A mother who’s ticked off 24 countries with her family says she refuses to follow conventional wisdom when it comes to travelling with children – and that her approach has served her well.
US travel writer Jamie Davis Smith, writing for Business Insider, has been to some of the world’s most popular tourist attractions with her two kids in tow, including Kyoto in Japan and Egypt’s famous pyramids.
However, she says she’s learned not to worry too much about following the advice of others when it comes to holidaying with her brood.
While she admits to researching trips online, including in travel forums, when her children were younger, Davis Smith says that, for her, often ditching the unwritten rules when travelling with a family has largely been stress-free.
For many parents, sticking to travel rules of thumb such as getting up early to beat crowds and staying put in one hotel or Airbnb to ensure consistency – and less unpacking – for younger travellers, makes for a calmer holiday – but Davis Smith disagrees.
On a recent trip to Europe, she reveals the family changed their accommodation every few days because the ultimate aim was to see as many places as possible – and says the trip was much more fun because of it.
The mantra of ‘rise early to beat the crowds’ also doesn’t wash; the mother-of-two says that an early alarm call can make a holiday feel, well, less like a holiday.
She writes: ‘I love not having to rely on an alarm clock while on vacation. Plus, knowing we don’t have to wake up early means there’s less pressure to cut the day’s activities short to get back to the hotel to sleep.’
Travel writer Jamie Davis Smith recounted her own family travel wisdom for Business Insider…and it involves breaking many of the rules that lots of parents swear by
The family are often the last people to leave a theme park, she explains, saying that the hour before closing is usually the quietest time to enjoy an attraction.
Sticking to child-friendly destinations is also a no-no, Davis Smith says she wants her offspring to experience ‘complicated histories’ and had taken her children to the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, Hiroshima in Japan and destinations at the heart of America’s civil rights movement in the Deep South.
Warnings that India might leave the family with food poisoning didn’t put them off, nor did advice not to visit Jordan on the grounds of personal safety – Davis Smith says the family enjoyed both countries without incident.
Suitcases packed full of home comforts are also off the list; the experienced traveller says the family take the minimalist approach, with big teddies and toys off limits.
She writes: ‘A small travel blanket helps my son feel more secure when we are away from home, so I usually toss that into his bag, but otherwise, we make do with what we have.’
Last month, the world’s best family holiday hotspot for 2026, according to research by Sunsail, was revealed – and it’s just a short flight from the UK.
The new global list of the best holiday destinations ranked the top 20 spots, using a combination of online search data, Tripadvisor reviews, information from official tourism boards, and geological data.
The Italian island of Sardinia was crowned number one. Praised for its calm, child-friendly beaches, you can reach the destination in two hours and 50 minutes from London Stansted – and even quicker than that from hubs such as Manchester Airport.
Sticking to family-friendly destinations also doesn’t appeal to the travel expert, who said that warnings about visiting places such as India and Jordan hadn’t put the family off – and they enjoyed both countries (Stock image of a mother travelling with children)
Each destination was ranked based on popularity, accessibility, safety, diversity of activities, family-friendly accommodation options and beaches.
Unlike many overcrowded Mediterranean hotspots, Sardinia balances lively resorts with peaceful coves, perfect for travelling with both younger kids and older teenagers, the research suggested.
Sardinia’s reputation for safety and welcoming hospitality, along with its unspoiled landscapes and vibrant culture, makes it the ultimate family holiday destination for 2026, TripAdvisor said.
Meanwhile, Ibiza comes in second place in the study scoring highly for safety, cleanliness and Blue Flag sands.
Lake Garda, Cornwall and Orlando also made the top five.
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