Who doesn’t love a good inspirational quote?! Whether you are looking for the perfect Instagram caption for your family travel photos or simply want a little inspiration to take that trip with your kids, we’ve compiled a list of the best family travel quotes and quotes about trips with family. These quotes about family travel capture the joy, inspiration, and even the struggle of traveling with kids.
The Best Family Travel Quotes by Topic
Every family is different, and our reasons for traveling are different. Some families travel primarily for educational purposes. In fact, worldschooling, a form of homeschooling while traveling full-time, is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to a traditional education. Other families simply travel to make memories with their children, relax, have fun, and get away from the day-to-day stresses of normal life. Not all family travelers fit into the same box, so not all of these family vacation quotes will apply to every family. For this reason, we have categorized our list of travel quotes to make it easier to find the best quote or family travel caption for you!
Family Travel Quotes about Making Memories
One of our main reasons for travel is to make memories with our daughter. After all, we work full-time jobs, and our daughter is now in full-time school and extra-curricular activities. Our lives at home are busy. So travel is a good way for us to go off the grid and reconnect with what is most important - family. Here are some of our favorite family holiday quotes about making memories with our kids.
- “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” - Charles R Swindoll
This has long been one of our favorite quotes about traveling with kids. In fact, we even have it in the footer of our website. For us, it is a reminder to try to make each day with our daughter count.
- “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.” - Og Mandino
Some of my own favorite memories from childhood are of family vacations. My family didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but those long road trips and inexpensive family camping trips are still some of my happiest memories.
- “Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children.” - Ezra Taft Benson
- “Memories made together last a lifetime.” - Unknown
- “In the end, kids won’t remember the fancy toy you bought them, they will remember the time you spent with them.” - Kevin Heath
We have made it a family mission to invest in travel instead of toys. We prioritize travel because we believe that the lessons learned and the memories made will far outweigh any toy or item we could ever give our daughter.
- “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” - Unknown
- “Actually, the best gift you could have given her is a lifetime of adventures.” - Lewis Carroll
Another one of our personal favorite travel adventure quotes. As the parents of a very adventurous little girl, this quote speaks directly to my heart. Parents of boys - you could easily replace the word her with he, and the quote has the same valuable meaning!
- “The family that travels together, stays together.” - Unknown
I’m sure this family trip quote isn’t always true. But for us, traveling is the greatest bonding experience as a family. Even before we were parents, traveling as a couple made our relationship stronger. While traveling comes with its fair share of challenges, I guarantee you, all the stressful moments of a family trip are worth it!
Family Travel Quotes about Learning through Travel
We truly believe that travel makes kids smarter. In fact, there have been actual studies on this that have proven it true. But travel doesn’t just help you retain knowledge; travel teaches lessons that you cannot learn any other way. As our society has become more global-minded, many parents have realized family travel is a form of education. We have compiled quite a few quotes on the educational benefits of travel because travel has been a learning experience for us and for our daughter. Here are some of our favorite educational trips with kids quotes.
- “Not all classrooms have four walls.” - Unknown
- “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” - Walt Streightiff
We have a family travel bucket list that we created soon after our daughter was born. Basically, it is a list of places we want to visit as a family. From that bucket list, we have created a plan to take our daughter to all seven continents and all seven wonders of the world. But one of the great things about traveling with kids is that a hiking trail just outside of your hometown can create just as much wonderment for a child as seeing the Taj Mahal. Seeing the world through our daughter’s eyes has made travel that much more rewarding as parents.
- “The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences.” - Mark Patterson
- “Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir is a broader perspective.” - Rick Steves
This family travel quote hits me like a gut punch. You can buy your kids lots of souvenirs from your family vacation, but the greatest gift you’re giving them comes from simply showing them the world and introducing them to new cultures, foods, languages, and people.
- “Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves.” - Euripides
- “Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.” - Unknown
I mean, who doesn’t love going back through your passport and looking at all the different passport stamps?! Each one brings back a flood of memories from trips you’ve taken.
