For family travelers in the know, a new league of travel influencers is emerging—and not on social media.
Rather, parents are following their children’s lead when it comes to choosing destinations and planning trips. It’s part of the larger “kid-fluenced” travel trend that has been growing in popularity among family vacationers in recent years.
Aside from pleasing kids and potentially avoiding tantrums, involving children in travel planning has additional benefits.
According to the 2025 U.S. Family Travel Survey, 84 percent of parents said helping with travel plans makes their children more adaptable and open to new experiences.
Plus, 61 percent of parents said involving kids with planning had a “positive impact on their child's happiness and engagement during the trip.”
Travel experts agree that looping children into the process brings more excitement before a trip and can make the travel experience more positive for the whole family.
“Including the kids in travel planning is a great way to help them feel invested in the trip and take ownership of the experience,” says Rachel Lipson, a family travel expert who writes the Substack newsletter The Point. “Doing research together ahead of time can calm anxious nerves, let a child know what to expect, and give the whole family plans to look forward to.”
Here are a few easy ways to get kids involved in planning your next family getaway.
How to start the conversation and set expectations
For many young kids, helping out their parents and sharing their opinions can be really exciting. But it’s important to frame the conversation around travel planning the right way to help keep children from becoming overwhelmed and to manage everyone’s expectations.
One way to keep the conversation age and skill-level appropriate is to start with broader questions, Lipson advises.
“For kids on the younger side, offering a choice of beach, city, or country can be a good start—and a great opportunity to find out what atmosphere they enjoy most on a trip,” she says.
No matter your children’s age, it’s important to let them know that they’re helping and not taking control of the entire vacation. Lipson advises parents to make it clear that they value their kids’ interests and opinions, but the ultimate destination selection must work for the entire family.
“I recommend letting the kids know the adults will make the final choice, but their input is appreciated,” Lipson says. “This way they don't get too attached or disappointed if their pick doesn't work out.”
Get the ball rolling on planning
Once you’ve started the conversation, you can involve your children in identifying and researching potential destinations.
“Visit the travel section of your local library or bookstore and see what piques their interest,” Lipson says. You can encourage them to dive deeper by asking them what they might like to do in each place. “Research kid-friendly activities together and make illustrated lists of things to do,” Lipson says.
Parents and children can also sit down together to book specific tours and activities before vacation. In fact, an increasing number of families seem to be doing this, according to recent data from Tripadvisor, which shows a 40% increase year over year in children's tickets for heritage tours and a 47% jump in children’s tickets for cooking classes.
But that doesn’t mean parents should feel pressure to plan elaborate outings or lengthy tours in order to get their children interested in travel planning. Even small steps can get a child involved and grow anticipation for an upcoming trip.
“For some families, the best place to start may be scoping out gelato spots and drawing ice cream cones on a map, or finding playgrounds near already booked accommodations,” Lipson says.
When in doubt, keep it simple. Any opening to discuss what a vacation might be like and what your child might like to do there is a step in the right direction.
Include kids in the destination selection process
Once it’s time to choose a vacation spot, you can include your little ones in that phase of planning, too.
Lipson advises to offer a limited number of destinations that have been vetted and okayed by the adults in the group, and open the conversation up with your kids. “Start with a list of three places, and a shortlist for each with top attractions that match their interests and see where the conversation takes you,” says Lipson.
Try to be as concrete and visual as possible to help children understand the details. This will help guide the conversation and keep kids engaged. “Offering practical options and showing kids photos of the different possibilities can give them a chance to make an educated choice.”
Even if the children don’t get their top destination, parents can still plan simple and affordable activities that keep them interested during the vacation. “Make a scavenger hunt or treasure map—end at a candy store!—with stops the kids are interested in along the way,” Lipson advises.
Overall, the goal is to get kids interested in travel, help them get better at identifying their opinions and preferences, and even build a sense of gratitude along the way.
“When kids get to experience the process, they become more aware of the work that's being done for them, and it teaches them how important it is for everyone to do their part and be grateful,” says Lipson.
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