Our twins are in 4th grade this year, and you know what that means - we had to make the most of their 4th grade national park passes!! 3 years ago when my son was in 4th grade, we focused on visiting Arizona (Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Sedona), and this year, we decided to focus on Utah (Zion and Bryce Canyon to be exact). Watch our fun video covering every single thing we did from our direct flights from Newark to Las Vegas, to our hotels, car rental, and every single activity we did!! From hiking at Zion and Bryce to a Navajo guided tour in Antelope Valley area slot canyons, to Horseshoe Bend and exploring casinos in Las Vegas, including "pro tips" for traveling to the southwest as well as traveling as a big family, and of course links to book everything yourself!!
Disclaimer: I earn commission from purchases made after clicking on my affiliate links (marked with * below) - which help fund my blog and our family vacations, thank you!!
DAY 1: Fly + Overnight in Las Vegas: Spring break can be tricky to find affordable flights, but we found tickets for under $350 roundtrip, direct from Newark to Las Vegas, which included free carry on and in seat entertainment. We didn't do any regional flights in the southwest and opted for driving instead, but if you're really crunched for time and want to see a larger area, you might consider it! We stayed the first night at Spark by Hilton Las Vegas Airport* because we arrived after midnight and needed some place close to crash before driving over to Utah, and it had free breakfast to boot! It was just your average chain hotel, nothing super special to speak of, but it got the job done and we were happy! I don't have a single photo though, because it took ages to get our rental van at the airport and we didn't check in til 3am!! Slept strait til 8am and then threw down breakfast and headed out! 
Rental Car*:
We didn't want to make the same mistake we did in Costa Rica which was thinking we could cram 7 people (and 7 people's luggage) into a 7 seater SUV... so we went all out on a 12 passenger van and it was glorious!! Everyone had space, and thankfully the land out west also has space, so my husband didn't have a single issue driving it. I love the idea of an RV but it just seems so difficult to drive and you really still need a regular car for getting around in towns. And if going with just your spouse or with 1 kid like a group of 4 or less, something like an Indie Camper could be fun!! 
DAY 2: Drive to Zion National Park + check into Kanab rental home It was about a 3 hour drive from Las Vegas to Zion, we took a couple of pit stops including lunch, and got to Zion around 2pm. It was CROWDED!! You have to park on the street in Springdale ($15) and take the free shuttle into the park. We decided to hike the "kid-friendly" Pa'rus Trail, and it was beautiful, but we were shocked with how many people (most!?) were on e-bikes!! They're $80 to rent for the day (maybe cheaper if you book ahead*), and you have to be at least 14 years old. Our kids begged but we didn't think the grand parents would be up for it, and I didn't trust myself on an e-bike with a 10 year old strapped on the back!! So... we hiked for about 2 hours, waited a LONG time in line to get the shuttle back to the car, and enjoyed some SPECTACULAR Zion sightseeing on the drive down to Kanab. I would have loved to hike The Narrows* but we didn't have time... it might be something worthwhile, wading through the river, how fun!! 
Kanab Rental House*: When you travel with a large group, constantly changing hotels can be a real pain in the butt. We prefer to have one base, where we can load up on groceries for relaxed breakfasts, where we don't have to repack daily, where we can do laundry and hit the pool, you name it! So I found this cute little town, Kanab Utah, and an adorable little rental townhouse, and it was PERFECT!! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, full kitchen, washer and dryer, and a community pool and jacuzzi. It was a 1-1.5hr drive to all the places we wanted to go, so nice and central, and I can't recommend it highly enough!! When in Kanab at night, LOOK UP!!! I have never seen so many stars IN. MY. LIFE!!! Look at the photo below - can you see Orien's Belt!? 
DAY 2: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Apparently in early April, Bryce typically still has 2 feet of snow on the ground. But this year, thankfully, it was significantly warmer meaning the weather was gorgeous, and ALL trails were open!! We parked at the main entrance and took the shuttle to Cedar Point. OMG. WOW. STUNNING!!! We took the shuttle to a few different spots and got lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge*. The park was absolutely breathtaking. But also very nerve wracking. Lots of paths had no rails, and I was just on constant alert that someone was going to go over the edge. Still, this park is a MUST SEE!!! 
DAY 3: Page, Antelope Valley Slot Canyon, + Horseshoe Bend
If you are 100% set on doing an Upper Antelope Canyon*, Lower Antelope Canyon*, or Antelope Canyon X* tour, book it. Like, as soon as you have your flight booked, next step is book the tour. Antelope slot canyons are on Navajo land and require a Navajo permit as well as a Navajo led guide. These tours are PRICEY, we're talking $100+ per person, for a 1 hour tour. I just couldn't do it. And after day 2 as we were sitting around after dinner going, what's tomorrow?? There were no Upper/Lower Antelope tours left except for $165 per person at 6am. NOPE. So we started looking for alternatives, and found this one, Antelope Valley Wind Pebble Canyon Tour with Navajo family owned Ligai Si Anii Tours*, that ended up being much cheaper and just so amazing. It felt like a private tour! There was literally no one other than our group (us 7, 2 more families, and our guide, Wally, a total of 14) in the ENTIRE CANYON for the entire 2 hours we were there!! Just such a great experience!! Wally was a great source of information, a great story tell, a great guide, and a great photographer - taking tons of vertical family panoramas within the slot canyons. There were ladders, climbing over some boulders, very narrow slots to traverse, but even my 70 year old in laws could do it! 
After working up an appetite, we went out to lunch, and then went to Horseshoe Bend. It was $15 for parking, but was $35 for our "oversized" van. It's a state park, not a national one, so the 4th grade park pass didn't help. It's a 15 minute walk or so out to the lookout which is a jaw dropper, and another place that just made me so nervous about someone falling over! Everyone leaning out over the cliffs to take a selfie. Just yikes!!! If you have more time and want to do an activity here, there are tons of tours and fun stuff like boating, rafting*, kayaking*, etc! 
DAY 4 - FLEX DAY Initially I had tentatively planned to go back to Zion on this day, but after so much driving the previous days, we decided instead to check out the cool spots more local to our base camp of Kanab! And it was a WIN!! Here's where we went: Moqui Cave Free parking, $7 per adult (a little less for kids and seniors). Very cool museum inside of a cave, make sure to ask about the owner (a Mormon who had 6 wives and 55 kids, and how he had to go to prison for 1 month per wife when Utah was made a state - such a fascinating story!!!). They have dinosaur footprints and fossils, a black lit section of stones, just lots to see, we really enjoyed it! 
Kanab Sand Caves I want to preface this with the fact that it was the scariest and most dangerous hike our family has ever done, and I had NO idea it would be that scary. Do not go into this hike like we did. Make sure you have GOOD tread on your shoes and that everyone in your party is ok with scaling sandy slabs of rock at a good 45 degree angle, where 1 big slip means you are at the bottom. Like. SCARY. But, that said, once you make it to the top, it's really really cool. Man made caves that look out, such a fun spot to explore, play in sand, and take tons of photos. Again, somehow, my 70 year old in-laws were able to climb this as were my kids, but my husband definitely helped some of us out. I found climbing like a crab gave me the best grip allowing me to have my feet flat on the slabs, with my hands down too, but it wasn't fun... One of my kids had bald sneakers and she had ZERO traction, needed my husband's hand most of the climb up and down. 
Belly of the Dragon After the sand caves, this one was easy peasy. A very quick stop if just doing the tunnel which is less than a quarter mile end to end, unless you follow the trail about 4 miles to see the slot canyon. Free parking, really cool man made drainage pipe that seriously looks like the belly of a dragon! I joke in the video but I really felt like we were giving a dragon a colonoscopy LOL! Fun quick worthwhile stop if you're in the Kanab area! 