- “Travel is a great teacher.” - Unknown
- “Travel is not reward for working. It is education for living.” - Anthony Bourdain
So many of us treat a family vacation as a reward for hard work. As a dual-income family and parents with very demanding jobs, we understand why. While travel can be very rewarding and a welcomed break from work, it is also nourishment for the soul and the brain. In fact, our brains probably work harder on an international trip than they do when we are sitting at our desks dreaming of one.
- “Then I realized adventures are the best way to learn.” - Unknown
- “Travel is like an endless university. You never stop learning.” - Harvey Lloyd
Even as adults, we are still learning through travel. Every time we visit a new country, we step out of our comfort zone and into someone else’s.
- Travel is the best teacher. The only way to an open mind is by taking a plane out into the open world. - C. JoyBell C.
- “There is no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.” - Unknown
Every parent has heard the complaint “I’m bored!” from their children. But travel reminds us just how much fun this planet is!
- “The world is your playground - Play with a sense of destiny.” - Edward Boyden
- “A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.” - Henry Rollins
When you travel with your kids, they don’t just learn about other places, they learn about their homeland. Perhaps, they will learn to appreciate the privileges and freedoms they have in their own country. Or perhaps, they will realize there is more than one way of doing things, and both may be OK, or the alternative may even be better.
- “Don’t tell me how educated you are. Tell me how much you’ve traveled.” - Prophet Muhammad
- “At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” - Shanti
We probably have a thousand pictures of our daughter that perfectly illustrate this family travel quote. Her hair is always messy, she won’t wear shoes to save her life, so her feet are always dirty, but man, do her eyes sparkle with wonder!
- “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” - Saint Augustine
- “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what to count is best.” - Bob Talbert
Reading is important, so is counting and math. We are strong believers in academia, but we also believe that many of life’s real lessons are learned through travel.
- “A mind stretched by travel can never go back to old dimensions.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
- “Travel sparks our imagination, feeds our curiosity, and reminds us how much we all have in common.” - Deborah Lloyd
This is another personal favorite family travel quote of ours. We love visiting new places that look like settings from a Disney movie and watching our daughter’s imagination come to life. Even better, watching our child make friends at playgrounds around the world with kids who do not look like her or even speak the same language, but they find commonality and friendship regardless.
- “We know that travel is essential to a complete education. Traveling abroad teaches understanding of other people, cultures, and communities, and these types of experiences offer young people a greater ability to be successful in today’s global society.” - Michael Palmer
I’m often embarrassed by the things I may have said or done as a young adult simply because I didn’t know any better. Travel has changed my perspective on a lot of things. When you travel abroad, you are no longer ignorant to the ways of the world, to the conditions in other countries, or the views of other people. You learn, you grow, and you are better equipped for conversing or even doing business with those from other countries. By traveling with your children, you are planting the seed for a global perspective.
- “Traveling is the best education. You see the world through another lens. You realize your homeland isn’t the only reality. There are many.” - Unknown
- “And suddenly you realize your travels were more education than vacation.” - Unknown
And there it is, friends! Even the trip that started as a family vacation can hold significant educational value for kids. New sounds, textures, and experiences all help a child’s ever-expanding mind grow!
Family Travel Quotes about the Struggle of Traveling with Kids
We pride ourselves on showing the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly aspects of family travel. Traveling with kids can be extremely rewarding, but it can also be extremely tough, especially in the early years. After all, the tiniest humans have the biggest emotions! If we had a dollar for every time we heard someone ask, “How do you do it?”, “Why do you do it?”, or tell us, “I don’t know how you do it!” when speaking about traveling with kids, we would probably have enough money to book a trip around the world. Here are some of our favorite quotes and captions for family trips that may give you some encouragement through the travel struggles and stresses.
- “Deciding not to travel with your children because they won’t remember the trips you take is like saying don’t read them books because they won’t remember the stories you read.” - Unknown
We have heard so many times that our money spent on traveling has been wasted because our daughter was too young to remember the trips from her early years. Each trip and experience shapes you, no matter how young or old you are.
- “Excuses will always be there for you. Opportunity won’t.” - Unknown
- “You call it chaos, we call it making memories.” - Unknown
There is a bit of chaos that goes into doing anything with kids. Whether you are getting them ready for school in the morning or boarding a flight to a new continent, some level of chaos should be expected. Unfortunately, for many, the fear of chaos keeps them from traveling with their kids. But it shouldn’t. Plan for it, embrace the chaos, and make those memories!
