Your kids are practically travel influencers, according to a from Hilton involving more than 13,000 travelers. About 70% of respondents with kids reported that they choose vacation destinations based on their children’s preferences. So where will your tiny tourists love that will also be a vacation for you? Behold our heavily researched, expert-vetted list of the best family vacation destinations to visit now.

We checked out most of these 50 spots, often with our kids and teens, as part of Good Housekeeping’s Family Travel Awards program for 2024 and 2025. “It was the first real vacation we ever had,” beamed one parent of an elementary schooler who previously tried several other resorts. Another added, “We’re coming back next year with my sister and her kids — it’s that good!”

In addition to rave reviews, travel experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute kept budget in mind when choosing our favorites. It’s not lost on us that travel is getting more expensive. So we focused on resorts that provide great value, from kids-stay-free deals to complimentary breakfast. For the few splurgier spots, rest assured they’re worth every penny.

Whether you’re looking to chill out at an all-inclusive resort, get active in the great outdoors, check out new attractions at a theme park, hit the beach or cozy up at a ski resort, there’s a destination or experience here to match every vacation vibe and party size.

NEOSHO, Mo. — We may not be in a hurricane-prone area, but some of our favorite destination spots are.

Weather experts say this year will be an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic and Gulf. And that could have an impact on your summer vacation plans.

We spoke to travel experts, and they say most people won’t be impacted unless they venture to places typically in the path of storms like the Caribbean, Louisiana, and Florida.

Travel agents say if you do go to a place that could get hit by a hurricane, make sure you have travel insurance before you leave.

They add the good news is that some companies do have a policy that if there is a hurricane, you can get your money back.

“There is lot of different plans and programs and even some of the travel suppliers such as cruise lines and resorts that are in this area that could be impacted they even have some hurricane policies were you could just rebook your trip and go at a different date,” said Ken Mayer, Galaxsea cruises and tours.

Mayer also says that from mid-August to September is the peak season for hurricanes, so you have a greater risk during that window.

He adds that if you have the flexibility to either go earlier or later, that would improve your odds of not being impacted by any hurricanes.

June’s here, and that means vacation season is officially in full swing. Whether you’re jetting off for a beach getaway, taking a road trip to visit family or heading out on a quick weekend escape, what you pack can make or break your trip. The right gear can keep you comfortable, organized and stress-free — while forgetting key items can turn a relaxing getaway into a string of overpriced convenience store stops.

As someone who travels often, I’ve had my fair share of packing wins and total disasters. Even though I try to plan meticulously, I’ve still shown up without socks, chargers or even pajamas more times than I’d like to admit. I’ve learned the hard way which items I should never skip when getting ready for a trip. If you want to avoid last-minute stress and enjoy your vacation from the moment you leave the house, these essentials are worth adding to your checklist.

You might not be likely to forget things like clothes or shoes, but what about less obvious items that’ll make your trip smoother and more comfortable? Whether you already have your trip booked for this summer or you’re still planning, these are the 13 things you should never forget to pack.

For more travel tips, learn about the best way to pack a carry-on and the best time to book flights for the cheapest tickets.

1. Hygiene items and prescriptions

On your travels, the last thing you want to forget is any essential hygiene or medical item. While you can easily get more deodorant to stay fresh on your trip, it’s much more important to remember medications that will be difficult to replace once you arrive at your destination. This includes contact lenses, birth control, prescription glasses and any medications.

For women, most times we can plan a trip around our cycle, but sometimes life happens. It can be very costly and uncomfortable to be on a trip without sanitary items, especially when you need them. So, just make it a habit to pack a few. It’s better to have them and not need them than to not have them and need them.

Also, don’t forget to pack sunscreen when you’re traveling in the summer or if you’re visiting a particularly sunny or tropical destination.

2. A reusable water bottle

Bringing a reusable bottle saves money and keeps you hydrated. Mario Marco/Getty Images

If you’re spending hours walking through city streets or going on a full-day hike in a national park, you’re going to need to hydrate frequently. It’s not always easy to access water in certain destinations — not to mention how brutally hot or humid it can be in certain climates — so taking a refillable bottle with you is always helpful.

Sure, you could purchase water bottles at your destination, but water is often expensive in popular tourist hubs or hotels, and grocery or convenience stores aren’t always nearby, especially in rural or woodland areas.

Here’s a list of some great water bottles. If your destination’s tap water isn’t drinkable, think about a water bottle with a built-in filter.

3. Portable power banks

When traveling, you’re likely going to be using your phone more — pulling up boarding passes, looking up places to go and directions to those places, keeping in touch with friends and family back home and taking hundreds of pictures. All of this drains your battery, and it can be frustrating to interrupt your busy itinerary of sightseeing to charge your phone. Plus, access to power outlets is never guaranteed.

