When summer vacation rolls around, it’s tempting to just pack the kids in the car and head to the closest beach for a week. But summer vacation doesn’t have to mean doing the same old, same old! If you’re in search of educational, out-of-the-box family summer vacation ideas, we suggest a trip out west.
If you live on the east coast, a trip out west can be far more exotic than hoping on a plane for the Caribbean. Have your children yet experienced the majesty of the Grand Canyon or Montana’s Big Sky Country? How do these summer vacation ideas sound? It’s like a whole different world out there!
Plus, it’s an incredible opportunity to share America’s natural gems with your kids. Discovering what’s in our own backyard, so to speak, can be such an inspiring experience.
Explore Our Family Summer Vacation Ideas You Don’t Want To Miss
But a trip out west doesn’t have to mean “roughing it.” In fact, there are travel suppliers who focus specifically on providing a luxury travel experience for families in the U.S.’s wild frontier.
Luxury summer vacations: Let's take a trip in U.S.'s wild frontier. Click To Tweet
As summer vacation ideas for your family, here are two such companies putting a lot of pampering in an “out West” experience:
The Resort at Paws Up:
Photo by Wicker Paradise, https://www.flickr.com/photos/wicker-furniture/9579023028
This gorgeous luxury family resort in Montana is like the summer camp you’ve always dreamed of.
Picture horse back riding through Montana’s breathtaking forests, cattle drives across the great open plains, and warming up by a rousing campfire at night, a cup of hot cocoa — or a glass of wine! — in hand.
But this family resort puts a decidedly luxurious spin on the summer camp theme.
Families can try their hand at “glamping” — glamorous camping — in one of the resorts decked-out tents. These roomy tents often feature soaking tubs, chandeliers, and rustic luxe design accents. Breathtaking views across tinkling creeks, and gourmet, farm-fresh dining, await you outside your tent.
Let's try glamping (glamorous camping)! #luxuryvacations. Click To TweetA stay at The Resort at Paws Up is one of the best summer vacation ideas for families and the perfect way to introduce your kids to the wonders of nature … while you do a little pampering for yourself!
Tauck Bridges Family Adventures:
The Grand Teton Mountains
If you’re in search of fun, inspiring, and educational family summer vacation ideas, beloved tour company Tauck Bridges is your ticket.
Tauck Bridges creates guided tours for families yearning to get closer to nature and make memories of a lifetime together. Tauck Bridges also specializes in designing travel experiences that appeal to all generations. That means a Tauck Bridges excursion is perfect for every member of your family, from grandparents on down to grandkids.
Tauck’s “Cowboy Country” excursions looks like tons of fun that the whole family can enjoy.
It’s a stress-free way to introduce your family to the wonders of our national parks, with stops in Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Mount Rushmore, and more. Imagine: Enjoying the hiking, rafting, and awe-inspiring vistas you’ll encounter together out west … without having to worry about any of the logistics! Tauck takes care of all the accommodations, meals, and tours for you, so you just focus on having a blast with your family.
Turn Your Family Summer Vacation Ideas Into a Dream Trip!
Does a luxury escape out West sound like something you and your family might enjoy?
Then get in touch with the team at Southern Travel Agency to start planning. It’s not too early to book a family summer vacation — in fact, planning now will get you the best rates and widest selection on flights, accommodations, tours, and more!
“I’ve used Southern Travel Agency for a long time, and I’ve never had a bad vacation. They’re very efficient and good with complicated logistics. My whole family goes on group trips together, but often we’ll arrive at the destination separately at different times — trying to keep that straight myself is confusing. But the travel agents at Southern Travel Agency know what they’re doing, and if there’s ever a problem I have a number to call. They’re very enthusiastic, do
...more“I’ve used Southern Travel Agency for a long time, and I’ve never had a bad vacation. They’re very efficient and good with complicated logistics. My whole family goes on group trips together, but often we’ll arrive at the destination separately at different times — trying to keep that straight myself is confusing. But the travel agents at Southern Travel Agency know what they’re doing, and if there’s ever a problem I have a number to call. They’re very enthusiastic, do wonderful research, and are so excited to help.”
“We have been using Southern Travel for years and they’ve booked numerous trips for us (including all three of my children’s honeymoons). Mike and the staff are great. They have lots of experience, so they can help you plan a fabulous trip while getting the most for your dollar. And when the airlines change flights or the unexpected comes up, they are just a phone call away and take care of everything. I highly recommend Southern Travel.”
