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15 Bucket-List Mother-Daughter Trips That Will Make You Two Even Closer

By Lindsay Cohn

| Mar. 14, 2022

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She doesn’t quite understand TikTok and you’d rather text than talk on the phone. But generational differences aside, you and your mom have more in common than you think (and those dissimilarities just feel like bonding moments waiting to happen, anyway). Whether it’s motivating each other to keep slogging up the mountain or always being game to try a new vino varietal, you’ve got to admit that you two are pretty great travel companions. Need a little inspiration for your next vacay together? Scroll on for 15 mother-daughter trip ideas guaranteed to bring you closer than ever.

Flowers Vineyard and Winery

1. WINE TASTING IN HEALDSBURG

Best For: 21+
Best Time to Visit: Summer
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into SFO and drive 1.5 hours
Accommodations: Harmon Guest House

Some of the funniest mama-daughter convos come after the vino starts to flow. Giggles aside, wine tasting is such a pleasant activity. In between sips of terroir-driven red, white and rosé, cherish those unfiltered chats and the chance to stare out at beautiful vine-covered scenery. A few of our favorite spots to swirl in Healdsburg include Aperture Cellars, Flowers Vineyards & Winery, Truett Hurst and Quivira Vineyards. We also love Bricoleur Vineyards in the nearby town of Windsor.

Check out Healdsburg

PATRÍCIA FERREIRA/UNSPLASH

2. GOING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

Best For: Disney devotees
Best Time to Visit: Winter
Best Time to Save: Summer
How to Get There: Fly into MCO
Accommodations: The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

For Disney lovers, it’s not a real vacation without screaming on Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror and snapping pics alongside costumed characters. Even if you and your mom disagree on whether or not to wait in the lengthy line for Avatar Flight Of Passage again (about that…do yourself a favor and book Disney Genie+ service, which includes Lightning Lane entry), that’s about as much conflict as is likely to go down at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Check out Walt Disney World

Daniel Chui/Getty Images

3. AN ALL-YOU-CAN-DO CULTURE CRAWL THROUGH NEW YORK CITY

Best For: A weekend getaway
Best Time to Visit: Fall
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into JFK or LGA
Accommodations: The Standard, East Village

New York City reigns supreme as the ultimate culture mecca with more museums, landmark buildings, parks, Broadway shows and unique pop-up experiences that you could possibly cover in a single trip. That means maximizing your time is key. Get Your Guide allows you to book a VIP pass to skip the line and gain access to the greatest hits in the Big Apple. Because who better to see the Van Gogh exhibit, the Empire State Building and a box-office-smash-hit musical all in the same weekend than your mom?

Check out New York City

Auberge Resorts

4. A POSH AND REJUVENATING SPA WEEKEND

Best For: Rest and relaxation
Best Time to Visit: Fall
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into JFK and drive 2 hours
Accommodations: Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection

If there’s one venue intended for a mother-daughter getaway, it’s the spa—and the Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection is a splurge-worthy choice. Upon arriving, turn off your devices (or maybe keep one phone handy to snap these souvenir selfies), slip into a robe and toast with a glass of champagne or a cup of detoxifying tea. In between stress-melting treatments, savor healthy cuisine made with seasonal ingredients and walk around the bucolic property.

Check out Washington, Connecticut

Massimo Borchi/Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images

5. EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH CHICAGO

Best For: Foodies
Best Time to Visit: Summer
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into ORD
Accommodations: Viceroy Chicago

Are you and your mom big foodies? Why not plan an entire trip around your meals? Over the last few years, Chicago has really solidified its status as a major gourmet capital. Plan your journey one bite at a time through an organized tour or pick a few spots and do. a DIY culinary crawl. Maybe even book a cooking class to learn how to make deep dish pizza and bring your newfound skills back home.

Check out Chicago

AMR Image/Getty Images

6. HIKING IN SEDONA

Best For: Hikers
Best Time to Visit: Spring
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into PHX and drive 2 hours
Accommodations: Casita De Los Santos

The scenery in Sedona is so breathtakingly beautiful that just stepping outside yields scenic reward. But, obviously, hiking around red-rock country is the best way to see all the formations and prettiest views. Since there are trails for every skill level, you won’t have to quarrel over the route being too easy or too challenging. To foster an even deeper spiritual connection, pick a path that passes an energy vortex.

