If this is your first time traveling outside of the country with your kids and you want to ease into things, Mexico is the perfect destination. Most big cities have direct flights to CUN airport and since the surrounding areas are financially backed by tourism, a lot of locals speak english.

The best way to get your kids excited about a new destination is to watch related movies or shows. The movie Rio is one of my favorite animated children’s movies. Our kids gravitated to it quickly with its colorful birds and catchy songs. When we visited, they were calling out every scene from the movie.