Life-Changing Vacations Every Kid Should Experience

With this year marking the centennial of the National Park Service, there's no better time to explore a national park, whether it be close to home or across the country. Better yet, make it a camping trip so you and the kids can fully immerse yourselves in the adventure of it all. If you need help narrowing it down, Glacier National Park in Montana or Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming definitely won't disappoint, says Bryanna Royal of Crazy Family Adventure who has been traveling the country full-time with her husband, four kids and two dogs in their RV since May 2014. "The beauty of Glacier is simply breathtaking," she says. "I guarantee that your kids will not soon forget their experience in Glacier National Park and may go home with a new dream to be a Park Ranger, outdoor enthusiast and with an overall love for the beauty of our world." Plus, it has incredible wildlife sightings, including mama bears and their cubs, moose and big horn sheep, she notes. Yellowstone, however, is equally as breathtaking with its hot springs and colorful layered rock formations. It, too, has plenty of wildlife to spot—from bears to buffalo.

British Columbia, Canada, offers unparalleled sightings of orcas amid breathtaking backdrops of spectacular mountains, verdant pine trees and deep blue ocean, especially off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island—known as the world's most likely place to spot killer whales. An orca kayaking adventure will take you closer than you ever thought possible to see these majestic creatures in their natural habitat and provide you with hydrophones so you and the kids can listen to their vocalizations as they breach and play, says Andy Hayes, another adventure consultant with ROW Adventures. Whales are frequent visitors to the area between June and October.

That quintessential American road trip is like a rite of passage for all families. And one of the best parts about it is that the whole family can have a say on how to map out their adventure. Kortman and his family actually spent six months traveling from Michigan to Mexico. A few must-see spots he suggests squeezing in (from east to west) include Niagara Falls, driving the Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Highway; checking out the beach in Savannah, Georgia; jumping on the historic Route 66 in Texas; seeing the splendor of Zion and Bryce Canyons in Utah, as well as the Grand Canyon, and then wrapping the trip up in California at Yosemite National Park or San Diego.

Another must-experience tropical vacation is a bit further to reach—almost halfway around the globe to be exact—to a resort in the southern part of the Philippines or Thailand. But once you've been there, you'll already feel yourself longing to go back. For the kids especially, it will be one awe-inspiring adventure after another, says Paul Kortman, the blogger behind Home Along the Way and the podcast Nomad Together who travels full-time with his family of six. "The kids can play in the shallows and see so much marine life, and go to the end of the dock and feed the fish from above or snorkel with the fish swimming around them," he says. "These are better than the Mexican resorts because they are not very busy and quite small. Plus the kids get to try foods that are totally different!"

A European tour is a bucket-list item that parents will want to do as much as the kids. And doing it by train will be all the more magical, says Kortman, especially if you're able to sleep on trains, since it saves on lodging costs and makes it fun for the kids to keep waking up in different countries or cities. He suggests starting in England and then making your way to Paris, Versailles, Madrid, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Prague and then eventually into Italy. "All are very wonderful experiences and worth every penny," he says.

Here's how to do a trip of a lifetime for a steal: Rent an RV and head to the marine and wildlife reserve in Cabo Pulmo in Baja California Sur Mexico, suggests Kortman. In addition to snorkeling or diving among a dazzling array of aquatic wildlife (hundreds of types of fish, jumping rays and even some whales or turtles), there are also plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails to round out the never-ending adventure. Plus, you can set up camp on the beach for free and then stroll into the village to sample the inexpensive local fare or to buy your own groceries.

Image via SF Gate

"You could spend six months in South Africa and not cover all of the wonders this country has," says Kortman. A few of his top picks include Cape Town and the V&A waterfront, which has plenty of shopping, bridges and ships to see; Robben Island to get a political and cultural lesson on Apartheid; Table Mountain (hike and then take the cable car down; Boulders Beach to see penguins followed by Addo Elephant National Park; and, last but certainly not least, head into Kruger National Park. "Spend at least five days at Kruger. Do an overnight safari and stay in a bush camp so the kids can hear and see the nocturnal animals," suggests Kortman. And if there's any time at the end of your trip, make the long (but worthwhile) drive to Victoria Falls.

A river rafting trip will not only be one of the most unforgettable vacations your family takes, it can also strengthen your bond as you work together to traverse the rapids and completely disconnect from cell phones and Wi-Fi (and, thankfully, the kids can't even try to fight you on it because reception is nonexistent). One great option is Salmon River in Oregon, which offers plenty of stops along sandy beaches to explore and play. Another is Rogue River in Idaho, which also provides opportunities for hiking, exploring waterfalls and spotting deer, black bears and river otters. To take the guesswork out of where to stop, as well as taking the stress out of pitching a tent and figuring out meals, look into a guided trip, such as Family Magic Rafting at Salmon River or Rogue River Lodge to Lodge Rafting.

A trip to the Galapagos Islands (west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean) will give your kids a rare appreciation for what they learned in biology about Darwin. Plus, it will bring them so much closer to animals than they would ever experience in a zoo, including tortoises, sea lions, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies, says Morag Prosser, an adventure consultant with ROW Adventures, which has an exclusive permit to camp on the islands so you don't have to fly back to the mainland at the end of the day, so you can have a true up-close-and-personal encounter with wildlife, day and night.

For the sand-seeking, sun-loving family, a trip like the Florida Keys will make you feel like you've been transported to an island in the Caribbean with its crystal-clear aquamarine water and regular dolphin and manatee sightings. "The whole vibe of the Florida Keys gives you and your family that beach life feel and will help everyone unwind, slow down and sit back to enjoy your family time," says Royal. "Your kids will fall in love with the wildlife, seeing the ocean up close, visiting the local turtle rescue hospital, witnessing the tide going in and out and exploring the amazing tide pools and, of course, the gorgeous sunsets." Consider taking them out on a catamaran or parasailing in the ocean to make for an even more memorable vacation.