The Best Holiday Destinations for Every Life Stage

As we move through the different stages of life, we tend to look for different things in our holiday destinations. Our interests change and so the value we place on certain activities adjusts accordingly. 

Compare My Jet has researched the best holiday destinations for travellers in every life stage, from party holidays for single travellers, through to relaxing retreats for retirees.

To do this, we analysed data across a range of metrics, including the cost of an inexpensive meal, the number restaurants with Michelin stars, the number of outdoor activities on offer, and more.

Tokyo Ranks as the Best Holiday Destination for Every Life Stage

Whether you need a holiday destination for partying, a honeymoon, a trip away with the family or a post-retirement adventure, Tokyo tops the list for every life stage.

Recognised all over the world for its wealth of attractions, delicious cuisine, distinctive culture and history, it’s no wonder that Japan’s capital Tokyo is the best holiday destination all round.

Tokyo is the perfect location for single people looking for a vibrant atmosphere. There are 1,082 bars and clubs to choose from, which is the highest figure for this metric out of all the destinations in our analysis. However, the city has just two airports which is less than ideal for quick and easy travel in and out of the city.

For newlyweds, there’s no shortage of opportunities to sample Tokyo’s iconic cuisine with an incredible 430 Michelin star restaurants available to dine at. The city also has 387 outdoor activities on offer for couples to soak up the culture and explore new interests together.

Tokyo is also home to 23 theme parks, which is more than enough to keep any family with kids entertained on a trip away. The Japanese capital offers the highest number of natural spots and parks too, with 657. This is more than double the amount available in London, which ranks second for this metric with 283.

Tokyo is also the best place to holiday when you reach retirement. The food is affordably priced, with an inexpensive restaurant meal costing just £6.55 on average, and there are plenty of things to do to fill each day with 387 outdoor activities on offer. Unfortunately the city sees just 1,877 hours of sunshine each year, which is only slightly more than London’s 1,633 hours.

London, Paris and Berlin Amongst the Best Party Holiday Destinations for Single People

Following Tokyo, the best holiday destinations for single life or a party atmosphere include London, Paris, and Berlin.

London has six airports for convenient travel in and out of the city, which is more than any of the others in our analysis. It has almost as many bars and clubs as Tokyo with 1,068, and offers more outdoor activities (433).

However, the average cost of an inexpensive meal in London lies on the pricier side at £15, which is more expensive than Paris and more than double the cost in Tokyo: £6.55.

Paris is next on the list according to our analysis. The French capital offers less than half the number of bars and clubs available in Tokyo or London with just 419, and the average cost of an inexpensive restaurant meal is £12.72. Paris follows just behind London’s 283 natural spots and parks with 281, and also has fewer airports than the UK capital with four.

For travellers keen to experience Berlin’s world-renowned club scene, the city offers 502 clubs and bars to choose from. An inexpensive meal costs just £8.48 on average and there are four airports within the city. However, there are only 88 natural spots and parks, and 254 outdoor activities.

Top 10 Holiday Destinations for a Single Lifestyle:

Destination	Bars and Clubs (City)	Cost of an Inexpensive Restaurant Meal	Outdoor Activities (City)	Natural Spots and Parks (City)	Airports	Final Index
Tokyo	1,082	£6.55	387	657	2	7.68
London	1,068	£15	433	283	6	7.31
Paris	419	£12.72	331	281	4	5.36
Berlin	502	£8.48	254	88	4	5.13
Prague	631	£5.01	300	83	1	4.8
Amsterdam	263	£12.72	422	58	3	4.45
Lisbon	194	£7.63	497	56	1	4.44
Bogota	117	£2.18	247	52	2	4.32
Rome	391	£12.72	363	131	2	4.29
Mexico City	107	£5.40	192	65	3	4.15

London, Paris and Lisbon Rank as Some of the Best Honeymoon Destinations for Newlyweds

Top honeymoon hotspots include European cities, like London, Paris, and Lisbon. 

London has plenty to offer newlyweds, with 362 Michelin star restaurants to dine in, 433 outdoor activities to fill your days with and 19 honeymoon packages tailored specifically for couples who have recently tied the knot.

Paris has more Michelin star restaurants than both Tokyo and London with 436. The French capital also has 331 outdoor activities to offer and there are 36 honeymoon-specific holiday packages available.

Next in our analysis is Portugal’s coastal capital of Lisbon. Although the city only has 40 Michelin star restaurants, it has the highest number of outdoor activities of all the destinations we analysed, which makes it perfect for couples that want to explore married life enjoying the sun and taking photos for Instagram. 