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park I don't think I would recommend this in summer, but early April when we went it was mid 70's, sunny, breezy, just couldn't have been more perfect weather to visit these sand dunes! $15 parking (a state park, so 4th grade park pass doesn't work) and $25 per rental board - they have sit down and stand up ones to choose from, make sure they give you a square of wax that you can use on the bottom to go faster. We decided to rent just 1 board and share it between the 5 of us (in-laws sat this one out), and it was a good call because it was a LOT of work getting back up that hill each time!! PRO TIP: consider bringing goggles for this one, our kids got so much sand in their eyes, it was quite painful!! I didn't have an issue, maybe because when standing I was out of the sand blowing around for the most part? Or maybe because I only did 1 sled run and didn't roll around in the sand like they did... They do sell them at the shop but they're $20 each I think... better to BYO! Another pro tip - if you want to ride or drive dune buggies or off road vehicles around Kanab or anywhere, book this AHEAD OF TIME!! We tried the day before and everything was booked. If looking for a fun tour, this one looks amazing - Sand Dunes ATV Ride, Sledding, + Slot Canyon*! 
DAY 5 - Drive back to Las Vegas + Explore It was a good 3.5 hour drive back to Vegas, with just 1 pit stop this time. We couldn't check in til 4pm so we parked the car and explored some casinos, which was fun!! We walked through Paris, Its Sugar, saw the Bellagio fountain show (in the day and nighttime), checked out the flamingo gardens at Flamingo, saw the canals and gondolas in the Venetian, and found the Sphere. 
PLANET HOLLYWOOD HOTEL & CASINO* For our last night of the trip, we wanted to GO BIG by staying at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and ended up going with (the cheapest rooms) at Planet Hollywood. It's a large hotel and the rooms were shockingly spacious, with a soaking tub and we ended up with a great view of the sphere! Nice unexpected bonus! If you have time, the pool is massive and there's corn hole and more to do up there, with great views! And I highly recommend Cafe Hollywood for breakfast - HUGE portions, definitely share!! 
DAY 6 - Omega Mart* + Fly Home Our kids had been whining the entire week about wanting to go to Omega Mart in Vegas. In the end it wasn't looking like we'd have time and they were melting down over it. So we made a last minute decision during breakfast on our last day that we would get tickets at 10am when they opened and spend a maximum of 2 hours there, before rushing to the airport to fly home. And you know what?! The plan actually worked!! The line at the entrance freaked us out but I guess people with timed tickets for first entry line up before it opens, but it took just a few minutes to get in and it was nice and quiet! By the end of our visit it was getting more crowded as the 11am and 12pm timed entrance ticket holders entered, so I definitely recommend trying to get the 1st slot when they open for the least crowds. And I'd say 2 hours was the bare minimum. If you want to actually get the Employee Pass and try to figure out the clues and all that, it could take many more hours. But after 2 hours, we (parents) felt it was good enough!! 
EXTENDED TRIP OPTION: Add on Grand Canyon, Sedona + Phoenix If you only plan to come to this area once, you don't want to miss Grand Canyon. From Page, drive 2.5 hours south to Grand Canyon (1 night), drive another 2.5 hours south to Sedona (1 night), and drive another 2 hours south to return your rental car and fly out of Phoenix. This add-on does require a few extra days and the added fee for a 1-way rental car and two 1-way flights, but you will get to see SO much in this single extended trip. We prefer a slightly shorter and slower vacation, so we split this up into 2 different spring breaks and highly recommend it!! Late March through April is honestly the best weather in the southwest, some parts have a chance of still having snow or dropping into the 30's overnight, but we found in general, it's dry and sunny and in the 60s-70s most days (our last day in Vegas was 90!). Here's our Arizona Vacation Guide and Phoenix-Sedona-Grand Canyon Trip highlights videos:
This was an amazing spring break, and we are so grateful my husband's parents could come from Japan to join us! So many memories made!!
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If you've been following, I finally splurged on the Frontier Airline's GoWild Pass on Black Friday and between family and work and kids' sports games, I had been having a hard time getting a trip planned! But I finally did it!! I'm just back from a 4 night solo trip down to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic!! Here's a video going over every. single. aspect!! From my itinerary with just 2 days and 3 nights in Santo Domingo, to my solo female travel safety tips, to what to do with a 17 hour layover in Orlando!! Helpful links follow below the video!! MUST BUY!!! PORTABLE POWER BANK: If you're flying alot on Frontier... they do not have in seat entertainment OR power outlets. So, you're watching movies on your phone, perhaps on 2 flights in a day, then you arrive at the destination and have to get an Uber. You're still taking videos and photos and you just cannot risk your phone running out of battery. So, this INIU 20,000 mAh power bank (commission earning Amazon affiliate link) is a life saver!!! I literally will not take another vacation without it. It can charge your phone 4 times. It's crazy!! Zero stress about power anymore!!! UPF RASH GUARD: I love my long sleeve quarter zip UPF rash guard from Dokotoo for protecting me from the sun!! Also, if you get it wet, it keeps you nice and cool! Get yours here (commission earning Amazon affiliate link) MUST DO:
Contributed post.  What if the best part of a trip to Mount Rushmore isn’t the monument itself? Why do so many travelers come to see it, and what do they miss when they stop at the stone faces? Few places in America capture the nation’s spirit like the Black Hills of South Dakota. For many, Mount Rushmore is the reason to go. But those who stop there miss half the magic. The Black Hills are a place of beauty and history that deserve to be explored, not just photographed. If you’re planning a trip, do yourself a favor and start with a map of things to do near Mt Rushmore, because there’s far more to see and experience than most travelers expect. The Allure of Mount Rushmore Seeing the colossal faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln carved into a granite cliffside is, without a doubt, an awe-inspiring moment. The monument may seem familiar from postcards and movies, but standing before it and being surrounded by crisp mountain air and waving evergreens really hits differently. Mount Rushmore is an engineering marvel and a reminder of early-20th-century ambition. Gutzon Borglum’s vision for a national shrine was as bold as the era itself, and while some debate the politics of its creation, few can deny its cultural weight. Watching the evening lighting ceremony, where the faces glow under the stars, is an emotional highlight that often surprises first-time visitors. Sometimes, the best family memories come from the places you thought you already knew. See why a family trip to Mount Rushmore could be even more exciting than you imagined. Exploring the Black Hills This region feels like a living museum of geology, wildlife, and American frontier lore. Just a short drive away sits Custer State Park, home to one of the largest free-roaming bison herds in the U.S. Take the Wildlife Loop Road early in the morning, and you’ll likely share the road with these gentle giants. There’s more to Custer State Park than its famous drives and wildlife. Discover Custer State Park’s hidden gems and local favorites that make every visit unforgettable. Then there’s Needles Highway, where sharp granite spires seem to pierce the sky. Tight tunnels and hairpin curves that can keep you on edge are not for faint-hearted drivers, but they’re easily some of the most cinematic drives in the country. For hikers, Sylvan Lake is pure serenity. It’s a mirror-smooth body of water encircled by massive rock formations, perfect for kayaking or picnicking after a morning trail walk. History with a Rough Edge While the Black Hills are undeniably beautiful, they also carry a heavy history. Long before the U.S. claimed the area, this land was sacred to the Lakota Sioux. Visiting the Crazy Horse Memorial, just 17 miles from Mount Rushmore, adds perspective. This still-unfinished monument, which is dedicated to the legendary Lakota warrior, aims to honor Native heritage on a similarly grand scale. Some travelers skip it because it’s “incomplete,” but that misses the point. The process itself tells a story about resilience and identity. Watching artisans carve a mountain by hand over decades is humbling. It’s a living project, not a static monument, and a necessary companion to understanding Rushmore’s more complex legacy. Every corner of Hill City has a story. Find out what locals consider the most memorable things to see and do for an authentic Black Hills experience. Towns that Time Didn’t Forget The surrounding towns of Keystone, Hill City, and Custer are straight out of a Western film. Keystone, perched just below Mount Rushmore, offers a lively strip of saloons, fudge shops, and quirky museums. It’s touristy, yes, but in a charming, old-fashioned way. Hill City, on the other hand, feels more local and artsy. You’ll find boutique galleries, craft breweries, and the 1880 Train, which is an authentic steam locomotive that rolls through scenic valleys. If you have an afternoon to spare, this nostalgic train ride offers a peaceful break from the crowds. Further south, Deadwood deserves an entire day. Once a lawless gold-rush town, it now mixes casino fun with genuine Wild West history. You can visit the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, walk cobblestone streets that feel frozen in time, and catch a nightly reenactment of an old-school gunfight. It’s kitschy but endearing, which is exactly what makes South Dakota special. Nature, Adventure, and Quiet Moments It’s not souvenirs that really stay with you after a Black Hills vacation. It’s the feeling of scale. Hiking through Black Elk Peak, the highest point east of the Rockies, you’re surrounded by endless forest and sky. The 360-degree views at the summit are breathtaking, especially during golden hour when the landscape glows in amber light. Outdoor lovers can explore Jewel Cave National Monument or Wind Cave National Park, both of which hide miles of