24 Tips for Your Family Marshall Islands Vacation with Kids

The Marshall Islands’ peak season runs from December to March, but don’t expect a huge choice of places to stay. Accommodation is limited in Majuro, with even fewer rooms suitable for families, so the best options can disappear quickly.

Before confirming your dates, check whether any major conferences, government meetings, sporting events or festivals are taking place. These can fill much of Majuro’s accommodation in one swoop, so book your family room as early as possible once the coast, or rather the atoll, is clear.

See The Best Time to Visit the Marshall Islands: A Month-by-Month Guide for more advice on choosing your travel dates.

Although child restraints are technically required by law in the Marshall Islands, the rule is not consistently enforced. As a result, not every rental car company in Majuro keeps baby or child seats available.

Ask about one when making your booking rather than waiting until you collect the car. Companies that do have child seats will often provide them free of charge and are usually happy to reserve one for your family.

Get more vehicle rental tips, including the best type of car, in our guide, What You Need to Hire a Car in the Marshall Islands.

The Marshall Islands is a fantastic destination for snorkelling, especially within the sheltered waters of its lagoons. However, snorkelling masks and fins, particularly for kids, are not always readily available.

Bring snorkelling gear for the whole family to truly make the most of the incredible underwater landscapes and marine life that reside within them!

See The Best Snorkelling in the Marshall Islands: Top Places to Snorkel for the best snorkelling hotspots and quick tips for staying safe in the water. Plus, check out our snorkelling gear recommendations for kids in What to Pack for the Marshall Islands: The Marshall Islands Packing List.

Do not assume that every boat trip or transfer in the Marshall Islands will provide life jackets. Some organised activities, such as canoe trips with WAAN Aelõñ in Majel, have them available, but many local boat transfers and island-hopping trips do not.

This is especially important when visiting Arno Atoll, where life jackets are not available to borrow or hire. Families with young children should bring properly fitted life jackets from home and confirm safety equipment with every operator before setting out.

Read Majuro to Arno Atoll by Boat: Fares, Schedules & Tips before planning the crossing. You can also compare local excursions in 5 Best Boat Tours in Majuro & the Marshall Islands.

Don’t plan your Marshall Islands holiday around pool time. On our last visit, the country’s only swimming pool, located in Majuro, had already been under construction for around a year, while another pool was merely in the plans at a different hotel.

The pool under construction also had no safety fence so, when it opens, keep a close eye on little ones if it opens during your stay.

For more family accommodation advice, head to The Best Family-Friendly Accommodations in the Marshall Islands, while more general precautions can be found in Marshall Islands Safety Tips: Is it Safe to Travel to the Marshall Islands?

While your kids are bound to learn a lot about the Marshall Islands through 10 Best Cultural Activities in the Marshall Islands, get them excited for their trip by teaching them a little about the country before you go!

Use a map to show them where the atolls sit in the Pacific Ocean and pull out some trivia from our 10 Fun Facts About the Marshall Islands.

Taxis in Majuro operate more like shared public transport than private cabs, making them a budget-friendly option for families. Fares are charged per person and drivers may allow small children sitting on an adult’s lap to travel for free, although this is at the driver’s discretion.

When flagging down a taxi, hold up your fingers to show how many passengers are travelling. Most taxis can only take three or four people, and a driver flashing their headlights may be signalling that the car is already full.

For a reliable contact, stop by the Office of Commerce, Trade and Tourism (OCIT) and ask for its latest list of taxi drivers who have been checked for vehicle cleanliness and English-speaking ability. Find more useful advice in Taxis in the Marshall Islands: Fares, Tips & More and Marshall Islands Transport Guide: How to Get Around.

It’s important to assign roles between parents or between the whole family before jetting off to the Marshall Islands. Who is going to be in charge of the food? Who is going to choose the activities? Who is going to book the activities? Who is going to handle the airport check-in while the other watches the kids?

