We’ve talked before about stealing Bob Goff’s idea to take our kids on an adventure of their choosing to mark their passage into adolescence. Planning a trip for kids is special.
Goff’s three kids chose high tea in London, hiking Half Dome, and riding motorcycles across the Mojave desert, all stories we get in his book Love Does.
Our oldest chose the Bahamas – remember that trip? Here are two snapshots:
Now, it is our middle child’s turn. Ever since she was little, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. We won’t reveal that destination yet, but we will recommend what to do when planning a trip for kids.
We’re leaving in a few days, so follow along with us @spacesandplacesus to see the destination reveal and all of our stops!
How to Plan a Trip for Your 10 Year Old
1. Where do THEY want to go?
This can be hard, because you may not want to go where they want to go, but the whole point planning a trip for the kids is to help them further discover themselves and reveal further who God created them to be.
If you are going to open the possibility of going ANYWHERE (eeekk!), we suggest you ask well in advance in order to plan and budget effectively.
2. Save and budget.
A trip of a lifetime to a kid could be simple and relatively inexpensive or it could be grandiose- you know your kids well enough to know which direction they may lean- but make sure you think about how you will save for a trip and budget accordingly.
Scope out prices for flights, hotels or rentals, etc. well in advance and start setting funds aside if needed. You can certainly place constraints on the trip’s possibilities which could help with budgeting if needed.
3. When can you go?
We have chosen to take these trips during spring break of the child’s fifth grade year because middle school starts in 6th grade where we live.
Ensuring the right timing for the trip will also depend on childcare (if needed) for other children, ability to take time off from work, and other budget considerations based on season fluctuations in travel costs.
4. What do they want to DO while there?
Again, it’s what they want. Listen and learn and it will help you understand a part of your child’s heart and mind. Our oldest wanted outdoor adventure, our middle leans more towards refined experiences.
Nevertheless, listen and plan accordingly. You may want to give them some books or websites to explore to help them understand their destination and what options are available. It’s fun to do this together.
5. Research.
Once they tell you what they want to do, dive into your own research on websites and books to determine how to appropriately plan the trip.
My favorite way to research is to ask someone who lives there or has been there before. For our daughter’s trip, I got the most awesome list of recommendations from a work acquaintance that lives in one of the places we are going.
6. Map and Chart it Out.
Because I’m a visual person, I like to actually draw a map of the location(s) with key landmarks and approximate distances between places we want to go. I love using Ashley Campbell’s Travel Notebooks to map and chart it out.
Side note: Be sure to follow Ashley @underthesycamore if you love travel! Her family took a year long trip around the world together and her book, I’ve Never Been Here Before, about their journey comes out in August 2025.
Charting it out helps you to see what you can do in how much time and makes navigation easier once you get there. I also have a day-by-day general itinerary charted out based on the steps four and five above. In this, I also try to leave some flexibility and down time if we discover a place we weren’t expecting or encounter travel issues that wear us out.
7. Book things!
Here is a general rundown of when we booked things:
- 6-8 Months Out — Place(s) to Stay
- 3-4 Months Out — Flight(s)
- 2 Weeks-3 Months Out — Activities and any special meals
Stay tuned for the reveal of our daughter’s trip destination and its planning details and recommendations! Can you guess where we are going?
