2025 Family Vacation Trends & Ideas with AAA Travel’s Amy Short

I work for AAA Travel and have been here for over 25 years. I got bit by the travel bug and just fell in love. I have two kids: an almost 14-year-old daughter and a son who is 11. We just returned from a cruise that was our family’s holiday gift. And it was to the Caribbean, one of the spots we see trending for 2025.

The Caribbean and warm destinations are very popular this year. We are seeing an uptick in both all-inclusive and cruise bookings.

It’s no surprise, especially on the cruise side, because there has been so much press about new short Caribbean sailings with partners like Royal Caribbean, who have launched the Ultimate Weekend with the Utopia of the Seas. If you’re new to cruising, you can experience the Caribbean in only three or four nights, which is wonderful and on their newest and best ship. I was fortunate enough to go on it this last summer and was blown away by how much there was to do on board and the food quality.

So, we’re seeing that uptick in Caribbean cruising again. And it’s great because some cruises are going to lesser-known islands that have not traditionally been cruise ports. For instance, when we were just cruising, we docked in St. John versus St. Thomas, which was lovely. So, you avoided a lot of the crowds, but you still got the same beautiful beaches.

And, we’re seeing a lot of revisiting the Caribbean to see new islands.

Another popular family destination this year is Alaska. When it’s popular, you must book now. The Alaska season is short, from May through September, so if you’re looking to plan your family vacation there, do that now.

Alaska is a very popular destination for a cruise, but we always recommend visiting when you have the most available time. Since you’ll see only a small portion of it on a cruise, you’ll want to plan a land and sea vacation.

If you want the true National Parks experience, you need to book early to ensure you stay in the park’s lodges. Staying inside the park makes a big difference, not only in terms of the time you spend there but also in terms of the family’s experience.

So, if that interests you, reach out to your Travel Advisor soon to book your summer vacation in the national parks.

Many parks continue timed reservation systems for 2025, which requires advance planning. A Travel Advisor can help you with everything, and reservations can be made at recreation.gov.

And don’t forget about some of the less busy parks. We are so used to some of the bigger parks getting all the love that if you want to go on a National Park vacation with your family and can’t get the reservations you want, consider those secondary parks. They’re just as amazing and beautiful; your family will have just as wonderful a time.

We also have partners like Trafalgar, which offers family travel tours of the Parks. You can talk with your Travel Advisor about booking a tour, and then everything, including most of your meals, will be handled for you. That is my favorite way to travel the first time I visit a location because you also get all the history and culture, and then you can do it on your own the second time you visit.

Dude Ranches are also a popular way to see the National Parks. My son is an equestrian, and my husband and he went on a boys’ trip last summer to a dude ranch in Colorado. They spent the week there, and I can’t tell you how much they raved about it. And you don’t have to be an equestrian to enjoy it.

[Check out the Dude Ranch Podcast Episode.]

The I’s are very popular. And when we, in travel, are talking about I’s, we’re talking about Italy, Iceland, and Ireland. They continue to be very popular family destinations. They all have extremely family-friendly cultures and are great places to make a first-time European trip, especially Iceland.

If you’re on the East Coast of the United States, many low-cost carriers are now flying and connecting through Iceland. You can fly into Reykjavik for a reasonable price and then continue to Europe. This is worth looking into if you want to venture further away from home and experience Europe with your family for the first time.

[Check out the Iceland Podcast Episode.]

And not necessarily in the height of winter, but at most any other time. I’ve been there in March and October when you can see the Northern Lights. And if you go in the summer, you see the puffins. So, I highly recommend it.

And the same thing applies to Ireland and Italy, which are year-round destinations. There’s something to do in all seasons.

Our partners, like Trafalgar, offer family-friendly tours for families visiting places like Italy. They are focused on making sure the kids get the most out of their trip, too, with things like Gladiator School in Rome, cooking classes, and pizza-making classes, whether in Naples or Tuscany. There are so many great experiences to be had there.

And if your family likes skiing, you have the northern part of Italy and even Switzerland.

[Check out the Trafalgar Tours for Families Podcast Episode.]

Closer to home, we continue seeing theme park vacations popular with families. So, if you’re going to one of the larger theme parks, you will want to book early. They are filling up, and there have been many changes, especially Walt Disney World, with their program and how far in advance you can book things. So, you’ll want to work with your AAA Travel Advisor to make sure you know all the new information and start planning that vacation soon.

If you’re going to a local amusement park, we can help with ticket discounts and other benefits of being AAA members, but again, we expect them to be very popular this summer.

If you’re not sure where to go or what will work for your family, go to FamilyTravelPassport.com. We partnered with our friends at KeeKee’s Big Adventures to create this amazing tool for getting specific ideas for your family vacations. I cannot stress enough how useful it is for planning your current and future family vacations.

It’s a free, fun, and easy survey that the whole family can take, so you can involve everyone in vacation planning.

Then, it maps out where you should go each year until your kids are 18 based on everyone’s interests and the kids’ ages, with one domestic and one international destination for each year.

If you’re ready to get planning, you can find a local AAA Travel Advisor to work with. The services are free for AAA Members and non-Members.