Top 10 Trips to Take With Mom

Jet-setting south to Argentina; embarking on a snowy adventure in the French Alps; strolling the Avenue of Stars in sunny L.A.… there are few better ways to tackle the wonders of the world than with mom by your side. And whether you’re adventure seekers or design lovers, expert wine drinkers or food fanatics, we’ve laid out 10 trips we think are perfect for bonding.

Begin your Italian sojourn in Venice, hopping from your plane into a glossy, wooden water taxi. Here, your time together can be spent exploring the main sites—Piazza San Marco, Rialto Bridge and the Basilica—of course, but also seeing the quieter side of this multi-layered city. The Peggy Guggenheim Art Collection, glass blowing in Murano and simply wandering the side streets (and canals) easily fill two to three days.

Next stop: the Eternal City, Rome. It is a bustling, delicious melting pot of Italian culture, steeped in ancient history with impressive ruins seemingly around every corner. Here, expect mouthwatering cuisine in buzzy neighborhoods like Trastevere (also home to a delicious family-owned cookie factory) and Jewish Ghetto and some of the world’s best collections of Baroque art by the likes of Caravaggio and Bernini. And as you sip Aperol spritzes together al fresco before diving into a pizza honed to perfection from decades of family tradition, you’ll forget for a moment that, eventually, you have to go home.

Luckily, you don’t yet. After days of power-walking (or strolling) the streets of two of Italy’s most mesmerizing cities, an escape to the Amalfi Coast offers much-needed relaxation. The colorful cliffside towns like Amalfi, Ravello and Positano are picture-perfect, and whether you’re sipping espresso or limoncello on your flowering balcony or spending a day sunning and exploring secluded coves by boat over the aquamarine waters (and shopping the chic boutiques), you can rest easy knowing you and mom did Italy right together.

Extravagant Moorish architecture lined with verdant date palms, snow-capped mountains rising over lush oases...if you and mom are looking for exotic indulgence, look no further than Morocco, with time in Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains. Dive into history in Marrakech at the towering Koutoubia Mosque and Jardin Marjorelle, once owned by Yves Saint Laurent. Then immerse yourselves in culture exploring the African art of Dar Si Said and shopping the souks of the medina (we recommend a guide for those really interested shopping Marrakech). And don’t miss a day trip—or night visit—to the Desert D’Afagay where you can enjoy traditional Moroccan cuisine in a Berber Tent amidst the sprawling desert.

Then venture to Olinto in the Atlas Mountains, a tranquil oasis surrounded by the arid landscape. Here travelers can choose between relaxation and outdoor adventure (or a combo of both. Embark on hikes through the stunning terrain or pay a visit to local Berber villages.

Note: The Atlas Mountains suffered damage during the earthquake in Fall 2023. One of our favorite hotels, Kasbah Tamadot is in the midst of repairs, but travelers can still enjoy some of the active adventure from Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat.

The French Alps are a dream… or at least, it can feel that way when you’re surrounded by rugged snowy mountains and strolling the frosted streets of a medieval village strung with twinkling lights. A winter wonderland for sure, where days may be spent hitting the slopes of Megève and Chamonix (only 40 minutes away), taking in the views on a horse drawn carriage ride or ice skating in the village center. Meanwhile, nights consist of snowshoeing in the moonlight and delighting in fabulous meals.

But this skier’s paradise in the winter becomes a hiker’s haven in the summer, when the mountains are lush with greenery and mountain goats abound. Hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking are the favorites, as is golf, but make sure you save time for a traditional French picnic lunch surrounded by Alpine views. And back in the town of Megève, excellent shopping and luxe spas await year-round.

Buenos Aires is one of the world’s great culture capitals, with gilded Belle Epoque architecture and a thriving dining scene. It also has a complex, fascinating history that locals (called porteños) are proud to discuss. First-time visits to the city usually include walking tours through historic neighborhoods like the colorful immigrant enclaves of La Boca and San Telmo, plus sites like the Casa Rosada (the pink-hued presidential palace) and Recoleta Cemetery. Here, elaborate monuments mark the graves of distinguished Argentinians, including Eva Peron. Travelers should also venture to charming residential neighborhoods like Recoleta and the three Palermos (Palermo Chico, Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho) for some of the best shopping and dining. And while food and wine lovers will swoon over the gaucho-inspired cuisine and Malbec-heavy wine lists, a new crop of restaurants go beyond the traditional steak and empanadas, highlighting Argentina’s variety of fresh produce and more experimental wines. To add a little flair to your trip, you and mom can catch a tango show (either in a theater or at a more local milonga, where the dance floor is open to amateurs as well).

And once you’ve had your fill of city explorations, hop across the Rio de la Plata (the world’s widest river) to Uruguay, where the chic and bohemian José Ignacio awaits. Considered the Hamptons of Latin America, this beach town is best experienced at a slow pace. Spend your days browsing boutiques in town, watching a polo match and sunning (or horseback riding) along the white sand beaches. Come nightfall, enjoy alfresco dinners from globally renowned chefs—including Francis Mallmann—and several lively beach bars.