underground passages formed over millions of years. These caverns are cool, otherworldly spaces that balance the region’s open-air grandeur with subterranean mystery. If you prefer something quieter, simply drive at sunset. The Black Hills have that rare ability to make you feel alone yet connected to nature, to history, and to something bigger than both. Where to Stay and When to Go Summer is the most popular season, but early fall might be the secret sweet spot. The weather stays pleasant, the crowds thin, and the trees explode in golden color. Lodging options range from rustic cabins to upscale lodges, and plenty of campgrounds cater to RV travelers. Base yourself in Hill City or Custer for central access to major sites, or choose a secluded Airbnb cabin if you want a mountain retreat. No matter where you stay, plan your routes carefully as the area looks compact on the map, but winding roads make travel slower than expected. Final Thoughts: Black Hills Deserve More Than Your Weekend The mistake that many travelers make is treating Mount Rushmore like a roadside stop on a cross-country trip. The Black Hills deserve a full vacation, not just a detour. This region is America in miniature. Proud, diverse, layered with history, and endlessly beautiful. When you stand before those carved presidents, you’re looking at ambition, controversy, artistry, and national memory all at once. But when you step away and explore the pine forests, the caves, and the small towns, you find a sense of balance between nature and narrative. A vacation here reminds you that the heart of America isn’t found in cities or beaches but in landscapes that tell stories carved by both people and time. One trip isn’t enough, and getting the most out of your visit takes a little planning. Reach out to professionals who know the area and can help you craft an unforgettable experience. Contributed post.  If you’re experienced in solo travel and then attempt to plan a vacation with a family, it’s quite the eye-opening experience. Multiplying costs by factors 2, 3, or more. Having to add on special accommodations for the littles. Budgeting for the unexpected that is sure to arise. The charges add up quickly. While it is definitely more expensive to travel with a family, the bottom line can be softened considerably with careful planning. Keep reading as we explore some of the best ways to splurge smartly on family vacations, using a hypothetical visit to a popular destination like Scottsdale for illustrative purposes. Fly or Drive? Getting there means different things to different families. For some, it’s getting there as quickly as possible, limiting spend in the process. For others, it’s about the journey just as much as the destination, creating memories along the way. Purchasing airline tickets for a family can cause some sticker shock upfront. However, the actual cost may not be terribly more expensive than driving. Less time off work. No need to stop for food and overnight stays. An important consideration is the local transportation scene. If there are free and low-cost methods to zip your family around town, it can save a bundle over having to pay parking and/or Uber fares. Adventures That Align with Your Family’s Preferences All families are unique, and you need to ensure that the vacation feels right for you. Some families love nothing more than time in an all-inclusive hotel. Others may have their eyes set on spending days at a theme park. In this case, paying for VIP passes is where you should splurge. If your family is into adventures and enjoying nature, camping adventures are ideal. Finding a quality RV park that has plenty to offer will lay the foundation for a great vacation. Hiring a suitable vehicle for the trip would level up the luxury too. There is no right or wrong answer. However, a vacation should align with your family’s preferences. Doing things you like with the people you love is priceless. Don’t Go Cheap on Accommodations  (Photo Courtesy of HÓZHÓ Ranch on Alameda) There is no more important piece of the vacation puzzle than accommodations. The choice of lodgings can truly make or break the stay. There is also more price variability on accommodations than any other item on the budget. Bargain basement hotels to all-inclusive resorts and everything in between. A word to the wide: don’t try and go cheap with lodgings. Staying in gross, uncomfortable accommodations is not worth it. Ever. Especially when traveling with a family. An ideal stay for a family perfectly balances the lines between “home away from home” and upscale wonder. This is why more and more families are choosing luxury estate rentals over retail hotels as their host for family vacations. The best luxury vacation rental Scottsdale has to offer will include vast dimensions, ample guest rooms, resort-style backyards, and endless interior amenities. This guarantees that each member of your family has their own slice of privacy to be rested, rejuvenated, and entertained throughout the course of the stay. In addition, while not the cheapest lodging option upfront, booking a luxury rental can lead to subsequent cost efficiencies. When there is plenty to do on the premises, you are less likely to have to spend on activities out and about. Travel to Destinations with Rich Cultural History Some of the most iconic family destinations are conveniently situated in the middle of nowhere. This guarantees that there is nothing to do or see except spend money at their theme park. Savvy family travelers choose to visit Scottsdale and other types of culturally rich destinations that offer plenty of free activities. Whether it’s a morning hike through the stunning desert landscape or an art walk through the downtown museums and craft shops, the best family destinations don’t need to charge admission to make the visit worthwhile. Be Strategic with Eating Out and Dining In  Meals are another area where families will likely try to save on the vacation budget. By packing a cooler full of lunch meat and snacks, you will save on the cost of restaurant bills, right? Yes and no. While there is no denying that, in theory, the old “shop and save” method to vacation dining should save a decent amount of money, it ultimately fails for a couple of reasons. First, few families have the discipline to actually stick to this approach. It can be difficult to keep telling your kids “no, we have sandwiches back in the room” every time you pass a scrumptious restaurant. This often results in a double whammy for the budget. Restaurant charges on top of a cooler full of uneaten picnic food. Furthermore, dining out is part of the vacation experience in and of itself. A trip to the Southwest wouldn’t be the same without visiting some of the best restaurants in Scottsdale, so it is important to make the local cuisine part of the experience. Save Time for Down Time  Maybe the most overlooked component of a family vacation is saving time for down time. Too many times, your eyes can get bigger than your energy levels when planning the itinerary. You build the agenda down to the minute and buy tickets for every cool event months in advance. After the first day, it’s not just your kids whining. Everyone is burnt out. All of that planning is for nought, and your tickets go to waste. Therefore, remember that spending time with your people is just as much a part of the vacation experience as doing all the things. Aim for one big itinerary item each day. But be sure to leave plenty of down time to just kick back, relax, and go wherever the vacation may take you. Enjoy a Luxury Family Vacation without Breaking the Bank Although there is no denying traveling with your loved ones can be expensive, there are plenty of ways to spend on the right items while avoiding any superfluous charges. From choosing the right transportation to keeping the itinerary modest, consider any of the ideas listed above to splurge smartly on your next family vacation. For more of the latest trends in family travel, explore the content at US Japan Fam for ideas and inspiration!
Conferences + Summits for Travel Creators, Digital Nomads, and Tourism Industry Professionals5/21/2025 
Whether you simply love traveling and are looking for tips and tricks to turn your passion into a job, or you're a full time traveler making 8 figures a year, or you are a travel agent or represent an amazing DMO, there's something for everyone at an amazing travel creator conference, and these are the best ones held annually around the world! I'll update this regularly once an event passes and the next date/location have been announced!! Do note, many of these travel creator summits have speaker and volunteer applications, that allow you to either attend for free OR be actually PAID - but you need to apply MONTHS ahead, sometimes a full year ahead - so stay on top of it! **UPDATED REGULARLY**
2025
May 28-30 - AdventureELEVATE in Denver, CO ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) AdventureELEVATE & World Summit : An annual three-day regional conference for media, outbound tour operators, and thought leaders in the adventure travel community. June 2-4 - ITT Conference in Sardinia Open to ITT (Institute of Travel & Tourism) Members and leading personalities in UK's tourism + travel industry. June 6 - 8 - Creator Camp in Tahoe June 7 - 13 - Nomad Cruise - Greece June 16-19 - TBEX North America in Quebec, Montreal, Canada TBEX is the largest conference and community of travel creators and influencers in the world. July 15-16 - Traverse Waypoint in London. For travel industry and online media and journalists, content creators, brands, destinations, agencies, and influencers. August 9-15 - Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas September 9-12 in Ireland - TBEX Europe TBEX is the largest conference and community of travel creators and influencers in the world. October 1-4 - TBEX Summit America in Wichita, Kansas TBEX is the largest conference and community of travel creators and influencers in the world. Oct 12 - Nov 9 - Nomad Cruise - US-Australia October 13-14 - TravMedia IMM Asia in Singapore TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. October 13-16 - Adventure Travel World Summit in Chile ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) AdventureELEVATE & World Summit : An annual three-day regional conference for media, outbound tour operators, and thought leaders in the adventure travel community. Only 50 media delegates are accepted, registration was due in January. October 26-29 - Travel Fest in Mayakoba Mexico Luxury travel show November 5-7 - CruiseWorld in Fort Lauderdale, Florida November 4-6 - WTM in London World Travel Market (WTM) - where travel and tourism meet - a travel and influential event 44 years strong.
