Family Travel in 2026: Why Los Angeles Is the Top Pick

Ask any parent who's tried to plan a family holiday around a big event and they'll tell you the same thing: it's never just about the event itself. It's about keeping everyone fed, entertained, and reasonably calm in between.

This summer, more families than ever are building their trips around exactly that balance, and Los Angeles has come out as the clear favourite. Families and groups now make up more than half of all bookings, with LA topping the list ahead of San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Miami and Kansas City.

Here's why it's worth the hype, and how to make the trip work for everyone.

Why Los Angeles makes sense for families

LA gives families something most big cities can't: an entire holiday's worth of things to do, whatever brought you there in the first place.

Beaches in the morning, a studio tour in the afternoon, something else entirely in the evening. Theme parks for the kids. Genuinely good food for the parents. It's a city built to absorb a few weeks of family time without anyone running out of things to do.

Two-night stays are the most common booking pattern among families heading to LA, which suggests most are treating the main event as one highlight within a longer trip rather than the entire reason for going. LA supports that approach better than most.

Making the most of the big days

A packed day out with kids in tow needs a different kind of planning than a couples' trip.

Build in recovery time either side. Big venues are loud, queues are long, and a full day out can be a lot for younger kids. Plan a quieter morning before and an easy evening after.

Sort logistics before you're standing in a crowd trying to figure them out. Transport, tickets, where you're meeting if anyone gets separated. All of this is far easier to manage when everyone's phone actually works.

This is where a travel eSIM becomes genuinely useful rather than a nice-to-have. With Virgin Connect Roam, every phone in the family can be connected from the moment you land, no scrambling for a local SIM at the airport with three tired kids and too much luggage. Maps, tickets, translation, staying in touch if your group splits up to do different things. All of it works instantly.

Pack for the wait, not just the main event. Snacks, entertainment, sun protection. The highlight might be two hours. The day around it is much longer.

Building the rest of the trip

The families getting the most out of LA aren't spending the whole trip in one neighbourhood. They're using the main event as one part of a much bigger itinerary.

A few easy wins for filling the rest of the week:

• A beach day with nothing else planned

• A studio or theme park visit for the kids who are there for the holiday

• An evening that's just dinner somewhere good, no plans required

The real reason families are choosing LA

It's about a city that lets every member of the family have a good time on their own terms.

Get your connectivity sorted before you land, and you'll spend your trip enjoying LA instead of solving problems with it.

Heading to LA with the family this year? Get your Virgin Connect Roam travel eSIM sorted before you fly, so everyone's connected from the moment you land.
Visit the Virgin Connect Roam website