Family Vacationist

3 days ago | familyvacationist.com | Allison Tibaldi

Sometimes the best family vacations call for a passport and a little curiosity. If you’re ready to go beyond the usual U.S. hot spots, Europe might be the perfect next step. It’s a fun and eye-opening way to show your kids the wider world. Western Europe, in particular, hits that sweet spot—it’s different enough to feel like a real adventure, but familiar enough to keep things comfortable, especially if it’s your first international trip with kids.

4 days ago | familyvacationist.com | Allison Tibaldi

As a food writer, I live to eat and dining out is a big part of how I explore a destination. However, when a warm breeze blows, sitting indoors at a restaurant is often the last place I want to be. What I crave is an al fresco meal, whether in an urban park or country meadow. Picnics are a great solution. While shopping for provisions at local markets can be a cultural window, sometimes I like to be lazy and have a picnic prepared for me. Meet 10 hotels that provide guest picnics.

1 week ago | familyvacationist.com | Megan duBois

Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park, Universal Epic Universe, is finally open to the public. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the five incredible worlds of the park on multiple occasions. Every time I find something new to do. From thrilling attractions, interactive elements, world-class entertainment, and a host of characters to meet, there’s a lot to do at the park. But that begs the question: Can you really do all of Epic Universe in one day? The short answer is maybe, but you shouldn’t.

1 week ago | familyvacationist.com | Andrea Limke

I love traveling with my children; my husband and I have been bringing the kids on getaways since they were just weeks old. But in what I’ll call the chicken-fingers effect, we noticed that as we started to prioritize family-friendly hotels and destinations, we lost a little of the polish and charm of those pre-kids resorts.

2 weeks ago | familyvacationist.com | Josh Roberts

As one of the fortunate few to visit Universal Epic Universe for its grand opening celebration, I set out to explore every corner of this ambitious new theme park and dive headfirst into every attraction it has to offer. My verdict? Epic Universe definitely lives up to its name. If you have all the time in the world, I’d recommend doing virtually everything. But I also know that many family vacations are all about prioritizing the must-dos over the nice-to-dos.