“We worked with Southern Travel Agency travel expert Jane, and she gave a lot of advice on what to do on our trip through France. She took care of all planning and paperwork for us, and she did a great job. When we told her that we wanted to spend extra time in Paris, it was not a problem. While we live in Augusta, we flew out of Atlanta, so we drove to airport. Coming back from Europe, we got
...more“We worked with Southern Travel Agency travel expert Jane, and she gave a lot of advice on what to do on our trip through France. She took care of all planning and paperwork for us, and she did a great job. When we told her that we wanted to spend extra time in Paris, it was not a problem. While we live in Augusta, we flew out of Atlanta, so we drove to airport. Coming back from Europe, we got in at 9 at night, so Jane booked us a hotel — and the hotel provided 14 days free parking, which meant we got to leave our car there the whole trip. It was excellent. We’ve used Southern Travel before, and we find the team there very personable, and they go out of their way to help you.”
“My summer travel plans had gotten too complicated for me to handle myself. I walked in to Southern Travel Agency, talked with Mike Kerbelis, and soon had everything worked out. I will go back here the next vacation I need to plan. Everyone in the office was friendly and helpful. I am very pleased with my experience.”
“I know a lot of people book their travel online, but the biggest disadvantage of doing that is you have no one to turn to if you ever have a problem. I’ve been using Southern Travel Agency for years, and I appreciate having somebody I can call who can get a problem taken care of — which saves us from ruining the whole trip!”
“It gives me great comfort to know that if a problem arises while I’m out of the country, Southern Travel Agency can take care of it on their end. Mike and his team make me feel safe when I’m in a foreign country. I know they have my back no matter where I am. They’ll get it worked out and fixed for me. Thank you!”
“We worked with Mike Kerbelis to plan our destination wedding at Beaches Turks & Caicos, and he was always there for me. He organized a wonderful email to my list of guests and touched base with them about booking flights and deposits, and he kept them on track about money due dates. Southern Travel Agency also had a relationship with the Beaches general manager, which helped us get “perks” like a room upgrade when there technically weren’t any available, and
...more“We worked with Mike Kerbelis to plan our destination wedding at Beaches Turks & Caicos, and he was always there for me. He organized a wonderful email to my list of guests and touched base with them about booking flights and deposits, and he kept them on track about money due dates. Southern Travel Agency also had a relationship with the Beaches general manager, which helped us get “perks” like a room upgrade when there technically weren’t any available, and reserving the hibachi restaurant in advance. We also created travel welcome bags, and we wanted to hand deliver them at the resort. Mike got us a list of everyone’s flights and arrival times so we could greet them in the lobby. Between the Beaches wedding planner helping us with all the wedding details and Mike helping with all the travel arrangements, everything was covered.”
“I’d never used a travel agency before, but working with you was awesome — we’ll now be booking all of our travel through Southern Travel Agency. You made it very easy!”
“”We just returned from a two-week honeymoon at the Sandals resorts in Barbados and Grenada, planned by Southern Travel Agency – it was all so beautiful! As a true beach lover, I really appreciated how the atmosphere and focus of direction at the Barbados resort revolved around the incredible beach. Almost every restaurant had a full beach view. Thank you to Mike for finding the right fit for us. He truly listened to what we are looking for before making
...more“”We just returned from a two-week honeymoon at the Sandals resorts in Barbados and Grenada, planned by Southern Travel Agency – it was all so beautiful! As a true beach lover, I really appreciated how the atmosphere and focus of direction at the Barbados resort revolved around the incredible beach. Almost every restaurant had a full beach view. Thank you to Mike for finding the right fit for us. He truly listened to what we are looking for before making suggestions, and he set up beautiful packages for us. It was a very personal planning experience, and he helped make what we were wishing for a reality. Plus, he takes the stress out of planning; we never had to worry about timing or that things weren’t well organized. We’re already working with him on planning a family trip and another couples trip in the future!”
“When we’re trying to put a big group of us together for our medical mission trips, we need someone who can roll with the punches — and Mike does. He coordinates everyone’s travel schedules, and he even helped us with ticket issues getting back into the country. He handles everything!”