2026
January 10-11 - Seattle Travel & Adventure Show January 17-18 - Washington DC Travel & Adventure Show January 21-22 - TravMedia IMM North America in NYC TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. January 21-25 - Fitur in Madrid, Spain International tourism trade fair. January 24-25 - New York Travel & Adventure Show March 4-6 (tickets available in December) - ITB Berlin Every year in March the world of international tourism gathers at the largest travel trade show, ITB Berlin. February 14-15 - Phoenix Travel & Adventure Show February 21-22 - Chicago Travel & Adventure Show February 26-27 - TravMedia IMM Australia TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. February 28 - Mar 1 - South Florida Travel & Adventure Show March 7-8 - Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show March 2 - TravMedia IMM Germany TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. March 11 - TravMedia IMM France TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. March 21-22 - Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show March 28-29 - Dallas Travel & Adventure Show April 10 - TravMedia IMM Brazil TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. April 11-12 - Denver Travel & Adventure Show April 13-15 - WTM Africa in Cape Town, South Africa April 13-16 - Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami April 14-16 - WTM Latin America in Sao Paulo, Brazil May 4-6 - WTM Arabian Travel Market in Dubai May 29-31 - WITS Summit in Chattanooga TN WITS Summit / Women in Travel Summit: The largest gathering of women travel creators in the world and the premier event for travel's top marketing talent. Attendees can apply for free tours and FAM trips. Speakers and volunteers provided complimentary tickets.
NOT YET SCHEDULED:
Travel Massive holds regular meetups and events around the world, check out upcoming events here! Women's Travel Fest - postponed from Feb 2025 to TBD 2026 TravelCon Nomad Summit TravMedia IMM UK TravMedia's IMM (International Media Marketplace) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and influencers. Sidewalker Daily Creator Cruise AdventureELEVATE - Catalonia ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) AdventureELEVATE & World Summit : An annual three-day regional conference for media, outbound tour operators, and thought leaders in the adventure travel community. 
Costa Rica is a super family friendly exotic and adventurous vacation destination, and there are many regions to explore - whether you love beaches, jungles, mountains, cities, food, nature, wildlife, or Pura Vida lifestyle - you can enjoy them all here! If you are short on time, prefer slow travel, or have car sick kids (all 3 of these applied to my family on our recent trip and our first time in Costa Rica) you should stick to ONE region. For this Spring Break multigenerational family vacation, we chose the region of La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano! Why? After doing lots of research, that volcano just SPOKE to me. It's iconic! And while their beaches look beautiful, I just knew I could not miss Arenal Volcano. And turns out, there is PLENTY to do within 20 minutes of La Fortuna! Watch our highlights video and keep reading for more details about what to do with kids in Costa Rica, how child and senior friendly various activities are, and of course links to book the hotels and activities we absolutely loved and were perfect for our family, who ranged from 9 to 76 years old!
Disclaimer: links marked with * are affiliate links - you don't spend more but I receive commission from eligible purchases and bookings made after clicking.
FLIGHT:
Obviously the flight you book depends on many factors, most importantly your home airport options and if you prioritize price or convenience (aka flight times and stops)! We prefer flying out of Newark because it's closer and much cheaper to get to with a car service, but since my parents were coming with us, we wanted to get a direct flight, and the cheapest option was JetBlue out of JFK. It ended up being under $500 per person roundtrip, including free carry on, wifi, in-seat entertainment with tons of movies, drinks, and snacks! Check your flight options here* (just TRIPLE check you're searching San Jose (SJO) in COSTA RICA and not San Jose in CALIFORNIA - my mom made this mistake ha!!) At the time of booking, I signed up for their Barclay's credit card which gave me $250 credit and gets me 4 free checked bags (which we shared with my parents since we only needed 2). Score! The flights were smooth, under 5 hours. That might be long for some, but for seasoned long haul travelers like us, anything is easy when you're used to 24-hr travel days getting to Japan!! 
HOTEL: SAN JOSE AIRPORT AREA
Since our flight arrived in the late evening, we decided to stay at a nearby hotel rather than go into the city or take the 3hr road trip up to La Fortuna in the dark (not recommended!!!!!) After some research, I picked Country Inn & Suites by Radisson San Jose Aeropuerto* because it checked all the boxes:
HOTEL: LA FORTUNA / ARENAL VOLCANO AREA Arenal Volcano area is renowned for it's luxurious hot spring resorts, which yes, are obviously amazing, but quite an extravagant splurge for mid-range travelers like us! We decided to go a much more budget-friendly route and I was SO happy that my hours of research paid off when I stumbled across Hotel Lavas Tacotal*. They have spacious motel-style rooms as well as single unit adorable bungalows, laid across their gorgeously landscaped and tropical grounds, with 2 small but lovely pools, volcano views, and a huge open-air restaurant with DELICIOUS breakfast buffet. It's also open for dinner, with a full bar, though we never dined here outside of breakfast. They're very conveniently located as well - a 5 minute WALK to Go Adventure Zip Line meeting point, as well as a convenient store for all of your necessities, and a couple of decent restaurants. And about a 10 minute drive in one direction to downtown La Fortuna, and 10-20 minute drive in the opposite direction to Arenal Volcano. 
RENTAL CAR:
We booked our rental car with Adobe Rent-A-Car, after finding a great discount code on this Two Weeks in Costa Rica blog post - not only is it a great 10-20% discount, but you get some great freebies like a 2nd driver, booster seats, and car delivered to your hotel (which we needed since our flight arrived very close to their office closing and we didn't want to risk it)! We had a great experience with them - all the taxes and fees are straightforward from the get go, no hidden costs like some other companies often shock you with at the desk! RENTAL / DRIVING TIPS:
5 DAYS IN COSTA RICA ITINERARY:
DAY 1:
CATARATA DEL TORO: There are numerous ways to drive from San Jose to La Fortuna. We went to the east and had a nice pit stop at Catarata Del Toro waterfall. We had a later-than-planned-departure from San Jose (due to hubby needing to take some morning work calls at the hotel), otherwise we also would have also visited Blue Falls (literally right next to the other, we just didn't have a moment spare for it). Catarata Del Toro was GORGEOUS - an impressive 270 ft cascading waterfall within an old volcano crater! The water was actually grey due to nearby Poas Volcano current activity, but the color fluctuates. The entrance fee was $15, and you see the waterfall from above pretty much right away. We decided not to decend the hundreds of steps to the bottom due to the rain, instead we hiked around in our ponchos and had a nice relaxing adventure that broke up the drive perfectly. They have a restaurant on site that we were planning to lunch at, but the cook was sick, so we were out of luck there. This was our first lesson in "go with the flow, expect the unexpected" in Costa Rica! Pro tip: always have lots of snacks in the car for unexpected things like this, and being stuck behind cows or construction on the road for random 20-30 minute spans of time! 
NIGHT HIKE:
A night hike to see frogs, sloths, and other creepy crawleys at night in the jungle is a MUST DO in Costa Rica. But there are SO many to choose from, I found myself spinning in circles!! Save yourself the time and just book La Fortuna Hikes & Trails night hike* (about $43 per person), which is the one we did and includes a really unique tortilla making class (it actually ended up being a really hefty snack / light meal so consider this when making your dinner plans before or after the hike). 
