Plan Your International Trip With Kids | Real World Mami
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The family international travel hub

Plan your international trip—with less stress.

Not sure where to go, what to book, or what your family actually needs? Start here for practical destination guides, planning checklists, packing help, and the travel tools I use.

Choose a destinationStart planning
Your first three decisions

Where do you need help?

Choose the part of your trip you’re working on now. You can come back to this page whenever you need the next step.

🌎 Pick a destination

Compare family-friendly destinations, realistic itineraries, and what each trip feels like.

See destination guides →

🧳 Pack without overpacking

Build a weather-smart family packing list, organize carry-ons, and find my tested travel gear.

Get packing help →
Family travel favorites

Explore international destinations

Easy sunshine escape

Mexico with kids

Start with family travel ideas for Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, Yelapa, Cabo, and more.

Explore Mexico →
Nature + adventure

Costa Rica with kids

Use our family-tested 10-day itinerary and real trip-cost guide to begin planning.

Explore Costa Rica →
Culture + bucket list

Peru with kids

Plan Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu with practical family advice.

Explore Peru →
Before you click “book”

Plan in this order

1. Check documents

Confirm passport validity, visas, entry rules, consent letters, and health needs.

2. Set the real budget

Include bags, transfers, meals, activities, insurance, and phone data—not only flights.

Get the budget checklist

3. Book the big pieces

Compare flights, choose a family-friendly neighborhood, reserve lodging, then transportation.

Compare booking options

4. Protect the trip

Review insurance, save offline copies, register with STEP, and build a backup plan.

Explore travel insurance
Open the complete checklistRead my packing tips
Book the pieces you need

Three useful tools—three different purposes

Choose the tool that matches what you want to book: accommodations, a vacation package, or memorable experiences.

Hotels + apartments

Booking.com

Best for comparing individual hotels, resorts, apartments, and family-sized accommodations.

Search family-friendly stays
Flight + hotel

Expedia packages

Best when you want to compare airfare and accommodations together, especially for resort vacations.

Compare vacation packages
Tours + experiences

Viator

Search walking tours, food experiences, boat trips, day trips, attraction tickets, and transfers.

Find tours and activities

Booking links may be affiliate links. If you complete an eligible booking, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Booking.com hotel searches

Find stays by destination

Choose where you’re going to compare current hotel and apartment availability.

Mexico

Mexico hotels

Search family-friendly hotels, resorts, and apartments throughout Mexico.

Search Mexico stays
Türkiye

Istanbul hotels

Find hotels in walkable areas near the sights your family wants to visit.

Search Istanbul stays
Costa Rica favorite

Hacienda Guachipelín

Check prices and availability at this adventure-focused Costa Rica stay.

Check Hacienda Guachipelín
Compare Mexico flight + hotel packagesCompare Cabo packagesCompare Puerto Vallarta packagesCompare Costa Rica packages
Viator tours + experiences

Find memorable things to do

Browse experiences worldwide or go directly to activities for your destination.

Activities worldwide

Search tours, attraction tickets, food experiences, day trips, and transfers.

Browse all activities
Travel smarter

Flights, protection and transportation

Find cheaper flights

Use Thrifty Traveler to discover flight deals and make your travel budget go further.

Find cheap flights

Nomad Insurance Complete

Compare the more comprehensive option before deciding which plan fits your trip.

Explore Complete coverage

International eSIM

Stay connected with Yesim and save 15% on your first plan with code REALWORLDMAMI.

Get an eSIM

Rent a family car

Compare rental-car options for your destination through DiscoverCars.

Compare rental cars
Before you leave

Pack and prepare with confidence

My favorite travel must-haves

My general collection of practical products for trips and travel.

Shop the collection

Europe trip essentials

Useful basics for packing and preparing for a family trip to Europe.

Shop Europe essentials

Peru travel essentials

What to pack for Peru’s cities, mountains, changing weather, and adventures.

Shop Peru essentials

Peru essentials for families

Family-focused packing picks for traveling through Peru with children.

Shop the family list
Read the international packing guideOpen the complete checklist

Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you make a qualifying purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only share resources I believe can genuinely help families travel better.

Free planning help

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Find cheaper destinations

Learn how I use Google Flights to uncover more affordable destinations when my dates are flexible.

Get the Google Flights guide

Family travel budget checklist

Plan beyond airfare and understand the real cost of your family trip.

Get the budget checklist
© Real World Mami · Practical family travel from California to the world