Check out Sedona

Dana Neely/Getty Images

7. GLAMPING IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Best For: Nature lovers
Best Time to Visit: Summer
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into TYS and drive 1 hour
Accommodations: Under Canvas Great Smoky Mountains

You inherited your love of nature from your mama. Nothing recharges you more than sleeping under the stars, waking up to the rising sun and breathing in the fresh mountain air. That said, you’d still appreciate some creature comforts. Glamping means you can commune with nature in Great Smoky Mountain National Park and still have a hot shower and cozy bed.

Check out Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The Ranch at Rock Creek

8. LIVING YOUR BEST COWBOY LIFE ON A DUDE RANCH

Best For: Aspiring cowboys and guided activities
Best Time to Visit: Summer
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into MSO and drive 1.5 hours
Accommodations: The Ranch at Rock Creek

Whether it’s because everyone is binge-watching Yellowstone or because we’ve all been cooped up in the house for too long, but the idea of a Western-inspired dude ranch vacation just sounds oh-so appealing. Especially since you can go horseback riding, learn to skeet shoot, try out archery, eat real-deal cowboy cuisine, sing campfire songs, fall asleep to the sounds of crickets and let your inner Annie Oakley run wild with your OG ride-or-die.

Check out Philipsburg, Montana

Barry Winiker/Getty Images

9. CELEB SPOTTING IN LOS ANGELES

Best For: Celeb sightings and good weather
Best Time to Visit: Spring
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into LAX
Accommodations: Secluded Hollywood Hills Duplex

Love all the latest Hollywood gossip and seeing stars IRL? Los Angeles is called Tinseltown for good reason. It’s one of the few places your odds of seeing a celeb are actually better than not—well, as long as you’re in the right places. Kim Kardashian and Kate Upton frequent A-list hotspot Craig’s. While everyone from Justin Bieber to Channing Tatum has been spotted hiking Runyon Canyon. For down time and some privacy, there’s nothing like a rental in the Hollywood Hills. But if it’s celeb-sightings you’re after, Pendry West Hollywood isn’t just a posh place to stay, it’s also popular among the red-carpet crowd.

Check out Los Angeles

American Queen Voyages

10. A LEISURELY RIVERBOAT CRUISE

Best For: Exploring the South
Best Time to Visit: Summer
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into MSY
Accommodations: American Queen Voyages

Not your typical cruiser? Swap crowded ocean liners for a paddlewheeler that winds along scenic waterways and through diverse landscapes in laid-back yet luxurious, throwback style. You don’t have to travel to the waters of the Danube for a leisurely river boat ride. American Queen Voyages operates cruises between New Orleans and Memphis that showcase all the historic battlefields, blues, flavorful food and Southern charm that the Mississippi Delta has to offer.

Check out New Orleans

Palm Heights

11. CATCHING SOME RAYS IN GRAND CAYMAN

Best For: Sun worshippers
Best Time to Visit: Winter
Best Time to Save: Fall
How to Get There: Fly into GCM
Accommodations: Palm Heights

Sometimes it just takes a little natural vitamin D, the ocean and your mama to make all your stress feel like it’s many miles away—which it will be when you're sipping pina coladas, eat fresh-caught seafood, sunbathing, snorkeling and posting up in an ocean-view suite at a five-star resort. We’d recommend Palm Heights, a posh and endlessly chic property that’s perched on white sands of Seven Mile Beach.

Check out Grand Cayman

Miraval Resorts

12. ESCAPING TO A HOLISTIC WELLNESS SANCTUARY

Best For: 360 wellness
Best Time to Visit: Spring
Best Time to Save: Summer
How to Get There: Fly into TUS
Accommodations: Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa

If you’ve already done (and loved) the whole spa weekend thing, take your wellness and relationship to the next level with a holistic getaway at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa that cleanse the mind, body and spirit, expands your horizons and deepens your connection to one and other. The 400-acre property is a well-being-oriented paradise with serene desert scenery, one-of-a-kind wellness experiences, spa treatments and a robust schedule of daily activities, so you can decide what wellness means to you (and your mom) and tailor your trip accordingly.