Our guide was SO amazing! We were all given rechargeable flashlights, and she walked us through pointing out creature after creature, telling us all about them, letting us take our time capturing endless photos and videos. I had purchased and brought mosquito repellent bracelets and we all wore one but didn't notice many mosquitos, which was shocking - in the jungle and in Costa Rica as a whole. After 5 days I went home with only 2 bites, the kids had more unfortunate because they left the bedroom door open too long and had some in their room overnight. Oops! 
Day 2:
MISTICO HANGING BRIDGES There are a few options for hanging bridges, we opted for Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges* (about $40 per person) and absolutely loved it! It's a long hike, with lots of steep inclines, through gorgeous jungles, but the paths are paved and they even had strollers you could rent so that speaks to how well the paths are made! We didn't book tickets with a guide but recommend you consider it - they will help spot wildlife, take group photos etc! We occasionally came across a group with a guide and were lucky enough to have them point out a couple of vipers and other wildlife for us, so if you don't get a guide, try to stay near a group that does ha!! 
One of my 3 kids was terrified of the hanging bridges, I did not anticipate that, so keep it in mind if you have anyone afraid of heights in your group. They are QUITE high, they creak, they swing a bit if anyone isn't walking carefully one foot in front of the other. They are spectacular though, some offer views of rivers, others of the volcano. We just loved it! And it was mostly shaded, we didn't even bother with sunblock and were just fine. Be sure to use the bathroom beforehand, as there's nowhere within the park to go.
LUNCH: After finishing your hike, they do have ice cream and a restaurant with a stunning view, but if you want to save money, drive a few minutes down the road to Soda La Palma which was recommended to us by a Mistico staff member. It has great food, and even had a mini petting zoo behind it! 
DON JUAN ARENAL COFFEE + CHOCOLATE TOUR I should preface this by saying my mother and I almost opted out of this one. It sounded boring for us and the kids, we were just going to send the men while we stayed behind to let the kids swim. Boy oh boy were we mistaken, and I'm SO glad we all went along, despite the pricey admission tickets (about $50 per person)... this tour was EPIC!!!! So hands on, lots to smell, taste, and do. Our guide kept it fun for the kids and was so informative about EVERYTHING involved in the process of growing these crops. We saw a sloth on property, picked and ate fresh bananas off a tree, sucked on fresh cocoa pod seeds (they taste like fruit candy!!), even got to make our own chocolate! Don't sleep on this one, get your tickets for Don Juan Coffee + Chocolate tour here*!! 
Don Juan is located quite close to the La Fortuna Hikes & Trails, so could be nicely paired back to back with a hike there, although that's a LOT of guided tour in a row if you ask me (and my kids). They're also pretty close to downtown La Fortuna, so we booked the last tour of the day at 4pm and finished at late dusk and headed into town for dinner. We ended up at Volcano Steakhouse, which had a shockingly long wait (not sure if that's typical or they were down on staff) but food was good and vibe was fun, and my parents treated the kids to Pops ice cream afterward! 
Day 3:
LA FORTUNA WATERFALL
When in La Fortuna, visiting La Fortuna Waterfall* is a MUST DO. Again, like everything else, you must pay to see it, but it's worth it, trust me! It's about $20 per person, there was no discount for kids but my parents got in for dirt cheap after inquiring about their senior rate. There are 500 steps down, and another 500 steps back up. My mother opted to sit that hike out but there is a great viewing platform at the top, so she still got to see it from above and waited in the shade for the rest of us to hike down, SWIM at the base of the waterfall, and hike back up. We were all nervous about that climb back up, but honestly, take it slow, take lots of breaks (for just looking around and enjoying nature!), and it's no problem, really!! 
Be VERY careful though, the rocks by the waterfall are VERY VERY SLIPPERY!!! Also, if swimming out, be careful not to kick the rocks, there's a drop off a bit out where you can swim without concern about rocks, but when coming back in, just use your arms as you get closer. Ask us how we know (ouch!). Also, be mindful of your things. There was some security guards down there, not sure I would rely on them. They have lockers at the top so I advise you to leave valuables at home or in the lockers, and only bring down your clothes, shoes, towel, water bottle, and your phone in a waterproof phone pouch (see my "Costa Rica shopping list" at the bottom of this post for other must-brings)! 
GO ADVENTURE ZIP LINE Zip lining is right up there with night hiking for "must do" in Costa Rica. There are many locations and companies to choose from, and we struggled big time with this decision, especially since my father has Parkinson's and he was very very nervous about his ability to properly hold onto the line. We ultimately chose Zip Lining with Go Adventure* because at about $60 per person they were MUCH cheaper than some others, the tour included multiple zip lines AND an optional (but no extra fee) rappel, a Maleku experience, and admission to nearby Montaña de Fuego hot springs (and hot springs in the area are quite pricey so it was like 2 birds one stone here). Oh, and the meeting point was literally a 5 minute walk from our hotel. Winner winner chicken dinner! 
And were were 1,000% happy with our pick, Go Adventure was amazing!!! It was the first time zip lining for all of us, and we had THE best time! SO exhilarating, terrifying, breathtaking - all the feelings at once!! We were overwhelmed with the instructions at first, and totally anxious walking out to that first line. But everything felt very safe and secure - you were hooked onto the tree or the cable line basically at all times. We were SO high up but after that first zip, everyone felt amazing, even Mia who had been terrified on the hanging bridges was fine with this - so funny!! They have lockers at the meeting point so you can leave bags and valuables there. They don't recommend bringing ANYTHING with you on the zip lining tour, but I wore my DJI Osmo action camera on a harness (on my shopping list at the bottom of this post!), and my husband brought his iPhone and kept it secured in his pocket while ziplining. If you do bring a camera, make sure it is held close to your body and fully secured. You dont want to get tangled, and you dont want to drop something - all the platforms are a gridlike metal so very easy for little things to fall through or larger things to bounce and be gone forever in the jungle! You can hire a professional camera person there, it was quite pricey but if you dont have a camera that can be secured safely, and want to capture amazing stuff, you may want to splurge. But we were happy with the DIY videos and photos we got on our own. 
After such an adventurous day, we were all exhausted and were glad to find nearby Mirador Arenal Steakhouse (across the street from our hotel) for dinner (and I treated myself to a Passion Fruit Mojito - YUM!), and afterwards, a cute little convenient store (next to Go Adventure) where we were all treated to ice cream again by my sweet toothed Mom! Score!! Sweet end to a sweet day! 
Day 4:
ARENAL 1968 LAVA FLOW LOOP HIKE
As if we hadn't done enough hiking, JUST ONE MORE we told the kids! The Arenal 1968 hike (about $25 a person) is a must do in the area, it was a much more strenuous hike than we anticipated, AND we opted for the shorter loop, too! It also had lots of sunny areas - my shoulders deeply regretted not putting on that sunblock today! Definitely put on sunblock, bring water, use the bathrooms, and grab the hiking sticks they have at the entrance. There's plenty of wildlife to see, bring a guide for the best experience, otherwise just pay attention to other hikers looking at stuff, that's how we discovered most of the creatures we saw in Costa Rica! On this hike we saw a sloth, a Coati climbing through the trees, and some gorgeous birds with very interesting calls (listen to them in my youtube at the top of this post)! 
At the end of the hike is a cute cafe with GORGEOUS views, but again, we opted to drive onward to a Soda for a cheaper lunch. This time we visited Soda Arenal, which had amazing food and a super cute dog my mom and kids had fun feeding from the table, ha! 
Montaña de Fuego hot springs + pool Montaña de Fuego is one of the few all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica, maybe the only one in La Fortuna area? It's a beautiful property, and they have a lovely pool with swim up bar, jacuzzi, kiddie pool, 3 lovely manmade healing mineral hot springs, and volcanic mud to slather on your body - and a day visit for these is included with your Go Adventure wristband!! You don't have to go the same day, just don't take off your wrist band and you'll be admitted! There are no lockers, towels, or changing rooms though, so keep that in mind and BYO stuff. They do have bathrooms to use, so no worries there. You can also purchase food and drinks. It's a fun and relaxing time, we really enjoyed it as a "free" way to have the volcanic hot springs experience essential in La Fortuna (the bigger venues are very very pricey, but again, do your research - you may find buying day passes worthwhile, or you may decide to splurge on a luxury Hot Spring Resort as your accommodation, which includes use of their hot springs). 
