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Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Melissa Conn
18 episodes
3 days ago
Planning a family trip to Japan? In this episode, Melissa shares honest insights from her family's 10-day Japan adventure with kids ages 8 and 11. She covers what worked, what didn't, and why Japan became one of their most memorable trips despite being the hardest to plan. In this episode: Why you need to plan earlyTransportation strategyKid-approved Japan activitiesReal talk about jet lag, language barriers, and managing expectationsWhy you can't see everything in one trip (and why that's ok...
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All content for Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids is the property of Melissa Conn and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Planning a family trip to Japan? In this episode, Melissa shares honest insights from her family's 10-day Japan adventure with kids ages 8 and 11. She covers what worked, what didn't, and why Japan became one of their most memorable trips despite being the hardest to plan. In this episode: Why you need to plan earlyTransportation strategyKid-approved Japan activitiesReal talk about jet lag, language barriers, and managing expectationsWhy you can't see everything in one trip (and why that's ok...
Show more...
Places & Travel
Kids & Family,
Society & Culture,
Leisure
Episodes (18/18)
Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Japan with Kids: Planning Tips & What to Expect
Planning a family trip to Japan? In this episode, Melissa shares honest insights from her family's 10-day Japan adventure with kids ages 8 and 11. She covers what worked, what didn't, and why Japan became one of their most memorable trips despite being the hardest to plan. In this episode: Why you need to plan earlyTransportation strategyKid-approved Japan activitiesReal talk about jet lag, language barriers, and managing expectationsWhy you can't see everything in one trip (and why that's ok...
Show more...
3 days ago
22 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Southwest Companion Pass 2026: My Secret to Budget Travel with Kids
Southwest Companion Pass 2026 lets you fly your kids for $5.60 on every flight! Learn how to earn 135,000 points fast with credit card bonuses. Melissa breaks down everything you need to know about earning the Southwest Companion Pass in 2026 - the ultimate family travel hack that lets you bring a companion on every Southwest flight for just $5.60 in taxes. Despite Southwest's recent changes, the Companion Pass remains one of the best travel rewards for families who want to travel more withou...
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6 days ago
7 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Family Travel Plans for 2026: A Sneak Peek at What’s Next
Travel with kids in 2026: Get a sneak peek at our family travel plans! From Portugal to London, cruises to beach weekends, see how one family balances school schedules, sleepaway camps, and award travel to plan an incredible year of family travel adventures across Europe, the US, and beyond. Join Melissa from Family Travel Unpacked as she reveals her 2026 travel lineup, including: First-time visits to Portugal (Lisbon & Porto) and the AzoresLondon with kids and East Coast summer camp logi...
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1 week ago
4 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Travel With Kids: Looking Back on Our 2025 Family Adventures
Join us for a special 2025 year-end review including travel with kids to 10+ destinations! Family travel expert Melissa shares her year-in-review adventures including Maui family vacation tips, Italy with teenagers, Costa Rica with kids, and budget-friendly family trips using points. Discover family travel planning strategies, traveling with kids who have Celiac disease, multi-generational family vacation ideas, and underrated destinations for families. Learn how to balance adventure travel w...
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2 weeks ago
12 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Hacking Hotels (Family Edition)
Travel rewards and credit card points strategies to save thousands on family hotels! Learn unconventional booking hacks from a family travel expert. Maximize your credit card points and travel rewards with four game-changing hotel strategies. Melissa reveals how her family uses points transfer bonuses, hotel credits, and smart booking tactics to slash accommodation costs on trips to the Azores, Porto, and beyond. In this episode: Save 50%+ booking multiple rooms with travel rewards vs. expens...
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2 weeks ago
10 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Hawaii with Kids: Five Questions People Ask Me All The Time
Planning a family trip to Hawaii with kids? Melissa shares 20+ years of Hawaii experience, answering the top 5 questions about which island to choose, how to make Hawaii affordable with points & miles, hotel vs condo decisions, trip length, and handling jet lag. Episode Highlights: Why Oahu (not Waikiki) is best for first-timersHow we flew to Hawaii for $11.20 using pointsHotel vs condo: which saves money and sanitySkip island-hopping on your first trip (here's why)Jet lag survival tips f...
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3 weeks ago
32 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
The Packing Hack To Level Up Your Winter Travel With Kids
Travel packing hack alert! Vacuum storage bags can save massive space when packing winter gear for ski trips and cold destinations like Iceland. Host Melissa shares how her family packed carry-on only for Iceland in July using vacuum compression bags for puffy jackets, rain gear, and cold weather essentials. Learn the difference between roll-up bags and electric pump versions, plus a genius bonus tip for using them as laundry bags on any trip to make room for souvenirs. Episode Highlights: Ho...
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3 weeks ago
4 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Crushing Your Family Ski Trip With Jessica Averett of Skiing Kids
Skiing with kids doesn't have to be stressful! Learn how to plan the perfect family ski trip with expert Jessica Averett of SkiingKids.com. From choosing the right resort to handling different ability levels, ski school decisions, and packing essentials—get all the tips you need for an amazing winter vacation. In this episode: Best ski resorts for families and first-timersSki school vs. teaching your own kidsManaging different skill levels in one familyEssential gear and packing tipsDealing w...