Check out Tucson

ejs9/Getty Images

13. COZYING UP IN A CABIN NEAR LAKE TAHOE

Best For:: Peace and quiet
Best Time to Visit: Winter
Best Time to Save: Spring
How to Get There: Fly into RNO and drive 55 minutes
Accommodations: Carnelian Bay Cabin

Maybe you live far away from your mom and don’t get to see each other that often or perhaps you’re besties who just love that quality solo time. For duos who want nothing more than each other’s undivided attention, hunkering down at a peaceful and cozy cabin in Carnelian Bay is just the ticket. Be sure to keep the place stocked with plenty of food, booze and board games because you can’t just call Postmates to pick up any last-minute necessities.

Check out Lake Tahoe

Thorny Bush

14. A BUCKET-LIST SAFARI EXPEDITION IN HOEDSPRUIT

Best For:: Wildlife lovers
Best Time to Visit: Summer (dry season)
Best Time to Save: Winter
How to Get There: Fly into CPT, transfer to HDS and drive 15 minutes
Accommodations: Saseka Tented Camp

If your mom has an eye for exploration and a strong desire to peep elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, wildebeests and rhinos in their natural habitat, she’ll have no qualms about taking a long-haul flight to Cape Town (and then boarding a small plane to Hoedspruit) to traipse through the bush for a few days. And don’t worry about jet lag…it’s no match for the excitement of game drives and sundowner G&Ts at Saseka Tented Camp. Plus, there will be plenty of time to unwind in your luxury tent complete with a private deck, outdoor shower and pool.

Check out Hoedspruit

Deb Snelson/Getty Images

15. TACKLING EMORY PEAK

Best For:: Adventurers
Best Time to Visit: Spring
Best Time to Save: Summer
How to Get There: Fly into MAF and drive 4 hours
Accommodations: Chisos Mountains Lodge

Sometimes you just need a few words of encouragement to keep going. And who better to be your hype woman than your mama (and, obvs, you’ll do the same for her). Emory Peak is the highest in the Chisos Mountains and Big Bend National Park (which earns our vote as one the most beautiful places to visit in Texas). The trek up to the top isn’t easy, but the gorgeous views, the amazing summit selfies, the tales of fortitude you’ll be telling for years to come and the fact that you accomplished this epic thing with your mom make it all worth it.

Check out Big Bend National Park

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15 Bucket-List Mother-Daughter Trips That Will Make You Two Even Closer

1. WINE TASTING IN HEALDSBURG

2. GOING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

3. AN ALL-YOU-CAN-DO CULTURE CRAWL THROUGH NEW YORK CITY

4. A POSH AND REJUVENATING SPA WEEKEND

5. EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH CHICAGO

6. HIKING IN SEDONA

7. GLAMPING IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

8. LIVING YOUR BEST COWBOY LIFE ON A DUDE RANCH

9. CELEB SPOTTING IN LOS ANGELES

10. A LEISURELY RIVERBOAT CRUISE

11. CATCHING SOME RAYS IN GRAND CAYMAN

12. ESCAPING TO A HOLISTIC WELLNESS SANCTUARY

13. COZYING UP IN A CABIN NEAR LAKE TAHOE

14. A BUCKET-LIST SAFARI EXPEDITION IN HOEDSPRUIT

15. TACKLING EMORY PEAK

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15 Bucket-List Mother-Daughter Trips That Will Make You Two Even Closer

1. WINE TASTING IN HEALDSBURG

2. GOING TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

3. AN ALL-YOU-CAN-DO CULTURE CRAWL THROUGH NEW YORK CITY

4. A POSH AND REJUVENATING SPA WEEKEND

5. EATING YOUR WAY THROUGH CHICAGO

6. HIKING IN SEDONA

7. GLAMPING IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

8. LIVING YOUR BEST COWBOY LIFE ON A DUDE RANCH

9. CELEB SPOTTING IN LOS ANGELES

10. A LEISURELY RIVERBOAT CRUISE

11. CATCHING SOME RAYS IN GRAND CAYMAN

12. ESCAPING TO A HOLISTIC WELLNESS SANCTUARY

13. COZYING UP IN A CABIN NEAR LAKE TAHOE

14. A BUCKET-LIST SAFARI EXPEDITION IN HOEDSPRUIT

15. TACKLING EMORY PEAK﻿

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15. TACKLING EMORY PEAK