Day 5:
Check out and go home day, we chose La Paz Waterfall Gardens as our pit stop on the road trip back this time and it was PERFECTION! Definitely give yourself plenty of time there, I think we were there about 5 hours and could have stayed longer!! The grounds and location were spectacular, possibly the best "zoo" we've ever been to - it's an animal sanctuary so all of the animals are rescues, and all (or mostly all?) local to Costa Rica. There's a butterfly aviary where they fly all around and land on you. You can see UP CLOSE tons of animals including spider monkeys, sloth, puma, jaguar, ocelot, toucan, venomous snakes, and more!
I highly recommend paying a little more for the admission ticket that includes the buffet lunch, for one because there's nothing else in the area and honestly the cost is barely more than you'd pay at a soda, and it's BUFFET with drinks, too. Admission is about $54 per adult without lunch, and $69 with lunch. The food was delicious!!! And great way to fuel up for the lovely hike that takes you to FIVE waterfalls!! At the end of the (up and down hike with lots of stairs) they have a free shuttle that takes you back to the entrace. Even my parents did the hike, so while it's not stroller or wheelchair friendly, it's quite doable for most people. 
TIPS, TRICKS, + PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS:
SHOPPING / PACKING LIST:
Some of our other Travel Guides + Family Friendly Itinerary we think you'll enjoy:
(sign up in the form at the bottom) Does packing for yourself and your family put a damper on the whole vacation excitement? Leaving you completely frazzled and panicked that you'll forget to do something? I've got you!! I just converted my own personal check list into one that can benefit all of you out there! I've been fine tuning this list for years as the sole packer for our family of 5. From travel visas and printing/uploading important dox to the cloud to putting electric toothbrushes in your CARRY ON and what kinds of dongles and wall plugs to bring. It's a HUGE list, including what to do at the time of booking, pre-departure prep, and what to pack. You can copy and paste and customize into your own check list, I recommend something like Google Keep. All you gotta do is make sure you're signed up to our list serve (form below). After signing up, you'll be redirected to a page where you can download the packing list! If you think it's helpful (we think you will), please share THIS page with a friend, so they can sign up and download as well!!
Sign up to US Japan Fam's list serve here:
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We all know about Spirit and JetBlue by now, but did you know there are MANY other low cost carriers (aka budget airlines) flying in and out of the NYC Metro area?! They'll take you to endless domestic AND international destinations. AND we're not just talking flying out of JFK, Newark, and La Guardia. In fact, there are some much smaller airports in New York and New Jersey you should have on your radar (pun intended) to save on flights, parking, and time (smaller airports = less lines and crowds to deal with!!) I hope my ultimate guide to budget airlines and cheaper airports in the TriState NYC Metro Area helps you and your family travel more while spending less - so let's get to it! Regional Airports These smaller "regional" airports are NOT included when you enter "NYC" in your flight finder searches ("NYC" is typically just going to show you JFK, LGA and usually but not always EWR), so these are worth adding to your search, since they offer plenty of domestic and international flights, often for significantly cheaper prices because the smaller airports charge the airlines less to use them! Just note, some low cost carriers won't show up on certain search engines... best to try both Google Flights and Kayak Flights (and individual airline sites if something I have listed below isn't popping up), and always book directly through the airline. 
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
Stewart International Airport (SWF)
Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN)
Westchester County Airport (HPN)
So those are the smaller airports to add to your flight searches, but some low cost carriers are also flying out of the 3 major NYC area airports (though sometimes they operate in a tiny no-frills terminal). So let's see who's where!
Low Cost Carriers flying out of Newark Airport (EWR):
Low Cost Carriers flying out of La Guardia Airport (LGA):
Low Cost Carriers flying out of JFK:
I hope you found this post helpful and opened your eyes to the different airports and airlines around NYC that can help you travel more while spending less!! Leave a comment if you've flown any of these, we'd love to hear your experiences! Personally, my family of 5 has flown out of Stewart, Newark, JFK, and La Guardia on budget carriers Play, French Bee, Spirit, and Frontier, and have our first trip on JetBlue coming up for spring break in Costa Rica!!
Related US Japan Fam articles we think you'll love:
As a travel loving family of five, we are always looking for new ways to reduce the cost of vacations and world travel. A big focus for us over the past few years has been low cost carriers to reduce our plane ticket costs. We've actually had some amazing success with budget airlines, like $280 non-stop roundtrip from Newark to Iceland. I also hustle for comped or discounted hotel stays and destination activities for our family by pitching bartering of my services as a travel content creator (comment below if you're interested in learning more about either of these strategies, and I can go into these in a future post!).
But the "new year new me" of January hits hard and I've very recently been lured to the *other* side. The side of hacking points and miles to get (nearly) free flights, cabin upgrades, and free hotel stays. And lemme tell you. It's EXCITING!!! And overwhelming. There are a TON of resources out there, so I'm going to include the ones that have been recommended to me most, that I'm utilizing, so hopefully this will help lots of you out there looking to get started earning points and miles to travel more!
Points & Miles Hacking in a Nutshell:
The basic idea is that you sign up for a new credit card and spend the minimum amount in the specified time period to earn their large sign on bonus (usually something like 60 - 100k miles or points), then either keep that card because of the other perks (like free checked bags and lounge access), or cancel it and sign up for a new card and repeat the cycle. On top of that, you'll earn points or miles for every dollar spent on that card, sometimes 5x or 10x per dollar in travel categories, so points can rack up FAST! If you get a branded card, you'll only earn for that hotel or airline, which is simple but not quite as lucrative. Some generic cards allow accrued points to be used to purchase through their travel site, or transferred to their airline/hotel partners, which is generally the best bang for your buck, especially if you get a transfer bonus and/or find a great discounted points travel deal. There are some caveats, and a LOT to learn, so I'm working my way through the FREE 10xTravel course and I recommended you do the same (and if your credit score is low or a big concern, chat with your accountant or trusted professional).
CREDIT CARD UTILIZATION:
Based on 10xTravel's recommendation, I hit the ground running by applying for my first general points card, Chase Sapphire. I wanted to do Chase first since it seems they're the pickiest, enforcing a 5/24 rule - they won't approve your application if you've opened up more than 5 new credit cards in the last 24 months. With either of their Sapphire cards, you'll get 60k miles if you spend $4k in the first 3 months (and I'll get some miles too if you use my affiliate link here)! Their regular sapphire is only $95/year and includes 1 year free DashPass, and their Reserve is $550 per year which seems kind of crazy to me but if you travel a lot, some of the perks more than pay for the annual fee - we're talking free lounge access, $300 travel credit per year, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck or NEXUS application fee statement credit, and more!
click to learn more or apply for your Chase Sappire card with my points earning affiliate link
There are tons of credit cards to choose from, but I thought this was the best to start with. After hubby and I hit the minimum $4k spend on this I'll probably cancel it and open up one of the Capital One Venture cards... You can learn all about the various cards and more in the 10xTravel course!
