San Diego with kids
Three different kinds of water within twenty minutes of each other, which beaches are calm enough for a baby, and which well-reviewed places are shut on the day you were going to go.
Places checked 12 August 2026
Notes on family travel
When we research a trip for one family, most of what we learn is true for anyone travelling with children. That half gets published here, free.
Ten things worth checking before a family trip
The ten checks that decide whether a day works, ordered by what each one costs when it is wrong. About two hours for a week away.
How to check that a place will actually be open
Four steps, about five minutes a place, and one of them is the step almost nobody does. It catches the most expensive mistakes in family travel.
Planning a day around a nap that has not happened yet
A day with a young child in it has one fixed point and everything else moves. Build outward from the nap rather than fitting it in.
Weighing this up against the other ways of planning a trip? All six are compared here, including the free ones.