Communicate these roles early, so you avoid hiccups in the Marshall Islands, giving more time for everyone to enjoy themselves. Plus, assigning small roles to the children is a great way to teach responsibility.

Reaching the Marshall Islands usually involves a long flight with several transit stops, which can be tough on young children. Instead of rushing through, turn the journey into part of the holiday by spending two or three days on each transit island.

Travellers from Australia may pass through Nauru and Kiribati, while routes from the United States commonly connect through Hawai‘i. A short stop gives everyone time to rest, explore somewhere new, and make the most of travelling to such a remote corner of the world (especially considering the carbon footprint).

See Which Airlines Fly to the Marshall Islands? for the latest routes and connections. You can also keep an eye on South Pacific Pocket Guide for upcoming travel guides to Nauru, Kiribati and other Pacific stopover destinations.

Even when you turn your transit islands into mini holidays, there will still be plenty of downtime at airports and on flights. Games are essential boredom-busters that get the whole family involved, so pack a few travel-sized favourites, like Uno and Connect 4 Grab & Go (they’ll also come in handy during quiet evenings at your accommodation).

You may also want to pack a few snacks for the journey. Just remember that opened food will not be allowed through Quarantine when you arrive, so don’t go too overboard.

For more preparation tips, see Arriving in the Marshall Islands: Airport Customs, Quarantine & Arrival Process.

The Marshall Islands is not a destination where you’ll commonly find resort kids’ clubs, organised childcare or babysitting services. Plan for the whole family to spend most of the trip together, and consider taking turns watching the kids if the adults want a little downtime.

Choose accommodation and activities that suit everyone from the outset, rather than expecting child-focused facilities once you arrive. See The Best Family-Friendly Accommodations in the Marshall Islands for more ideas.

Speaking of together, a holiday to the Marshall Islands is the perfect opportunity to bond and reconnect. Sail in a traditional Marshallese canoe, snorkel in calm lagoon waters, take a boat trip to an uninhabited islet and much more.

Plan your adventures using our 10 Best Things to Do in the Marshall Islands With Kids!

Admittedly, Majuro and the Marshall Islands are unlikely to overwhelm you with a dizzying number of attractions, but our 101 Best Things to Do in the Marshall Islands: The Ultimate List proves there’s still plenty to keep you busy!

Packing your itinerary to the brim will probably just exhaust everyone, so allow a free day or two to enjoy the simple pleasures, such as swimming at the beach, snorkelling in the lagoon or hunting for hermit crabs.

If your travel dates are flexible, time your visit with one of the Marshall Islands’ family-friendly celebrations. Constitution Day on 1 May brings sports competitions, cultural dancing, food stalls and a track parade, creating a lively atmosphere that children can enjoy too.

Another fun option is the New Year’s Block Party, hosted by the Office of Commerce, Trade and Tourism (OCIT) in downtown Uliga. Expect food vendors, stage performers and a kids’ carnival with swings and stalls.

Check The Top Events & Festivals in the Marshall Islands for more celebrations worth planning around.

With a tropical climate and rain possible at any time of year, it’s a good idea to have one or two rainy-day backups. Museums, handicraft shops and other indoor attractions can keep the family entertained when the heavens open, so head to 10 Things to Do in the Marshall Islands on a Rainy Day for ideas.

The Marshall Islands is also hot and humid throughout the year. Plan outdoor activities for the cooler parts of the day, carry plenty of drinking water and take regular breaks in the shade or air conditioning.

Learn more about seasonal weather in The Best Time to Visit the Marshall Islands: A Month-by-Month Guide.

Food takes a little forward planning once you leave Majuro. The islets to the north of the capital do not typically provide meals, so take all the food, drinking water and snacks your family will need for the day/night. The same applies when visiting Arno Atoll.

On the outer atolls, you may find a few basic staples when you arrive, but shops are small and supplies can be unpredictable. Stock up on any essentials you cannot do without before leaving Majuro, then ask your accommodation what food will be available locally.