Top 10 Holiday Destinations for a Newlywed Couples:

Destination	Michelin Star Restaurants (City)	Outdoor Activities (City)	Honeymoon Packages (Country)	Final Index
Tokyo	430	387	-	8.92
London	362	433	19	8.64
Paris	436	331	36	8.46
Lisbon	40	497	-	5.88
Amsterdam	68	422	13	5.48
Rome	63	363	22	4.88
Madrid	118	216	21	4.09
Prague	27	300	8	3.92
Seoul	165	144	-	3.91
Reykjavik	4	321	-	3.88

Rome, Lisbon and London Offer Are Some of the Best Holiday Destinations for Families with Children

Italy’s charismatic capital, Rome, is a high-ranked destination for families and children. The city has 11 theme parks, 363 outdoor activities and gets 2,473 hours of sunlight each year, which makes it perfect to enjoy outdoor activities.

There are 497 outdoor activities on offer to keep families with kids entertained in Lisbon. This European city also has 56 natural spots and parks as well as 2,806 hours of sunlight each year for holiday makers to soak up.

London is next in our analysis of destinations for families with children, offering just five theme parks and 1,633 hours of sunlight annually. However, there are 433 outdoor activities available and 283 natural spots and parks to choose from.

Top 10 Holiday Destinations for Families with Children:

Destination	Family Packages (Country)	Theme Parks (City)	Outdoor Activities (City)	Natural Spots and Parks (City)	Sunlight Hours (Annual)	Final Index
Tokyo	5	23	387	657	1,877	7.84
Rome	36	11	363	131	2,473	5.32
Lisbon	-	-	497	56	2,806	4.91
London	17	5	433	283	1,633	4.64
Paris	33	7	331	281	1,662	4.4
Prague	6	12	300	83	1,668	4.08
Athens	17	3	275	21	2,773	4.03
Mexico City	-	7	192	65	2,555	3.97
Jerusalem	-	2	124	33	3,390	3.95
Madrid	9	2	216	74	2,769	3.84

Lisbon, Santiago and Athens Are Amongst the Best Holiday Destinations in the World for Retirees

An inexpensive meal at a restaurant in Lisbon costs just £7.63 on average, and the city also gets the most sunshine of all the cities we analysed with 2,806 hours each year. These metrics are definitely convenient for recent retirees that want to make the best out of their pensions while enjoying the sun and nature.

After Lisbon, Santiago ranks as the third best holiday destination for retirees. An inexpensive restaurant meal in Chile’s capital and largest city costs just £6.44 on average, which is cheaper than in Tokyo, Lisbon and Athens.

Athens offers 275 outdoor activities and 2,773 hours of sunshine each year, so there’s plenty to do to keep busy whilst enjoying the good weather. However there are just 21 natural spots and parks to choose from, which is less ideal for retirees looking to avoid activity-based holidays.

Top 10 Holiday Destinations for a Retired People:

Destination	Sunlight Hours (Annual)	Outdoor Activities (City)	Natural Spots and Parks (City)	Cost of an Inexpensive Restaurant Meal	Final Index
Tokyo	1,877	387	657	£6.55	7.25
Lisbon	2,806	497	56	£7.63	6.53
Santiago	2,808	197	73	£6.44	5.36
Athens	2,773	275	21	£8.48	5.23
Mexico City	2,555	192	65	£5.40	5.17
Rome	2,473	363	131	£12.72	5.12
Madrid	2,769	216	74	£10.17	4.91
San Jose	2,040	281	16	£5.53	4.84
Prague	1,668	300	83	£5.01	4.82
London	1,633	433	283	£15.00	4.75

Methodology:

We collected data across ten metrics for holiday destinations across the world – See all metrics below. Each of these metrics were awarded a weighted score, which we combined to give each destination a final index score out of ten.

We then ranked each location based on their index scores to determine which were the best for holiday-makers in each life stage.

Metrics:

• City Population Size

• Number of Restaurants with Michelin Stars (City)

• Number of Bars and Clubs (City)

• Number of Theme Parks (City)

• Number of Sunlight Hours (Annual)

• Number of Outdoor Activities (City)

• Number of Natural Spots and Parks (City)

• Number of Airports (City)

• Average Cost of a Meal in an Inexpensive Restaurant (£)

• Number of Honeymoon Packages (City)

• Number of Family Packages (City)

Sources:

https://www.oecd.org/about/members-and-partners/

https://guide.michelin.com/en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_sunshine_duration#Europe

https://weather-and-climate.com/

https://www.currentresults.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g28970-Activities-c57-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g28970-Activities-c61-Washington_DC_District_of_Columbia.html

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Luxembourg?displayCurrency=GBP

https://www.tripadvisor.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/

https://traveltriangle.com/

https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/IATA_Codes/airport_code_w.htm