- “Having kids is a reason to travel. Never a reason to stop.” - Unknown
- “There are two kinds of travel: First class and with children.” - Robert Benchley
To be fair, we have never traveled first class. Even before children, we were budget backpackers. With children, we are still budget travelers who often stay in hostels with kids. But this family travel quote still has a lot of truth because once you’ve traveled with kids, traveling without your kids feels like first class!
- “It is never too early to begin exploring the world.” - Unknown
- “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain
We always recommend before you marry someone and have kids, go on an extended trip together to a place that feels very foreign to you. How you navigate the stress of being in a new country will teach you a lot about each other. If you make it through traveling as a couple and still love each other, go ahead and start planning a life together. You’ve found a good one!
Family Travel Quotes about Changing Your Perspective
Travel will change your perspective on a lot of things, even if you do not intend for it to. We are different people than we were before we started traveling, and we will likely continue to change, evolve, and grow with each trip we take. Your children will, too. Except children are like sponges; they absorb so much more, and their minds are more open because they are not yet set in their ways, so travel stands to have an even greater impact on kids.
- “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Do more things that make you forget to check your phone.” - Unknown
The average person touches their smartphone 2,617 times per day! Each of those swipes and taps adds up to 145 minutes spent consumed by a device. Sometimes, as a family, we physically have to remove ourselves from the constant distraction by traveling off the grid to a remote area where the WiFi is weak or non-existent. It forces us to stop checking our phone. But regardless of where you travel, travel in and of itself can make you completely forget to check your phone. And for this reason, we should all travel more!
- “You will never look back on your life and think ‘I spent too much time with my kids.’” - Kimberly Mcleod
- “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson
This is a great lesson to teach kids early in life. When you visit a new country, it is you who is foreign, not the people you meet there. When we visited Morocco with kids, it was a huge culture shock. There was a language barrier, transportation challenges, and a lot of cultural differences that seemed “foreign” to us. However, we went to bed the first night in Morocco determined to wake up with a different outlook. Our ways of life were not their ways of life. But we were in their homeland, not ours. We, as visitors to their country, were the foreign ones. Once we embraced that, we had a wonderful time in the North African country.
- “Time is precious. Waste it wisely.” - Unknown
- “Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” - Leigh Hunt
Home doesn’t have to be a physical place. It is a feeling we can carry with us anywhere as long as we are with the people who are and will always be our home.
- “You are my home and my adventure all at once.” - Unknown
We had to use a picture of Iceland to illustrate this quote because the country perfectly captures the meaning for us. In so many ways, Iceland was a wonderful, out-of-this-world adventure, but somehow this wild island nation felt so comfortably like home to us.
- “I take my children everywhere but they always find their way back home.” - Robert Orben
Again, home doesn’t always have to be a physical place, and the concept of returning home to the people you love is a beautiful thing. We hope our daughter always knows she can always come “home” to us, even as an adult, no matter where we may live.
- “The world is full of wonderful things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t ever give up on the chance of seeing them.” - JK Rowling
- “Two of the greatest gifts we give our children are roots and wings.” - Hodding Carter
Nothing will give your children the confidence to fly like traveling. And having their parents there with them on every journey will give them roots. Book. That. Trip.
- “It’s a big beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us.” - Oberyn Martell
- “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” - Unknown
Misconceptions will always exist. For example, we had always heard Mexico City was a dangerous place to visit. But after visiting the capital of Mexico, we realized that much of the city is very safe, and visiting Mexico City with kids is a great vacation!
- “Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” - Michael Palin
Funny Family Travel Quotes
Our list of quotes about travel with family wouldn’t be complete without a few funny ones thrown in there. Laughter and kids go hand-in-hand, so here are a few of the funniest quotes about family travel.
- “I wish travel therapy was covered by health insurance.”
Don’t we all!?
- “You can’t make everyone happy. You are not a plane ticket.”
Every parent knows you can’t always please your kids. We would have to make macaroni and cheese every night to please our daughter. (Just kidding, she has actually always been an adventurous eater - thanks in part to traveling.) But knowing just how hard it is to please our children sometimes, this family travel quote makes us giggle.