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
FACEBOOK GROUPS:
WEBSITES:
DEAL FINDERS:
Related US Japan Fam articles we think you'll love:
Are you a family of 5 trying to plan a budget trip to Paris? Looking for a kid-friendly Paris itinerary? From how to score cheap flights to Europe to where to stay and what to do and eat, we got you!! Here's our Paris Family Travel Guide - with everything we did on our recent short and sweet (<1 week) Paris family vacation so you can see Paris on a budget is TOTALLY doable!! And if you like, just copy, paste, and adjust for your own family's trip! Kick it off by watching our fun highlights video, don't forget to download our FREE travel prep + packing list here (handy for ANY trip), and read on for details! BUDGET FRIENDLY FLIGHT TO PARIS We scored roundtrip tickets from Newark NJ (EWR) to Paris Orly with low cost carrier French Bee and were super impressed with the service! The free personal item is the smallest of any airline I've seen (smaller than a standard backpack!), and there's no free "carry on" luggage allowance, BUT no one once measured our backpacks or made a fuss about us also having a bag of food and big neck pillows. Whether we got lucky or French Bee is much nicer about their limits than others such as Spirit and Frontier, I'm not sure... We did purchase ONE (max 50 pound) checked bag for our family of 5 to share ($70 each way). In total, it ended up being just under $500 per person round trip! The seats, leg room, and service were equivalent to any carrier we've been on i.e. just fine. Where French Bee stands out as a budget carrier is that they have IN SEAT entertainment, for free!! They had 55 movies and tv shows, though more than half were only in French, they did have some recent and "cult classic" American block busters! They have tons of in-flight meals and snacks and beverages you can order, and the prices were comparable to what you would find in the airport, so you can skip lugging them around and just order on the plane, even a hot meal! Order ahead if you need a special diet meal though.
Apartment Hotel
While researching where to stay, I quickly realized that most hotels in Paris accomodate only 2-3 people, max. So a big family of 5 or more needs to book adjoining rooms ($$$), a suite ($$$$$), or do like we did and find an apartment hotel. This is DEFINITELY your best bang for your buck since you'll get way more space, which means a kitchen and dining area (so you can save money by going to the grocery store and cooking a bit, if you want). And let's face it, you need time away from eachother after sightseeing all. day. long. Am I right?! AirBNB is fine, but I really recommend finding a complex like we got, which had a really nice common space in the lobby so when my husband was WIDE AWAKE at 3 am, he could escape down there to read without waking the rest of us up! 
We booked 5 nights in a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment at the Quartier Libre Saint Georges and LOVED it!! They had a helpful staff member in the lobby during daytime, AC (you could control individually in each bedroom and the living room!), free wifi (all 5 of us on devices and no issues), free luggage storage, great L'occitane shampoo/conditioner/body wash in the shower, Keurig coffee maker, dishwasher etc etc. One of our bedrooms had the cutest view, too! No complaints, this place was amazing, and close to the subway, though we only did Uber vans, more on that in a bit!
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a sofa bed in the living/kitchen was perfect for our family of 5!
GETTING AROUND PARIS
Metro and bus are probably a great option... usually. However, they doubled the ticket prices during the Olympic Summer 2024 so at 4 euros a pop, it did not make sense for our family of 5 to do that since an Uber van was just barely more expensive and was door to door and without the risk of getting pick pocketed or losing a child LOL. So, for distances under 1.5 miles, we walked, which is always our favorite. For distances over that, we ordered Uber van which were always SO nice "luxury" vehicles with really cool seating - the 2nd row faces backwards and the 3rd row forwards so you face eachother and have so much leg room!! Some of the vans also had HUGE moon roofs which made for great sight seeing. You use your same Uber app that you use back in the US, and then you don't have to worry about language barrier or getting scammed with a street-hail taxi.
Our 5 Day Itinerary:
Day 1(A):
I don't really count this since it includes our overnight flight, which arrived at Paris Orly around 1PM. We grabbed a taxi from the official taxi stand (yes, they do have vans there for 4-6 passengers, ours was 49 euro flat fee, payable by credit card). It was almost 4pm by the time we got to our hotel, so we checked in, dropped bags off, and immediately went out to find dinner and explore the area. Even though I hadn't slept on the flight, I didn't want to let myself or anyone take a nap or go to bed before 7PM at the earliest. That's my best hack for jet lag LOL!
Day 1:
LOUVRE Unfortunately, Mia woke up feeling incredibly sick and nauseas, so I stayed at the hotel with her and my husband took the other 2 to the Louvre, since timed tickets were required (a summer olympic thing?). We were really bummed to miss it, but glad they could see the Mona Lisa, and apparently the kids really enjoyed the museum! We were nervous about lines but apparently it took them all of 15 minutes to get inside, and after waiting in the Mona Lisa crowd they did eventually get up close. 
Panthéon
Built in the 1700s, this building is spectacular, top to bottom!!! Foucalt’s pendulum is a cool sight, suspended from a steel wire 67m long! You'll see tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau (entombed in 1791 and 1794 respectively) on the main floor, and and many many others in the crypts below. I’ve heard the view from the Panorama is one of the best in Paris, just double check the hours because it closed before we had a chance to go up and I was so bummed!! Head to nearby La Crêperie for lunch or dinner or a snack - best (savory) crepe of my life! 
Jardin du Luxumbourg
25 hectacres of free and beautiful gardens and park, this is a great place to walk around and relax! There are little boats kids can rent and "drive", there's a mini statue of liberty, a museum, and more. It does close, pretty early, I think it closed at 7pm and the playgrounds had closed even before that! So again, double check times before planning your day! For us, this wasn't a destination but rather an intentional walk-through to get from Pantheon to our next stop. 
AURA INVALIDES
I’ve never experienced anything like AURA Invalides before, and I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough! The Dôme des Invalides is a gorgeous monument on its own, but seeing it through new light (pun intended) was absolutely CHILLING!! The music, the light mapping, it was intense and we absolutely loved every second of it. You can sit down on steps around the dome for most of the show, but there’s a 15-20 minute period in the middle they encourage you to walk around to see the different areas, including Napoleon’s tomb!! The lights and music are still going while exploring, it’s just such an incredible experience!! It is a nighttime event only. Our session started around 9:30pm and lasted 50 minutes. We got home around 11pm. So take that into account if going with younger kids or if you'll be fighting jet lag. 
DAY TWO:
Palais Garnier / Arsène Lupin and the Secret of the Opera To see and explore the Paris Opera House / Palais Garnier on a whole new level, be sure to get tickets for Arsène Lupin and the Secret of the Opera detective game on your next trip to Paris! It's not easy - it's recommended for ages 10+, but it 's a fun and immersive way to get kids/teens/adults involved and working together as a team instead of just traditional sightseeing! If you finish the game, you even get invited into some rooms usually closed off to the public! 
Galeries Lafayette Mall + Terrace
This historic high end department mall is right across from the opera and a must see for a few reasons. For one, there's a great FREE view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the 6th floor terrace! The view inside is stunning as well, with a huge stained glass dome. They also have a great food court, and lovely (free) bathrooms! It's a great place to stop for food, rest, and a view. And if you love high end shopping, of course, have at it!! 
Covered Passages
Paris is famous for their many covered passages - some luxurious, some quirky, some run down, but there are so many and they're fun to explore! You can buy a tour, or you can research and plop them on your own map for a DIY walking tour like we did - we found a few that were clustered enroute from the Opera House to our next stop and enjoyed wandering through them all! I found this guide super helpful! 
Sainte-Chapelle
The most spectacular stained glass I have seen. Ever. Anywhere! Just Wowwwwww! Commissioned by King Louis IX, completed in 1248, Saint-Chapelle is a must see when in Paris! There was quite a long line, even with our timed tickets. You go through security like an airport. And there is a tiny staircase to reach THE. SPOT. But it’s 100% worth it!!! 360° surrounded by 1113 stained glass windows. 
Centre Pompidou
This truly unique "inside out" Centre Pompidou building is a piece of art in and of itself - with escalator tubes between the floors on the outside, providing great views of Paris! Journey inside to see works from famous artists such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol! It's a really interesting art museum for both young and old, our family really enjoyed it. 
Luminiscence at Saint-Eustache Church
This was the second spectacular night time light mapping and musical show we saw in Paris and it was equally amazing, but totally different! This one took place in the stunning 16th century Saint-Eustache Church, with lights projected 30m high 360 all around. Seated comfortably in the pews, you're taken on a journey through time, from the Middle Ages to the Baroque and the Renaissance. The scenes they could achieve with lights just blew me away - at one point when you looked up at the top of the cathedral, you could "see" rain and lightning hitting the "glass" ceiling - just WOW!!! The music, by greats such as Vivaldi, Bach, Fauré, Handel and Lully, was moving, with pipe organ behind us and a haunting live chorus up front. Unfortunately it seems that we saw one of the last shows in Paris, and it will be moving on to Lille and Nice next, so if you find yourself planning a trip to one of these places, definitely check their schedule! 
