The Best Family Trip Itinerary Ideas (Weekend to Week Long Trips)

Planning a family vacation is exciting, but figuring out where to go and how to organize each day can quickly become overwhelming. That’s why having a ready-to-follow family trip itinerary makes travel so much easier. In this post I am sharing detailed trip itineraries so you can easily start planning your next adventure.

I know everyone doesn’t enjoy the trip planning process as much as I do, so I wanted to create this post to share all the details of our trip itineraries to make it easy for you to plan your own trip.

Instead of spending hours researching destinations, attractions, and travel logistics, you can start with a proven itinerary that maps out the best things to do each day. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, a road trip, or a longer family vacation, a well-planned itinerary helps you make the most of your time together.

In this guide, you’ll find our best family trip itineraries all in one place. These detailed travel plans cover destinations across the United States and beyond, with day-by-day ideas for attractions, activities, and family-friendly experiences.

A quick note: I live in the Western New York area and a lot of my weekend trips are in and around the eastern United States. Our longer trip itineraries cover USA destinations as well as International trips. Browse the itineraries below to find the perfect trip for your next adventure.

Best Family Trip Itineraries

These trips are the ones that have stayed with me long after we returned home. They are some of my most popular itineraries and are great for the entire family.

3-Day Pittsburgh Family Trip Itinerary
Explore museums, great family dining, and catch a baseball game at one of the best stadiums in the USA.

5-Day Pigeon Forge Family Trip Itinerary
Plan the perfect Pigeon Forge trip with a mix of outdoor adventures and touristy family fun.

12-Day Europe Trip (First Time Visit)
This packed Europe itinerary includes stops in Iceland, London, Disneyland Paris, and Paris.

Weekend Family Trip Itineraries

If you only have time for a quick weekend getaway these destinations are a great option to fill your days with activities, great eats, and family fun.

2-Day New York City Itinerary
New York City is one of those places that is always changing, and you can never see and do everything in one trip. Pick a few favorites and plan your trip around those. We love to see a Broadway show whenever we are in town.

Weekend in Jamestown NY
Jamestown NY might not be at the top of your list but there are a few great things to do during a quick getaway. The National Comedy Center, Bemus Point, and Panama Rocks Park are a few highlights.

48 Hours in Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic Connecticut was a fun seaside weekend getaway. Delicious food and I really loved the aquarium.

5-7 Day Family Vacation Itineraries

These are the trips when you have a little more time and want to explore a destination for longer than a weekend.

4-Day Las Vegas Itinerary
This trip was a mix of exploring the Las Vegas strip, a side trip to Zion National Park, and a day trip to Hoover Dam. We did a lot of different things and it was a really fun trip.

5-Night Pigeon Forge Itinerary
Pigeon Forge is so much fun, with many kid friendly attractions, as well as the proximity to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Biggest mistake from this trip is that we didn’t visit Dollywood. We will be doing this one again soon!

1 Week Myrtle Beach Vacation
Myrtle Beach is the perfect destination if you are looking for a quiet beach vacation but still want family fun activities like mini-golf and touristy stops.

Family Road Trip Itineraries

When my kids were younger I loved planning a big road trip with a lot of different stops. They are some of my favorite trips and the only reason we take less now that they are teenagers is because of time.

Our schedule is not as flexible as it used to be. If you have young kids I highly suggest taking one of these trips.

9-Day Southwest Road Trip Itinerary
This was one of our first really big road trip itineraries and it will always be one of my favorites. We visited 3 states, Disneyland, White Sands National Park, and the California coast. It was amazing!

Tennessee Road Trip Itinerary
This Tennessee road trip was on our way to Pigeon Forge. We included a stop at the first Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Sign Museum, and the Kentucky Derby. It was so much fun!

Theme Park Family Itineraries

Theme parks have been part of our family vacations since my kids were small and we almost always include a theme park in our family trip itinerary.

Southern California Theme Park Itinerary
This trip included a couple days in Hollywood to visit Universal Studios Hollywood as well as stops in Disneyland. One of the surprising stops we included was a trip to the Funko Store.

Walt Disney World & Universal Orlando One Trip Itinerary
I don’t typically recommend Disney World and Universal Orlando in one trip, because it is not very cost effective, but this ended up being a really great trip. If you are considering visiting both this is a great way to plan it.

National Park Family Itineraries

You may be very outdoorsy, or you may be like us and appreciate the outdoors but don’t want to spend your entire vacation there. We have included National Parks into our destination itineraries and they are always worth a stop.

White Sands National Park
We only had a few hours at White Sands National Park during our Southwest road trip but sledding during sunset was a memory I will never forget. It was incredible.

Zion National Park
For our Zion National Park visit we did stay the night and had the opportunity to hike a few different spots. The pictures do not do it justice and if you can visit- you should!

Clingman’s Dome at the Great Smoky Mountains
Clingman’s Dome is a short hike located in the Great Smoky Mountains that has high elevation and on a clear day you can see to North Carolina. It was very foggy on our visit but it was still worth including in our Pigeon Forge trip.

Bucket List Family Trip Itinerary

There are a few trips that have truly been bucket list trips for our family that I wanted to include.

Disney Cruise
A cruise is not for everyone but we really enjoyed our Disney cruise. Being a theme park family it was an extension of everything we loved about the Disney parks.

Europe Trip Itinerary
This itinerary was probably my most ambitious one yet. We visited Iceland, London, and France. It was truly a bucket list trip for us. In Iceland we loved taking a boat ride to see the Puffins. In London the kids loved trying new foods at the Borough Market, and in Paris we ate our weight in baguettes.