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How we research

Our methodology

We're a small team that plans family trips for a living. This page documents exactly how we evaluate destinations, score them, fact-check our data, and stay independent from affiliate revenue.

TotScore — our 0–100 family-fit score

Every destination gets a TotScore that combines five dimensions weighted by what actually matters with kids in tow:

🛡

Safety 25%

Petty crime, pediatric care availability, water quality, traffic risk.

🗺

Terrain 25%

Stroller-friendliness, calm beaches vs. waves, shade, sidewalk continuity.

✈️

Transit ease 20%

Door-to-door friction from your origin: flight time, layovers, transfer logistics.

🍽

Kid food 15%

Familiar staples on menus, high-chair availability, kid-aimed menu options.

⭐

Kid rating 15%

Editorial composite of activity quality, age-appropriateness, and amenity depth.

Transit ease is recomputed per origin — your TotScore for Tokyo from LAX (~11h) is different from your TotScore from Hawaii (~7h). The other four dimensions are intrinsic to the destination.

Tier labels: 85+ exceptional for families · 72–84 solid pick · 58–71 workable with prep · under 58 best for older kids only.

Trip Finder fit score

The Trip Finder quiz ranks destinations against your specific inputs (ages, budget, flight tolerance, vibe, month). It's a separate composite from TotScore — it weighs:

  • Vibe match (60 points): Each matching trip-style tag you picked vs. the destination's tags.
  • Budget match (25): Full credit if the hotel range matches; partial if one tier off; penalty if two tiers off.
  • Flight tolerance (20): Full credit within tolerance; partial if one tier over; penalty if more.
  • Kid-friendly rating (10): Direct addition of the destination's 1–10 score.
  • Season match (8): Bonus if your travel month is in the destination's best season.
  • Age warnings: Soft flags (long flights with babies, all-cultural with toddlers, etc.) — these are shown on the result card but don't subtract from the fit score.

Where our data comes from

  • Official tourism boards & destination marketing orgs — primary cost, activity, and seasonality data.
  • Government travel advisories — US State Department, UK FCDO, Canada Travel.gc.ca for safety baselines.
  • NOAA & national meteorological services — historical weather verdicts (rainy days, temps, hurricane windows).
  • IATA + Google Flights — flight time + price band averaging across major US origins.
  • Booking.com, Expedia, hotel direct sites — price ranges and availability cross-checked across sources.
  • Parent communities — TripAdvisor family forums, Reddit (r/TravelWithKids, r/Disneyland, r/Cancun), Facebook groups — for friction signals secondary sources don't surface.
  • Pediatric travel medicine sources — CDC Travel Health, WHO yellow fever maps, vaccination requirement guidance.

We never cite secondary travel blogs as primary sources. If we recommend a hotel or activity, we've cross-checked it against at least two independent sources.

Affiliate independence — the rule

We earn a small commission when readers book hotels through Booking.com, activities through Viator, or buy travel gear through Amazon. Affiliate revenue never influences our rankings. The rule is simple:

  1. The TotScore formula is published. It's deterministic. We can't tweak the score for a brand we partner with.
  2. We don't accept sponsored content. No paid placements, no "promoted" picks, no advertorial.
  3. If a destination or hotel doesn't have an affiliate program, we still recommend it when it's the right pick.
  4. We never name a hotel or product in a recommendation list that we wouldn't book ourselves.

Affiliate disclosures appear on every page with affiliate links. Read our full affiliate disclosure.

What we don't do

  • ❌ Sponsored content. Ever.
  • ❌ "We tested this product" claims. We're a research-first site. We don't claim hands-on testing we haven't done. We synthesize evidence from credible sources and our own family travel experience.
  • ❌ Live price quotes. Flight + hotel prices are ranges based on recent data. Always check live rates before booking.
  • ❌ Personal data collection. We don't ask for your email or build a profile on you. Trip Finder runs entirely in your browser.

How often we update

  • Destination guides: reviewed quarterly; flagged for update if a major hotel closes, advisory changes, or weather data shifts.
  • Itineraries: price ranges refreshed twice a year (March + September). Activity URLs verified continuously via automated link checks.
  • Travel gear products: Amazon ratings + reviews refreshed monthly through our data pipeline.
  • Flight times: averaged from 90-day rolling data; the absolute number isn't perfect, but the comparative tier (short/medium/long) holds.

Found something wrong?

We get things wrong sometimes. If a hotel closed, an activity moved, or a price band has drifted, tell us — we update fast and credit the spotter when we can.

Email us via the link on our about page.