DAY 3:
Seine River Cruise on Bateaux-Mouches
There are many companies operating cruises along the Seine River, so whether you want a private ride, a party boat, or a romantic dinner, you'll find something and have a great time! We were gifted Champagne Cruise tickets on Bateaux-Mouches, which is basically a 1 hour ride on their sightseeing cruise, plus you get a bottle of champagne to drink on the boat or bring home and have later (don't drink out on the banks of the river or by the Eiffel Tower - despite it being Europe, you cannot drink alcohol in public in Paris!). I was shocked that the boat was not crowded (there's a huge uncovered upper deck and covered lower deck, both with great views), and my son was thrilled that it was so smooth to not trigger his motion sickness!! We stopped by cute Japanese cafe Saint Pearl and brought delicious sandwiches on board to eat while we cruised, which worked out perfectly. They had narration throughout the ride in many languages, though honestly it was difficult to hear, and we sailed under a million bridges and by all the big sights, including my favorite, the Eiffel Tower! I highly recommend Bateaux-Mouches for a regular cruise, Sunday Brunch cruise, dinner cruise, or any of their offerings! 
Eiffel Tower
Apparently you need to book tickets for the TOP of the Eiffel Tower 90 days ahead. Well, news flash, I hadn't even decided to go to Paris yet at that point so, spoiler alert, we didn't get to go to the top. We discussed it and decided none of us really needed to go in the Eiffel Tower at all, so we didn't, and no regrets!! What we really enjoyed was being around it. Spotting it from across town, going by it on the boat, and most of all, walking around the area getting amazing up close and personal shots! Walk along the Seine River, cut in on Av. de la Bourdonnais, and stop by Rue de l'Université for a super cute "Paris street with Eiffel Tower behind you" shot (the righthand photo below). We stopped at nearby La Coquette for ice cream and really enjoyed sitting outside, drinking bottles and bottles of free tap water, and got a free toilet break, too LOL! If you know you know... water and toilet is the constant struggle (more on this in my tips section at the end of this post). 
Champs-Elysées + Arc du Triomphe
We walked from Eiffel Tower, down the beautiful tree lined Champs-Elysées (making sure to take a peek inside the fancy McCafe, as demanded by our 11 year old), ending at the Arc du Triomphe. Make sure to take the underground tunnel (not the subway, it's one just for the Arc) so you can pop up on the little island where the Arc is. That's free, you can walk around outside, see the eternal flame, take photos etc. You'll need a ticket to go up inside the Arc, which we didn't do. We were in a rush because we had timed tickets at our next location. 
Catacombs
We jumped in a taxi and hauled booty across town for our 5pm timed ticket to the Paris Catacombs, which was WAYyyyyy different from all of the other sights we've been seeing! This one has you journey 131 step spiral staircase (20m / 5 stories) down to the Paris Catacombs, home to 6 million corpses that were transferred from cemeteries in the late 1700s due to overcrowding and public health concerns. Originally limestone mines, they're now the world's largest gravesite spanning 180 miles of labyrinth beneath the city! But the official catacombs where we get to go is just a 1.5km stretch that has been organized and reinforced. I definitely recommend paying extra for the audio tour, we did not and kind of regret it. There's not a whole lot of information once you're down there. 
DAY 4: Montmatre
Promotrain / Le Petit Train Montmatre There are a few ways to get up to Montmatre, the most elevated (and adorably picturesque) neighborhood in all of Paris. The funicular is a popular option, but we opted to use our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer Passes to take the Promotrain / Le Petit Train up and highly recommend it!! It's a comfy open air (but they can close it off in bad weather) super cute (if not rather bumpy) mini train ride winding through the streets up from Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur. 
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
I fell in love with Sacre Coeur Basilica when watching the film Amelie in 2001, and it along with all of Montmatre became my favorite place in Paris on my last visit, when studying abroad in Germany back in college. It did not disappoint this time around, nothing has changed, it's as beautiful and charming as ever (despite being very crowded)! 
The line to get into the Basilica was long but moved fast (our kids explored the "love locks" and then sat on the steps playing rock paper scissors as hubby and I inched along in the line). It's free to go into the church, but you do need paid tickets to go up to the dome for a spectacular view over Paris. Despite the fee and narrow 300 step spiral staircase climb, it's 100% worth it. Quiet, breezy, and so lovely up there!
La Mere Catherine
We used our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer passes again for an absolutely lovely 3 course meal at the historic La Mere Catherine in Montmatre, founded in 1793. We first sat outside in the gorgeous lush and green covered patio, but the bees really scared Mia, so by course 2 we moved inside, which was also nice! The Paris Pass allowed us several choices for each of the 3 courses, so between the 5 of us we got to try just about everything on the menu! Highlights were of course trying some French classics including escargot (thankfully our waiter took the time to demo how to get them out of the shell and onto the bread), ratatouille, and crème brulée!! It was a long meal, about 2 hours, but a wonderful break from a busy day, in a super cute and lively area! 
Night Time Eiffel Tower
We walked back to our hotel after Montmatre for a quick rest (and to share a bottle of champagne from the cruise) before taking an Uber down to the Port Debilly area on the Seine River to finally see the Eiffel Tower at night. No one could tell us for sure what time it would light up or start its on-the-hour 5 minute sparkle show, but we were getting hints that it would be late, at 9 or 10. We got some snacks and just hung out down there, with many people of the same idea. It wasn't crowded, just a nice lively and safe feeling scene. The police did drive and walk through, and we saw them stop and tell several groups that they couldn't drink alcohol (they seemed like very friendly interactions though, not like they're out to ticket or punish anyone). The first "sparkle" show was at 10pm (probably earlier in winter but sunset in summer isn't til 9 so it makes sense) and we were VERY underwhelmed. There was no "show" it literally just sparkled, which was pretty, but was it worth 40+ euros on our roundtrip uber? probably not... but no regrets. Maybe you can schedule better so you're down in that area at night anyway! It was still a nice little adventure and we took a ton of photos, of course. I'm just obsessed with this tower! 
DAY 5
Choco-Story / Musee du Chocolate
We used our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer Passes for the 3rd time for entrance to Choco-Story (the pass also gifts you the most delicious hot chocolate at the end of the visit, without the pass you can purchase for 3euro). The museum was fun and very informative. There were 3 stories, each focusing on the history of chocolate, from ancient to medieval times to present day, and included lots of interactive bits. There was also a short movie and a really cool "virtual" cooking show with 3 chocolate makers. There's some free chocolate throughout the musuem and fun workbooks that help kids look for information and have a more interactive experience (they got a chocolate lollipop at the end when they turned in their completed books!). 
The museum was cool but what we REALLY enjoyed, one of the highlights of our entire time in Paris, was the chocolate making workshop they hosted us on (you can purchase together or separately from museum admission). It was a small group and a chocolate maker, who was so helpful in demonstrating every step and helping us as needed. We got to use fondu type melted chocolate (milk, white, and dark chocolate) to dip marshmallows, truffles, and orange rinds, and had an assortment of toppings to use! Next, we used baggies to fill and create our own chocolate bars!! Best part - you get to keep all your chocolate (lasts about 2 months)! Such a unique experience, incredibly fun for kids and adults!!
Journey Home!
After the epic chocolate making workshop, we walked home, picking up lunch, eating in the lobby of our hotel, and ordering our final Uber Van of the trip. Paris Orly is a nice airport, plenty of food to choose from if you want to eat there or stock up for the flight. I searched all over and asked and everyone told me there were NO water fountains or water fillers, so I kept asking at the food court and they filled up our bottles. BUT, I finally did find one at the very end of our terminal, so, there is one, just very hard to find. Our flight left just before 7pm and we ended up ordering meals (8euro a pop) on the flight which were satisfying! I watched a few movies and before we knew it, our 8 hour flight was over and we were back in New Jersey around 10pm! If you can, I recommend NOT sleeping on the flight, so you get home, exhausted, and go right to bed at a normal "home" hour, lessening jet lag big time! 
PARIS TRAVEL TIPS:
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About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins + 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, helping busy parents find the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! 
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