“I had a wonderful experience working with Lauren to plan a Viking European river cruise trip through Eastern Europe. She was a great help. When I wanted to book this package I sent her an email of what I wanted, and started with the “oh by the ways …” — she gladly took care of all of my special requests. She took care of getting us Delta Comfort seats, and she dealt with a little hiccup just a day before
...more“I had a wonderful experience working with Lauren to plan a Viking European river cruise trip through Eastern Europe. She was a great help. When I wanted to book this package I sent her an email of what I wanted, and started with the “oh by the ways …” — she gladly took care of all of my special requests. She took care of getting us Delta Comfort seats, and she dealt with a little hiccup just a day before we left. In today’s world, you can do anything on the internet by yourself, but if something goes wrong it was nice to be able to have that kind of service.”
“I just wanted to personally say thank you for all your help in making our honeymoon AMAZING! You were with us 100% of the way, and for that, you have customers for life! We are already looking forward to working with you again in years to come.”
“I have used Southern Travel Agency to plan several trips for me and my family, including two that were very special. One was a family cruise for 13 people to the Caribbean, and the other was a honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Our travel consultant was Jane who did an outstanding job in planning both trips. Jane was very professional and arranged every detail including air transportation, rental car, hotels, cruise line and travel insurance. I highly recommend Southern Travel Agency
...more“I have used Southern Travel Agency to plan several trips for me and my family, including two that were very special. One was a family cruise for 13 people to the Caribbean, and the other was a honeymoon trip to Hawaii. Our travel consultant was Jane who did an outstanding job in planning both trips. Jane was very professional and arranged every detail including air transportation, rental car, hotels, cruise line and travel insurance. I highly recommend Southern Travel Agency to plan your next rip. I certainly plan to use them for mine.”
“The Sandals staff at Emerald Bay was so accommodating. There were so many restaurants to choose from and the spa was outstanding. Not to mention that magnificent blue water! We’re so glad we used Mike to plan our trip, and we will continue to use him. He made great suggestions on places we should go, made all the reservations, and supplied us with travel documents with an itinerary. All we had to do was just show up at the airport!”
...more“The Sandals staff at Emerald Bay was so accommodating. There were so many restaurants to choose from and the spa was outstanding. Not to mention that magnificent blue water! We’re so glad we used Mike to plan our trip, and we will continue to use him. He made great suggestions on places we should go, made all the reservations, and supplied us with travel documents with an itinerary. All we had to do was just show up at the airport!”
“We would like to recommend Southern Travel Agency in Augusta, GA. Our representative Jane, was especially helpful in arranging an ocean cruise from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal. She provided us with excellent comparisons of available ocean cruises so we could decide which best fit our needs. Due to complications from knee replacement surgery, I am not able to walk long distances. Jane was most helpful in arranging for a handicapped accessible cabin. She also suggested
...more“We would like to recommend Southern Travel Agency in Augusta, GA. Our representative Jane, was especially helpful in arranging an ocean cruise from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal. She provided us with excellent comparisons of available ocean cruises so we could decide which best fit our needs. Due to complications from knee replacement surgery, I am not able to walk long distances. Jane was most helpful in arranging for a handicapped accessible cabin. She also suggested a company where we were able to rent a motorized scooter. I was surprised to learn that they would put the scooter in our cabin in Los Angeles and we could leave it in the cabin when we reached Ft. Lauderdale. Jane was also very knowledgeable and helpful when we were planning our side trip excursions. We will surely use Southern Travel Agency and Jane to arrange our next cruise.”
“The Sandals staff at Emerald Bay was so accommodating, there were so many restaurants to choose from, and the spa was outstanding. Not to mention the blue water was magnificent! We’re so glad we used Mike to plan our trip, and we will continue to use him. He made great suggestions on places we should go, made all the reservations, and supplied us with travel documents with an itinerary — all we had to do was just show up at
...more“The Sandals staff at Emerald Bay was so accommodating, there were so many restaurants to choose from, and the spa was outstanding. Not to mention the blue water was magnificent! We’re so glad we used Mike to plan our trip, and we will continue to use him. He made great suggestions on places we should go, made all the reservations, and supplied us with travel documents with an itinerary — all we had to do was just show up at the airport!”