Never underestimate the value of a classic beach vacation. And if your aim is to lie on a secluded beach with a good book, only breaking for a spa treatment or delicious meal, Turks and Caicos offers it all in style. Here, travelers can expect white-sand beaches and excellent access to diving, snorkeling and kitesurfing. Another highlight of Turks & Caicos: its fabulous accommodations. Pamper your mom with a stay in one of COMO Parrot Cay’s show-stopping villas and take advantage of the resort’s daily yoga and pilates classes, spa pavilions and snorkel eco tours of the private island’s reefs. Or decompress in one of Amanyara’s pavilions, where you’ll spend your days swimming in the 164-foot-long pool (made of Indonesian black volcanic rock) and sipping cocktails as you watch the sun set over the water.

Where glitz meets outdoor adventure, Aspen is a stunning destination year-round. But we’ll start with the winter and spring—it is best known as a ski town after all. Six 14,000-foot mountains offer a range of terrain for every level of skier, with the experts heading to local favorites Aspen Mountain (Ajax) and Aspen Highlands, and the rest spending their time at Snowmass and Buttermilk. And everyone can enjoy the town’s buzzy aprés-ski scene, which sees Aspen’s A-list clientele flock to popular spots including AJAX Tavern and the lodge-chic bar at Hotel Jerome. Skiing and aprés-ski, aside, Aspen is also a mecca for shopping (practically a sport of its own here), art galleries, and other winter activities like sledding, ice climbing and snowshoeing. After the last of the snow melts at the end of spring, Aspen shifts from a bustling ski town to a summer hotspot. You and mom can get your fill of the outdoor air on scenic hikes or bike rides through miles of unspoiled terrain or embrace the adrenaline rush of white-water rafting, paragliding and rock climbing. Summer is the only time to enjoy several of Aspen’s cultural highlights, including the Aspen Music Festival, which offers daily concerts and programming and the Food & Wine Aspen Classic, with celebrity chefs and cooking demonstrations.

Perhaps best known as the home of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao—Frank Gehry’s ode to modernism which transformed the industrial city of Bilbao—the Spanish Basque Region offers a diverse and relaxing vacation spot that may be perfect for you and mom. Bilbao and nearby seaside village Getaria are a must for culture lovers, with the Guggenheim, along with Museo de Bellas Artes and the Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga, showcasing the iconic looks from the Getaria-born designer. Then head to San Sebastián, an elegant beach town known for its world-class restaurants and cider houses. Bond while lounging on the beach, over a cooking class with a star chef or with a walk up Monte Urgull, where the breathtaking city views and scallop-shaped bay make for the perfect photo-op. Next, venture inland to the countryside of La Rioja, where sprawling wineries and medieval hamlets punctuate the rugged mountain valleys. Spend a day exploring the cobblestoned streets of medieval villages like Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Laguardia before heading to a tour of top wineries, where you’ll taste local wines and learn more about Spanish culture. And, of course, as with everywhere else in the Basque region, the cuisine does not disappoint.

Enjoy the wonders of South America with only a five-hour flight (from New York City) by visiting this 16th-century port city, graced with beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. Cartagena offers a taste of the Caribbean with some Colombian flavor, plus a gripping history filled with pirate stories and a harrowing struggle for independence. Immerse yourself with a tour of the walled city, a UNESCO-recognized maze of cobbled alleys, monuments and brightly colored mansions. This history continues at Palenque, just an hour-and-a-half drive outside of Cartagena, which in addition to being rich with Creole culture from folkloric dance to the cuisine, was also the first free town in the Americas, founded by escaping slaves. Other must-sees: street food, especially the arepa and a boating excursion to nearby islands for snorkeling.

Beauty is priceless to the French, a philosophy written in stone in every boulevard, museum and ornate iron lamp post along the Seine. And, of course, it is written into everyday life, where Parisians’ joie de vivre and decadent way of life is infectious. There is no one “right way” to do Paris: art lovers, shopping aficionados, history buffs, contemporary culturati and the garden-obsessed can all find something—many things—to love about the City of Light. That je ne sais quoi quality makes it excellently suited for a trip with mom. Art-focused itineraries, for example, could include stops to see famous pieces on view at the Louvre and the Musée D’orsay (with a break beneath the gilded ceilings and dazzling chandeliers of the museum’s restaurant—worth it for the setting alone), before exploring the gilded halls of the just-reopened Hôtel de la Marine and the contemporary art at Bourse de la Commerce. Of course, this is but a snapshot—dozens of hidden gems are scattered between the cit’s most famous sights. And that is not including day trips like Château de Versailles, the cathedral of Chartres and Château de Fontainebleau. All of this is punctuated by indulgent meals (and pastry snacks), plus, stays at Paris’s seemingly limitless collection of sumptuous properties, making it nearly impossible not to find the perfect hotel for you and your mom.

Los Angeles is the star-studded epitome of contemporary culture and a magnet for change. Its restaurants are constantly evolving, as are its museums. Modern art lovers will find their haven at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum. Meanwhile, art collectors will want a guided tour with an art curator at the Getty Center to find the perfect souvenir on canvas. And there’s a new destination for cinephiles: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, opened in September 2021, showcasing cinematic treasures like Dorothy’s ruby shoes and special exhibitions on subjects ranging from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar to film’s labor relations history. Sunseekers can enjoy 75 miles of beachfront, including in Malibu and Santa Monica, while those in need of retail therapy can head to the always fashionable Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. And if you and mom are looking for a little active adventure outside the city, hiking Hollywood Hills or Temescal Canyon is an excellent complement to your coastal city escape.