See A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in the Marshall Islands for where to stock up before your trip. We also have more food-planning tips in The Complete Family Travel Guide to the Marshall Islands and The Food Guide to the Marshall Islands.

If you’d rather jump into holiday mode than head straight to the supermarket, bring enough baby food and family snacks for the first couple of days. Commercially packaged food is generally permitted, but you must declare everything on arrival, so read Arriving in the Marshall Islands: Airport Customs, Biosecurity & Arrival Process before packing.

If your baby prefers a particular brand, bringing it with you may also help avoid an upset stomach. K&K Island Pride Supermarket and Payless stock a range of international brands, so you might find something familiar, but specialist products are not always guaranteed. See A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in the Marshall Islands for more information.

Making sure everyone drinks water regularly is essential in the Marshall Islands’ hot and humid climate. Don’t assume tap water is safe to drink, although your accommodation may provide purified drinking water or tell you where to get it.

Purified-water refill stations are available around Majuro, where filling a gallon container costs only a few cents. Bring or buy a couple of larger bottles, refill them and take them back to your accommodation, especially if drinking water is not already supplied.

For extra peace of mind, we recommend getting the family a few LifeStraw water bottles that remove 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria as you suck through its filtration straw. A reusable option also saves money, reduces plastic waste and is much kinder to the islands your kids have travelled so far to enjoy.

Find out more in Is the Water Safe to Drink in the Marshall Islands?

Although we have a full packing list in What to Pack for the Marshall Islands: A Full Packing List, those with infants will need to consider a couple of holiday extras.

As mentioned, a core part of your Marshall Islands family holiday is spending some time in the water so waterproof nappies/diapers are a must for the packing list! Normal nappies/diapers are readily available in supermarkets, if you're not bringing your own.

Additionally, a baby carrier is the way to go, as there are not many places that are stroller-friendly in the Marshall Islands.

For extra protection while spending so much time in the water, we highly recommend rashies (rash vests or swimming T-shirts) for younger children who are more prone to sunburn. Otherwise, sunscreen needs to be reapplied much more often when swimming, and no child enjoys being pulled from the lagoon every couple of hours for another sunscreen slap-on.

We like Sharkskin for its quick-drying rashies, which offer SPF 50+ protection, come in fully recyclable packaging and are resistant to saltwater, chlorine and UV rays, so they can be used for many more family holidays to come.

We also recommend packing reef shoes to protect little feet when walking over rocks, coral rubble and reef flats. Find more useful family essentials in What to Pack for the Marshall Islands: A Full Packing List.

Perhaps the biggest health concern in the Marshall Islands is the sun. While it makes for an awesome holiday by the beach, the UV levels are high and are especially harmful to unprotected sensitive skin.

Make sure you are quite strict on sun protection with child-friendly (and reef-safe) sunscreen, cover exposed skin where you can, use sunhats, stay in the shade when UV levels are at their highest (around midday) and drink plenty of water.

See The Best Sunscreens for the Marshall Islands + Sun Protection Tips for more advice.

When buying your travel insurance, look for insurance that covers children too. Most travel insurance companies have policies to cover kids for free if travelling with an adult so always inquire.

Better yet, check out our Exclusive Deal with Global Rescue to gain one of the world's most comprehensive travel protection memberships that covers the whole family. Not only do they offer insurance policy add-ons, but they actually do the repatriation and medical consultation work themselves.

Note that not all medications are easy to find in the Marshall Islands. Pack all the essential medication and toiletries you might need, including the original box of the prescribed medication (with notes and the name on the prescription).

We have a whole list of things to pack in your travel first aid kit, just in case there are some accidents or illnesses, in What Medication to Pack in Your First Aid Kit for the Marshall Islands.

Finally, while this is a little piece of shameless self-promotion, make sure you do your research!

A good place to start is right here on Marshall Islands Pocket Guide, where you’ll find The Complete Family Travel Guide to the Marshall Islands, 10 Best Family Accommodations in Majuro & the Marshall Islands and 10 Best Things to Do in the Marshall Islands With Kids.