“Between the amazing amenities and friendliness, we felt completely pampered on our recent honeymoon at Sandals LaSource Grenada, planned by Mike at Southern Travel Agency. We couldn’t walk by anyone who worked there without them saying “hello,” and often engaging us in questions on how we liked the island. And the butler service was amazing — we just had to tell our butler what we wanted to do and when, and he made it happen. One afternoon we were surprised
...more“Between the amazing amenities and friendliness, we felt completely pampered on our recent honeymoon at Sandals LaSource Grenada, planned by Mike at Southern Travel Agency. We couldn’t walk by anyone who worked there without them saying “hello,” and often engaging us in questions on how we liked the island. And the butler service was amazing — we just had to tell our butler what we wanted to do and when, and he made it happen. One afternoon we were surprised with a drawn bubble bath with chilled champagne and shrimp cocktail in our room! We’re already working with Mike to plan a family vacation to a Beaches property next. Mike has an incredible knowledge about the resorts, and he takes into account our personal tastes. When he tells us, “I know what you want,” he always delivers.”
“We’d worked with Jane at Southern Travel Agency before to arrange all the details of a previous trip — so we had confidence in her. All the arrangements for our AmaWaterways river cruise were made through her. Prior to departing, we met with her in person and she went over the trip step by step and helped us with all the paperwork. We had confidence she’d put together a river cruise trip we’d enjoy — and she did.”
"And the butler service was amazing — we just had to tell our butler what we wanted to do and when, and he made it happen. One afternoon we were surprised with a drawn bubble bath with chilled champagne and shrimp cocktail in our room! We’re already working with Mike to plan a family vacation to a Beaches property next. Mike has an incredible knowledge about the resorts, and he takes into account our personal tastes. When he tells us
...more"And the butler service was amazing — we just had to tell our butler what we wanted to do and when, and he made it happen. One afternoon we were surprised with a drawn bubble bath with chilled champagne and shrimp cocktail in our room! We’re already working with Mike to plan a family vacation to a Beaches property next. Mike has an incredible knowledge about the resorts, and he takes into account our personal tastes. When he tells us ‘I know what you want,’ he always delivers."
“We just returned from a two-week honeymoon at the Sandals resorts in Barbados and Grenada, planned by Southern Travel Agency. It was all so beautiful! As a true beach lover, I really appreciated how the atmosphere and focus of direction at the Sandals Barbados resort revolved around the incredible beach. Almost every restaurant had a full beach view. Thank you to Mike for finding the right fit for us. He truly listened to what we are looking for before making
...more“We just returned from a two-week honeymoon at the Sandals resorts in Barbados and Grenada, planned by Southern Travel Agency. It was all so beautiful! As a true beach lover, I really appreciated how the atmosphere and focus of direction at the Sandals Barbados resort revolved around the incredible beach. Almost every restaurant had a full beach view. Thank you to Mike for finding the right fit for us. He truly listened to what we are looking for before making suggestions, and he set up beautiful packages for us. It was a very personal planning experience, and he helped make what we were wishing for a reality. Plus, he takes the stress out of planning. We never had to worry about timing or that things weren’t well organized. We’re already working with him on planning a family trip and another couples trip in the future!”
“We had the most marvelous time of our lives on this cruise. I’ve never thought that I would be spoiled and pampered as I did for my birthday. The staff treated me like I was the only passenger on the ship, and the food — omg! you couldn’t get enough; they had so much of a variety to choose from! I want to thank you for your help on choosing this cruise for us and I’m already looking forward to
...more“We had the most marvelous time of our lives on this cruise. I’ve never thought that I would be spoiled and pampered as I did for my birthday. The staff treated me like I was the only passenger on the ship, and the food — omg! you couldn’t get enough; they had so much of a variety to choose from! I want to thank you for your help on choosing this cruise for us and I’m already looking forward to next year!”
“We were planning our small all inclusive destination wedding in Barbados, but Delta cancelled their flights unexpectedly. I had to change the date of the wedding and the resort or else a lot of my guests wouldn’t be able to go. Once I found out Barbados wasn’t going to work, Mike Kerbelis and his team went over the top to help me. I spent a whole Saturday with him. He said, ‘Show me what you want and we’ll work from
...more“We were planning our small all inclusive destination wedding in Barbados, but Delta cancelled their flights unexpectedly. I had to change the date of the wedding and the resort or else a lot of my guests wouldn’t be able to go. Once I found out Barbados wasn’t going to work, Mike Kerbelis and his team went over the top to help me. I spent a whole Saturday with him. He said, ‘Show me what you want and we’ll work from there.’ And he did it! I told him I liked new, and he thought Grenada would be perfect, since his sister just spent her honeymoon there and loved it. They worked all the travel out for our guests too.”