Family Travel Plans for 2026: A Sneak Peek at What’s Next

Travel with kids in 2026: Get a sneak peek at our family travel plans! From Portugal to London, cruises to beach weekends, see how one family balances school schedules, sleepaway camps, and award travel to plan an incredible year of family travel adventures across Europe, the US, and beyond.

Join Melissa from Family Travel Unpacked as she reveals her 2026 travel lineup, including:

• First-time visits to Portugal (Lisbon & Porto) and the Azores
• London with kids and East Coast summer camp logistics
• Budget-friendly tips for family cruise vacations
• Balancing resort relaxation with outdoor adventures
• Planning around school calendars and extracurriculars

Whether you're looking for inspiration or practical strategies for travel with kids, this quick episode shows how real families make adventure happen!

Episode Highlights:

• January Caribbean cruise with extended family
• March Portugal debut (Lisbon & Porto)
• June birthday weekend in Scottsdale + London & Azores trip
• Creative July camp pickup travel hack
• Mysterious late-fall adventure in the works

00:00 Welcome to Family Travel Unpacked

00:14 Sneak Peek at 2026 Travel Plans

00:33 January: Caribbean Cruise

00:53 February: Back to LA

01:06 March: Exploring Portugal

01:32 June: Scottsdale and London Adventures

02:48 July: Creative Summer Plans

03:15 August: Relaxing Beach Getaway

03:28 Fall: Busy Weekends and Special Plans

03:54 Conclusion: Looking Forward to 2026

Don't miss this inspiring, practical travel with kids podcast hosted by family travel expert Melissa Conn, founder of The Family Voyage, certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and mom of two who proves family travel is achievable for everyone.

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Transcript

0:02

Hey there and welcome back to Family Travel Unpacked. I'm Melissa and you're listening to another Quick Tip Tuesday, in case you're new here, you can find tons of detailed destination guides, travel tips, hacks, and more on my website, thefamilyvoyage.com. This episode's gonna be a little different than what I usually share on Tuesdays. Since we've talked a lot about how to plan your family travel for the year ahead, I thought, you know what? Why don't I give you a sneak peek at what we've got lined up for 2026. Maybe it'll give you some inspiration for your own planning, or at least let you live vicariously through our adventures. January kicks off with another family cruise to ring in the new year. In fact, I'll be soaking up some much needed sun in the Caribbean when this episode goes live. We did this with our extended family two years ago, and it was such a hit that we're doing it again. There's something really special about celebrating New Year's on a ship with the whole crew, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Then in February we're heading back to LA. We've got a special occasion to celebrate with some friends out there, and it's always nice to catch up with our family in California. We'll probably sneak in something fun if the timing works out, but I'm still figuring out the details on that one. March is when things start to ramp up. We're finally making our first trip to Portugal. We'll be spending time in both Lisbon and Porto. And I've already got some great activities lined up. I've heard amazing things about the food scene, the tile work and the general vibe. Plus Portugal tends to be pretty affordable compared to other Western European destinations, which is always a win. Thankfully we got all our flights on points, and I was able to use some of the hotel savings strategies from episode 13 to get most of our stays covered here too. June is absolutely packed. First up, we're taking a weekend getaway to Scottsdale for our daughter's birthday. We've been to Scottsdale many times, but she loves a good resort vacation, so that's exactly what she's getting. We'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt, which went through a huge renovation that just finished at the beginning of 2025. I've wanted to check it out since its days as a Hyatt Regency, and I think it'll be even better now. Plus, I may have a special surprise at my sleeve for that special girl. I can't say more than that yet, in case she's tuning in. Then at the end of June, we're taking the kids to London for the first time. They're pretty excited about that because it's a city that they're familiar with through movies and books. It'll actually be my first time really exploring the city too. I've only been through briefly before. I'm so excited for all of us to see the classic sites like Big Ben, the Tower of London, and maybe catch a West End show or two since our daughter really loves theater. From London, we're heading to the Azores. Have you heard of this place? It's this group of Portuguese islands, about halfway between the US and continental Europe. People call it the Hawaii of the Atlantic because it's a beautiful volcanic island chain with really dramatic landscapes. I've seen photos and it looks absolutely stunning. We'll get some of that outdoor adventure our son loves, but it should be cooler than a tropical destination, which I know he'll appreciate. I am really excited about that trip and I'm sure it'll have something for everyone. July is where things get a little creative. Both kids are doing two week sleepaway camps on the East coast when we get back from Europe, but naturally not with the same dates. We're tacking on some extra time when we pick each of them up so we'll get an adults only weekend in Philly, just the two of us, which honestly doesn't happen often. And if we can make the timing work, we wanna take our son to see game at Fenway Park the day we pick him up from his camp just outside of Boston. He's never been to Boston and what better way to cap off his camp experience, right? August is keeping things simple. Just a relaxing beach getaway in South Carolina right before school starts. We'll get some quality family time at a nice hotel before we head back to the grind of homework, soccer practice, band rehearsals, and play practices. This fall's gonna look a little different than our past falls. Our son is doing marching band and soccer, and our daughter will likely be in a play. So unfortunately, the weekends are basically shot from September through October, but I'm working on something pretty special for late fall. I don't wanna spill exactly what yet because I'm honestly not sure that I can make it happen. Let's just say I'm trying to pull together something that kids have been wanting to do for a while and it would be one of our most memorable trips yet if it works out. Do me a favor and cross your fingers. So that's what 2026 is looking like for us. A good mix of family celebrations, new destinations, resort relaxation and outdoor adventure- something for everyone in our crew. I'll definitely be sharing more details about these trips as they happen, especially Portugal since it's totally new to us and we'll be visiting different regions on two separate trips. I hope this gave you some ideas for your own 2026 planning, or at least got you excited about the possibilities. Be sure to follow along and leave a five star review wherever you're listening. And as always, Head to thefamilyvoyage.com for all those destination guides and planning resources. You can also head back and binge some other podcast episodes for inspiration and helpful tips. Happy New Year, everyone. Here's to making 2026 a year full of amazing family travel memories. I'll see you in the new year.