That’s why it’s always good to bring a portable power bank with you. Power banks put the power in your pocket for easy access and usually aren’t too expensive. I recommend investing in one that’s not only reliable, but can also charge your phone multiple times before needing to be charged itself.

4. Towelettes

Wipes let you sanitize your hands and certain “high-touch” objects. Kilito Chan/Getty Images

While bus tours or subway rides can be super fun, they’re not always the tidiest of places. During your travels, you’re likely going to have to grab “high-touch” objects like remote controls, light switches, telephones, doorknobs, faucet handles, etc. so it’s important to keep hygiene in mind to prevent illness.

Washing your hands might not always be an immediate option so pack a few towelettes with you. Plus, small wipes should make it through security checkpoints without issue.

5. A quick-dry towel

Towels come in handy and you never know when one might save the day. Maybe you spilled on your outfit or got caught in a rainstorm and need to dry off quickly. Or maybe you arrived at your hotel or Airbnb only to find they didn’t provide towels.

Quick-drying towels are not the most luxurious option, but they’re lightweight and easy to stow away while traveling. Most importantly, they dry super fast so you can clean up and pack it in your bag without too much of a wait.

6. Plastic bags

If there’s one travel necessity I swear by, it’s a plastic bag. Need to pack up your muddy shoes? Plastic bag. Want to separate worn dirty clothing from your clean items? Plastic bag.

While plastic or trash bags are not the most glamorous travel item, they have a multitude of uses and won’t take up much space in your luggage.

It’s available in four colors: grey, dark grey, blue and black. Pamela Vachon/CNET

7. A packable backpack

I consistently pack too much in my carry-on luggage. I want to bring my cameras, hat, sunglasses, a change of clothes and some toiletries just in case my checked back is lost. But all of these items quickly add up to leave very little room in my backpack. And usually, I don’t want to take them all with me as I tool around the destination I’m visiting.

I suggest taking another smaller, preferably foldable backpack that you can use as you tour. This will keep you from having to pack and repack your carry-on bag. Plus, you can use it to carry the souvenirs you pick up.

8. Bottle protectors

I come back from almost every trip I take with a bottle of wine or specialty beer as a souvenir. I love bringing a special bottle of beer, liquor or wine home to share with friends and family as I tell them about my adventures.

But before that can happen, the bottle has to actually make it through the trip home. And that means you’ll need to bring a form of protection. Many people swear by the wine-bottle-in-the-sock method or will swaddle the glass bottles with their clothes, but I prefer to pack an actual protective bottle bag. I recommend a protective bottle bag with padding and a zipper top that will help protect your clothing.

9. Dryer sheets

Stinky shoes? Just use a dryer sheet. Alina Bradford/CNET

For me, this is a no-brainer. When you’re walking miles and miles through various train or bus stations, airports and cities, you’re going to work up quite the sweat. And your shoes will likely pay the price.

Bring several dryer sheets with you to help mask the smell of your shoes. Upon returning to the hotel or Airbnb at the end of your day, simply place a dryer sheet in each shoe to help aerate them.

10. A universal plug adapter

A travel adapter is a must-have. Ceptics/Amazon

You probably already know this. I’m going to remind you anyway: If you’re traveling abroad, you need a plug adapter. Outlets in the US are a different size from outlets overseas, which means if you intend to use electronic devices in a different country, you’ll need an adapter.

You could try to buy one at your destination, but they can be expensive and hard to find. It’s best to pack one with you before you go to save time and money.

11. A travel router

OK, this might seem like overkill, but a travel router has saved me on more than one occasion. Internet connection is not always reliable when traveling or in certain rural areas, and establishing a wired connection is almost always going to be more dependable than wireless (especially in hotels). I feel much safer traveling knowing I have a stable connection to call in case of an emergency, keep up with the group I’m traveling with or connect with loved ones back home.

Here’s some more good news: Travel routers are usually small, affordable and easy to pack. You can buy one for anywhere between $20 and $100, and they’re usually not much larger than a wall adapter.

12. A packable down or rain jacket

No matter if you’re heading to a tropical destination or hitting the streets of a European city, it’s always wise to bring an extra down or rain jacket (or umbrella if you have the space). Even if you check the forecast religiously, you could still get caught in a freak rainstorm or have a chillier night than expected.

One of the best options that won’t weigh down your suitcase is bringing a packable down or rain jacket that can easily fold up. Trust me, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

13. A method to document memories

I’m quite the shutterbug. I love documenting my trips with photos and videos, and sharing those with my friends and family. I also like to be able to look back and reminisce on my many adventures, the people I met along the way and the core memories made. To do so, I need a way to document them.

