It’s time for fun and celebration as we announce the winners of our 2021 Wherever Awards, in its fourth year. Congratulations to all the amazing winners!
Families seek the best of the best when it comes to travel providers. We asked our whereverfamily.com readers to name the absolute best in the world of family travel. We now present those winners.
Grab the fam and hit the friendly skies with United Airlines, Best Family-Friendly Domestic Airline for the second year, alongside its MileagePlus program, Best Family-Friendly Frequent-Flyer Program, two years running. Air Canada takes home two honors: Best Family-Friendly Airline in North America, third year in a row, and Best Family-Friendly International Airline, second consecutive year.
Settle in with the clan at Hilton Hotels, Best Family-Friendly Hotel Chain, second consecutive year; Westin Hotels and Resorts, Best Family-Friendly Resort Chain, second year in a row; and Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, Bahamas, three-time Best Family-Friendly Individual Hotel. Hilton earns another nod, for its Hilton Honors, Best Family-Friendly Frequent-Stay Program, second consecutive year. Kids will enjoy Terranea, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Best Family-Friendly Hotel Kids Club. If your group is looking for a tour, choose Lindblad Expeditions, Best Family-Friendly International Tour Company.
© MSC CRUISES
Cruise in comfort with your crew on the following cruise line winners: Disney Cruise Line, Best Family-Friendly Cruise Line; Azamara, Best Family-Friendly MultiGen Cruise Line; and MSC Cruises Junior Club, Best Family-Friendly Cruise Line Kids Club.
Finance the family getaway with United Explorer Card from Chase, Best Family-Friendly Credit Card, three years running, or Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card from Chase, four-time Best Family-Friendly Credit Card Rewards Program winner.
Where to go with your group? Two-time winner Tahiti is Best Family-Friendly International Destination. Its domestic counterpart is Charleston, South Carolina, Best Family-Friendly Domestic Destination. For the second consecutive year, the Dominican Republic is Best Family-Friendly Caribbean Island. In the Northeast, Nantucket, Massachusetts, is Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, while Virginia Beach takes that honor in the Southeast for the second year in a row. Three Florida cities represent Best Family-Friendly Beach Towns based on location: St. Augustine, best in the east, with Sarasota in the west for the second time and Rosemary Beach in the Panhandle. We wrap up domestically with Gulf Shores, Alabama, Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Gulf Coast; Corpus Christi, Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Texas, two years in a row; and Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, West, before heading across the pond to Ireland, Best Family-Friendly MultiGen Destination of the Year.
Sarasota, Florida © DELMAS LEHMAN | DREAMSTIME.COM
The rest of our family favorites include Hersheypark, Best Family-Friendly Amusement Park; LEGOLAND Florida Resort, Best Family-Friendly Waterpark; Hertz, Best Family-Friendly Rental Car Company; Chicago Midway Airport, Best Family-Friendly Domestic Airport, second year in a row; Incheon International Airport, two-time Best Family-Friendly International Airport; Miami International Airport, Best Family-Friendly Airport Dining; and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Best Family-Friendly Airport Shopping.
Congratulations to the 2021 Wherever Awards winners!
THE PROCESS
Whereverfamily.com conducted a survey of its readers Dec. 14, 2020–April 14, 2021, with open-ended questions for the best in many categories important to the family travel market (including multigenerational families). This survey was conducted online at whereverfamily.com/wherever-awards and emailed during the period in question. Only those questionnaires where more than 50 percent of the questions were completed were counted. Those with less than 50 percent answered were discarded. Submissions from employees of the magazine or individuals associated with the travel industry were not accepted.
WINNERS’ CIRCLE
Best Family-Friendly Domestic Airline
1. United Airlines
2. Delta Air Lines
3. Alaska Airlines
Best Family-Friendly Airline in North America
1. Air Canada
2. United Airlines
3. American Airlines
Best Family-Friendly International Airline
1. Air Canada
2. United Airlines
3. TAP Air Portugal
Best Family-Friendly Frequent-Flyer Program
1. United MileagePlus
2. Air Canada Aeroplan
3. American Airlines AAdvantage
Best Family-Friendly Hotel Chain
1. Hilton Hotels
2. Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
3. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
Best Family-Friendly Resort Chain
1. Westin Hotels & Resorts
2. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
3. Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Best Family-Friendly Individual Hotel
1. Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas
2. LEGOLAND Feriendorf, Gunzburg, Germany
3. Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica
Best Family-Friendly Frequent-Stay Program
1. Hilton Honors
2. IHG Rewards Club
3. Wyndham Rewards
Best Family-Friendly Hotel Kids Club
1. Terranea, Rancho Palos Verdes, California
2. Beaches, Turks & Caicos
3. Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas
Best Family-Friendly International Tour Company
1. Lindblad Expeditions
2. GOWAY
3. Cox & Kings
Best Family-Friendly Cruise Line
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Celebrity Cruises
3. Viking Ocean Cruises
Best Family-Friendly MultiGen Cruise Line
1. Azamara
2. Seabourn Cruise Line
3. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Best Family-Friendly Cruise Line Kids Club
1. MSC Cruises Junior Club
2. Disney Cruise Line Oceaneer Club
3. Royal Caribbean Adventure Ocean
Best Family-Friendly Credit Card
1. United Explorer Card from Chase
2. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa from Chase
3. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card
Best Family-Friendly Credit Card Rewards Program
1. Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa from Chase
2. Princess Cruises Visa Signature Card from Barclays
3. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card
Best Family-Friendly International Destination
1. Tahiti
2. Italy
3. Fiji
Best Family-Friendly Domestic Destination
1. Charleston, South Carolina
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3. Arizona
Best Family-Friendly Caribbean Island
1. Dominican Republic
2. Aruba
3. St. Kitts
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
1. Nantucket, Massachusetts
2. Kennebunkport, Maine
3. Ocean City, Maryland
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Southeast
1. Virginia Beach, Virginia
2. Savannah, Georgia
3. Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Florida East
1. St. Augustine, Florida
2. Cocoa Beach, Florida
3. Amelia Island, Florida
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Florida West
1. Sarasota, Florida
2. Siesta Key, Florida
3. Marco Island, Florida
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Florida Panhandle
1. Rosemary Beach, Florida
2. Fort Walton Beach, Florida
3. Seagrove Beach, Florida
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Gulf
1. Gulf Shores, Alabama
2. Orange Beach, Alabama
3. Grand Isle, Louisiana
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, Texas
1. Corpus Christi, Texas
2. Port Aransas, Texas
3. Seabrook, Texas
Best Family-Friendly Beach Town, West Coast
1. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
2. Laguna Beach, California
3. Huntington Beach, California
Best Family-Friendly Multigenerational Destination of the Year
1. Ireland
2. South Africa
3. Italy
Best Family-Friendly Amusement Park
1. Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania
2. Sesame Place, Langhorne, Pennsylvania
3. Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
Best Family-Friendly Waterpark
1. LEGOLAND Florida Resort
2. Zoombezi Bay, Columbus, Ohio
3. Aquatica by SeaWorld
Best Family-Friendly Rental Car Company
1. Hertz
2. Enterprise
3. National Car Rental
Best Family-Friendly Domestic Airport
1. Chicago Midway Airport
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
3. San Francisco International Airport
Best Family-Friendly International Airport
1. Incheon International Airport
2. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
3. Hamad International Airport, Doha
Best Family-Friendly Airport Dining
1. Miami International Airport
2. Hamad International Airport, Doha
3. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Best Family-Friendly Airport Shopping
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
2. Dubai International Airport
3. Miami International Airport
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