Traveling to the Red Sea With Kids: A Survival Guide

The Red Sea is a fantastic family destination — warm shallow water, friendly fish, and easy resorts — but travelling with kids always needs a survival strategy. From beating the heat to keeping little ones safe in the water and happy through the days, a bit of planning turns potential meltdowns into magical memories. Here's a practical survival guide for a Red Sea trip with children.

The short answer: choose a family-friendly resort with a calm beach and facilities, prioritise sun and water safety, pace days gently with plenty of downtime, and bring the kit and entertainment that keep kids comfortable. Plan well and it's a brilliant family destination.

Choosing the right base

Get this right and half the battle's won. Look for:

• A family-friendly resort with a calm, shallow beach, pools, kids' clubs, and entertainment.
• All-inclusive for stress-free meals and drinks (no hunting for kid-friendly food).
• A gentle house reef so kids can spot fish safely from the shallows.
• Hurghada's resort bays (Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh) are ideal — calm, safe, and well-equipped for families.

A good base means you barely need to leave it for the kids to be happy.

Sun and heat: the big challenge

The Red Sea sun is fierce, and kids are vulnerable, so this is your top priority:

• Rash guards / UV swim shirts for kids (sun and reef protection).
• High-SPF reef-safe sunscreen, reapplied often.
• Hats and sunglasses.
• Shade and breaks — avoid the strong midday sun; do water in the morning and late afternoon.
• Hydration — keep kids drinking water constantly.
• Watch for overheating — dizziness, crankiness, flushed skin; cool down and rehydrate.

Water safety

Kids and water need constant vigilance:

• Flotation vests for children at all times in the sea.
• Stay within arm's reach of young kids, and never let them swim unsupervised.
• Start in calm, shallow water where they can stand.
• Child-sized masks for snorkelling, and short, supervised sessions.
• Choose calm, stable boats and shorter trips for boat days.

Pacing the days

Kids tire and melt down when overscheduled:

• Alternate big activities with downtime — one gentle adventure every other day at most.
• Keep activities short to suit attention spans and energy.
• Build in naps and rest — especially for younger children.
• Use the resort facilities (kids' clubs, pools, entertainment) for easy, happy days.
• Stay flexible for moods, naps, and weather.

Food, health, and comfort

• All-inclusive removes mealtime stress; bring familiar snacks kids will eat.
• Be careful with water (bottled/filtered) to avoid tummy upsets.
• Pack a kids' first-aid kit with the usual remedies.
• Bring comfort items and entertainment for transfers, flights, and downtime.
• Manage screen and rest to keep moods even.

Activities kids love

• Beach and pool play — the staple, endlessly entertaining.
• Gentle snorkelling with vests — spotting fish thrills kids.
• Calm boat trips to family beaches (Orange Bay, Mahmya) — short and stable.
• Glass-bottom boats — see fish without swimming, great for non-swimmers.
• A gentle desert experience — camels and a Bedouin camp are magical for children.
• Resort entertainment and kids' clubs.

Practical tips

Choose a family resort with a calm beach and facilities. Prioritise sun and water safety above all. Pace gently with downtime and naps. Pack child-sized masks and vests, sun protection, snacks, a first-aid kit, and entertainment. Choose calm boats and short trips. Be flexible for moods and weather. And use the resort facilities to make life easy.

Travelling to the Red Sea with kids is genuinely rewarding with the right survival strategy — a great family base, serious sun and water safety, gentle pacing, and the kit to keep everyone comfortable. Plan it well, and your children will come home with magical memories of warm water, friendly fish, and desert adventures, while you stay (relatively!) sane.

Planning a family adventure? Find family-friendly resorts, calm boat trips, and gentle excursions on packnplan, and build a Red Sea trip that keeps the whole family happy.