your family vacation takes you to another country, you’ll also want travel medical coverage. Your domestic health insurance doesn’t usually follow you overseas, making travel medical insurance the best way to cover expenses of treatment if you get sick or hurt during your trip.
Get a quick quote for your whole family at SevenCorners.com or talk to an agent. They’ll be able to answer all your questions — how many plans do you need for your family, can you customize a plan for each member of your family — before you buy.