Most people probably just use their iPhone, but if you’re like me, you quickly run out of storage with the thousands of photos taken every year and need another option. I prefer shooting on a film camera, but since one scan from the airport security CT scanner could destroy your unprocessed film, I’ve found another camera that has quickly become a travel essential.

My go-to camera is the Camp Snap digital camera. It’s lightweight, rechargeable and screen-free yet still provides the vintage film look I like so much. It’s also compact enough to fit in any checked or carry-on bag, making it the ideal vacation camera to capture all of your important moments. No matter what method or camera you select, always make sure you have something that can help you remember your meaningful journeys.

Final thoughts

Traveling can be a life-altering experience that creates memories that last a lifetime. But before you can experience all the magic of the cities around the world, you have to pack. And packing the right way can make all the difference by reducing stress and saving you money in the long run. While everyone might have a different idea of what items are essential for traveling, the 13 recommendations above are what I have found to be the most useful during my own trips.

If you’re planning a vacation and are stressed about preparing, we have plenty of resources to help. Get ready for your next trip with these hacks and tips.

Summer is approaching fast, and if you plan on flying during this travel season, staying on top of your flight status is imperative. Airports can be hectic during peak travel times, and changes can happen at any moment. Some of those changes are easy to manage, while others restrict your time and could potentially cause you to miss your flight or connection flights if you’re not careful.

Luckily, it’s never been easier to get up-to-date information about your flight. For starters, your airline probably has an app, and if not, you can check their website. If you’re in a hurry, you can Google the flight number. Or you can just use your iPhone’s built-in flight tracker that’s sneakily tucked away.

That’s right: your iPhone has a flight tracker that you may have never known about. It’s there for when it’s needed. Below, we’ll show you have to access it in not one, but two places, so you never have to go hunting for your flight info elsewhere again.

For more, don’t miss what the new JetBlue and United Airlines partnership means for your next trip.

How to track your flight via iMessage

Before we start, there are a few prerequisites you must meet:

Make sure iMessage is enabled (it doesn’t work with SMS/MMS).

You’ll need your flight number somewhere in your text messages, whether you’ve sent that information to someone (even yourself) or it’s been sent to you.

The flight number must be sent in this format: [Airline] [Flight number], for example, American Airlines 9707.

Launch the native Messages app on your iPhone and open the text message thread that contains your flight information. You’ll know the flight tracker feature works when the text with the flight information appears underlined, which means it’s actionable and you can tap on it.

If your flight is still several months away or it’s already passed, you might see a message that says, “Flight information unavailable.” You might also see another flight that’s not yours because airlines recycle flight numbers.

You can check your flight status from Spotlight Search, too

You can drop your flight number into your iPhone’s Spotlight Search to quickly get the latest details and status of your upcoming flight. Screenshot by CNET

If getting your flight information from Messages wasn’t easy enough, you can also grab the details right from your iPhone’s home screen by swiping down and adding your flight number into Spotlight Search. Even better, this works with Spotlight Search on your Mac computer, too.

How to access the hidden flight tracker

Although the airline name/flight number format highlighted above is the best way to go, there are other texting options that will lead you to the same result. So let’s say we stick with American Airlines 9707, other options that may bring up the flight tracker include:

AmericanAirlines9707 (no spaces)

(no spaces) AmericanAirlines 9707 (only one space)

(only one space) AA9707 (airline name is abbreviated and no space)

(airline name is abbreviated and no space) AA 9707 (abbreviated and space)

I would suggest you keep the airline name spelled out completely and add a space between the two pieces of information — like in the previous section — because for some airlines, these alternative options may not work.

Text the code to preview your flight. Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Real-time flight tracking

CNET Staff

Once everything is set, tap on the flight information in your text messages. If the feature works correctly, you should see the following two options appear in a quick-action menu:

Preview Flight : View the flight’s details. Tap this to view more information about the flight.

: View the flight’s details. Tap this to view more information about the flight. Copy Flight Code: Copy the flight code to your clipboard (in case you want to send your flight details to someone else via text or email).

If you select Preview Flight, at the top of the window, you’ll see the best part of this feature: a real-time flight tracker map. A line will connect the two destinations, and a tiny airplane will move between them, indicating where the flight is at that exact moment.

Underneath the map, you’ll see important flight information:

Airline name and flight number

Flight status (arriving on time, delayed, canceled, etc.)

(arriving on time, delayed, canceled, etc.) Terminal and gate numbers (for arrival and departure)

(for arrival and departure) Arrival and departure time

Flight duration

Baggage claim (the number of the baggage carousel)

If you swipe left on the bottom half of the flight tracker, you can switch between flights, but only if there’s a return flight.

For more travel tips, don’t miss our test on whether AI can help you fly more sustainably.