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1 month ago
43 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Your Multi-Gen Family Travel Planning Timeline
Planning multi-generational travel? Learn why booking 10-12 months ahead makes family reunion travel easier and more affordable. Melissa shares real examples from traveling with grandparents including Mexico resorts, cruises, and Hawaii trips. Discover the ideal timeline for coordinating flights, hotels, and activities when multiple families travel together. What You'll Learn: Why early booking matters for multi-generational tripsReal examples: Mexico resort (3 months out vs. cruise booked 11...
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1 month ago
5 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Making Multi-Generational Travel Work for Everyone
Multi-generational travel tips for planning successful family reunion vacations with grandparents, grandchildren, and everyone in between. Learn destination selection strategies, hotel vs. vacation rental pros/cons, activity planning for different ages and abilities, navigating money conversations, and managing group dynamics on trips spanning toddlers to seniors. Episode Highlights: Choosing destinations that work for all ages and mobility levelsTravel agent vs. DIY booking for large groupsH...
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1 month ago
31 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Credit card treasure hunting
Maximize credit card travel benefits and perks with this quick guide to rental car status, Global Entry credits, and hidden airline benefits. Learn how to audit your credit cards to uncover hundreds in travel savings before your next family vacation. In this Quick Tip Tuesday episode, Melissa shares how to maximize credit card travel benefits most families overlook. Discover how to unlock rental car status upgrades, activate TSA PreCheck and Global Entry credits, stack rideshare benefits, and...
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1 month ago
6 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Travel with kids for FREE? Yes please!
Learn how to travel for free with your family using points and miles! Get the details on travel hacking for beginners from busy mom Melissa, who's addicted to family travel on points. Dreaming of taking your family to Hawaii, Europe, or Costa Rica without breaking the bank? In this episode of Family Travel Unpacked, host Melissa breaks down exactly how to use credit card points and miles to cover flights and hotels for your entire family. In this episode: Best starter credit cards for family ...
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1 month ago
20 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Teen Travel Gift Guide (What They Really Want)
Best travel gifts for teens: our teen gift guide with ideas they'll actually use! From experience gifts to luggage and tech essentials. Struggling with holiday shopping for your teen traveler? In this quick episode, I share my teen gift guide featuring the best travel gifts for teens and tweens – vetted by my own 14 and 11-year-old! From experience-based gifts that create lasting memories to practical gear they'll use on every trip, these are the gifts traveling teens actually want. In This E...
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1 month ago
6 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Travel With Kids: Costa Rica Edition
Planning your perfect Costa Rica family vacation? Learn essential tips, itinerary ideas & how to pivot when travel goes wrong! Join Melissa from Family Travel Unpacked for a complete guide to Costa Rica with kids—from cloud forests and coffee farms to zip-lining adventures and beach resorts. After an unexpected flight diversion forced a complete itinerary change, this family of four discovered amazing destinations most visitors skip entirely. In this episode: Essential tips: car seats, so...
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1 month ago
24 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Mastering Microvacations (aka How Travel With Kids Doesn't Have to be a Full-Time Job)
Microvacations and weekend getaways don't have to be complicated! Learn how to plan the perfect 2-3 day family trip that actually refreshes you. Melissa shares her proven formula for stress-free microvacations: finding affordable non-stop flights, choosing hotels with breakfast included, and picking compact destinations where you can maximize fun without the exhaustion of over-planning. Episode highlights: The microvacation formula: short flights, easy logistics, compact destinationsBest hote...
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1 month ago
4 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
How to Choose Your Next Family Travel Destination
Get family travel planning tips from a mom who books 10-12 months ahead! Learn how to choose destinations based on your family's schedule, using points & miles, weather, flight routes and more. Family Travel Unpacked host Melissa shares her "Where to Go When" spreadsheet system, real examples from Costa Rica and Italy, and how to balance everyone's needs with you travel with kids - from outdoor adventure to resort pools. Perfect for families juggling school schedules, dietary restrictions...
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1 month ago
14 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
The Secret Weapon Hiding on Your School's Website
Discover how to book award travel with kids by checking next year's school calendar NOW. Learn why planning 10-12 months ahead unlocks the best points and miles redemptions for family trips. Host Melissa shares the one strategy that changed her family travel game: using next year's school district calendar to book award flights and hotels before availability disappears. Perfect for families wanting to travel on points without breaking the bank. In this episode: Why your school's website holds...
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2 months ago
4 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Welcome to Family Travel Unpacked
Travel with kids doesn't have to wait. Join host Melissa as she shares how her family travels MORE now than before having children—from Hawaii at 3 months old to a 2-year family gap year backpacking the world. In this debut episode of Family Travel Unpacked, Melissa introduces her 8-year journey running The Family Voyage and reveals the surprising truth: family travel became intentional, frequent, and affordable after kids arrived. Learn how maternity leave trips evolved into full-time travel...
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2 months ago
12 minutes

Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids
Planning a family trip to Japan? In this episode, Melissa shares honest insights from her family's 10-day Japan adventure with kids ages 8 and 11. She covers what worked, what didn't, and why Japan became one of their most memorable trips despite being the hardest to plan. In this episode: Why you need to plan earlyTransportation strategyKid-approved Japan activitiesReal talk about jet lag, language barriers, and managing expectationsWhy you can't see everything in one trip (and why that's ok...