- “A road trip is a way for the whole family to spend time together and annoy each other in interesting new places.” - Tom Lichtenheld
- “Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs.” - Susan Sontag
We take so many pictures on trips, and most of them are of our kid! It basically looks like she started traveling solo at the age of 2. If you’re like us and have 4 million travel photos, invest in an external hard drive to store your memories all in one place.
- “Education is important. But travel is importanter.”
- “My favorite memory from childhood is my parents paying for my holidays.”
Travel can get expensive unless you’ve learned the art of travel hacking… Hence why we often stay in hostels as a family rather than springing for a fancy hotel.
- “Mondays are better at the beach.”
No list of travel quotes would be complete with at least one or two beach quotes. Also, can we just make beach Mondays a thing? Please.
- “I love those days when my only decision is window or aisle.”
Let’s be real… as a mom, you rarely get the window seat. This is a containment strategy that anyone who has ever had to fly with a toddler quickly learns. But regardless, I’ll take a day in the middle seat over a day at home!
- “If you look like your passport picture, you probably need a trip.”
All parents who travel with their kids look like their passport photo. Traveling with kids is exhausting! But it is so worth dealing with jet lag!
- “I’m making sure my daughter travels a lot so when she’s older she won’t be impressed by a weekend in Miami with your dusty son.”
Another great girl mom quote. Nothing against Miami, it’s more about showing your kids the world so they choose their significant other wisely. After all, you want them to marry their perfect match!
- “Going on a trip. Need about 5 outfits. I’ll pack 35 just to be safe.”
While this quote is funny, it definitely doesn’t apply to us. Even packing for a baby, we pack only the baby travel essentials!
- “My mom watches a special type of news program that only reports on horrible incidents happening in places I’m about to visit.”
You never stop being a mom, and moms never stop worrying about their kids. You know how I know that? As an almost-40-year-old woman, my mother still calls me to tell me about some terrifying thing that JUST happened in whatever country we are traveling to. She was even worried when we took our child to Iceland. One of the fun facts about Iceland: it’s the safest country in the world!
Our Own Family Travel Quotes
Over time, as you travel as a family, you develop a few of your own travel quotes. I’m sure plenty of other traveling parents have used these quotes or something similar, as well. But for us, these are things we have said without knowing the origin. They are more so observations we have had during our travels.
- “Play is a universal language.”
We first said this while watching our child at a playground in Prague, Czech Republic. She was playing with a little girl who spoke French, a girl who spoke Chinese, and a local kid from Czech Republic. None of them spoke the same language, yet it didn’t seem to matter. Play is a universal language.
- “Traveling with kids is a trip - not a vacation.”
As we’ve mentioned, traveling with kids can be a challenge. It is not a vacation. In fact, you might feel like you need a vacation after your “vacation.”
- “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are on skis!”
We are a family of skiers. In fact, our child was only a toddler when we taught her to ski. For this reason, we believe at least some of life’s paths should be through snow, and preferably on skis!
How to Display Your Favorite Family Travel Quotes
While most people use family travel quotes as captions for family trips, you can also display your favorite family holiday quotes in several other ways.
- Wall Canvas: Whether you create a travel-themed nursery or kids’ room or just want to bring a little inspiration to your home so you can feel like you’re traveling even when you can’t, a wall hanging with a decorative font is a great way to incorporate your favorite travel quote into your home decor. You can even find some pre-made on a canvas!
- Photo Frame: For a cheaper option, buy an inexpensive picture frame, use an online graphic design program, like Canva, and design and print your travel quotes to frame and display throughout your home or office. (Or in your home office if you work remotely.)
- Travel Photo Book: Creating a book of your travel memories on Shutterfly or Amazon Photos is a great way to reminisce about a trip or family vacation. Incorporate a few of your favorite travel quotes into your photo book, and you’ve got the perfect gift for moms who love to travel or travel-loving dads!
- Customized Coffee Mug: Finally, there is no better way to perk up your morning than by adding a dose of inspiration with your coffee. Customize a coffee mug on Airportag.com with your favorite travel quote, and you’ll wake up happier every day!
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