Trying to decide where and why to travel has gotten a little trickier since having our tiny human in tow. There are just so many variables to consider now that we travel with Milo—things we never thought twice about before having a kid.
We were looking for somewhere outdoorsy, with mountains and ocean, plenty to explore, and enough adventure to keep all of us happy. Puerto Rico pulled us in pretty quickly.
And after spending time there, I can say that traveling to Puerto Rico with a kid was an experience we absolutely loved—but, like anywhere, there were some things we wish we’d known beforehand.
The Good
The outdoors are incredible
If you and your family love being outside, Puerto Rico is pretty magical. There are mountains, beaches, rainforests, swimming holes, waterfalls, diverse landscapes, and plenty of opportunities to explore.
We loved that we could spend one day at the beach and the next wandering through the rainforest or driving through the mountains. There is so much variety packed into one island, which makes it a particularly fun place to travel with kids who need to be entertained by something other than a hotel pool.
And if you’re a coffee-loving family, there are coffee farms to explore, too!
People were incredibly kind to Milo
I cannot say enough about how comfortable and welcoming people were with Milo.
One of my favorite parts of traveling with a child is seeing how strangers interact with them, and the kindness we experienced in Puerto Rico was really special. People were warm and genuinely happy to see him.
There is something magical about watching random strangers light up around your child when you’re far from home. It made us feel comfortable very quickly.
There are animals everywhere
We love animals, and it seems like any trip with extra animal sightings automatically makes all of us happier.
Our base in Luquillo put us only about 20 minutes from El Yunque National Forest, where we saw butterflies, birds, and all sorts of wildlife while exploring the rainforest.
And then there were the chickens.
So. Many. Chickens.
They were everywhere around our beach town, which Milo found endlessly entertaining. Between the rainforest wildlife, beach creatures, birds, and neighborhood chickens, there was always something alive and moving to point out.
It felt less touristy and more comfortable
We stayed in Luquillo, and one of the things we loved most was how un-touristy it felt.
It didn’t feel like we were constantly surrounded by tourists or moving through a vacation bubble. Instead, we got to experience a little bit of everyday island life while still being close to some of the places we wanted to explore.
For us, that made the trip feel more relaxed and authentic.
The food and coffee were SO good
We had amazing food all across the island.
Puerto Rican food was one of the highlights of the trip, and we were especially impressed by the coffee. Everywhere we went, we seemed to stumble upon another delicious cup.
Honestly, traveling with a toddler can sometimes mean your food expectations have to be lowered a little—so finding consistently delicious food and coffee was a very welcome surprise.
The Not-So-Good
The interior roads are WILD
This was probably the biggest logistical challenge for us.
Some of the roads through the interior of the island were steeper and more intense than anything we were expecting. We found ourselves driving up and down some seriously steep roads, and more than once we wondered if our rental car was actually going to handle it.
Driving somewhere unfamiliar is already a little stressful when you’re traveling with a child. Add narrow, steep, winding mountain roads, and it definitely raised our anxiety level.
If you’re planning to explore the interior, I’d make sure you’re comfortable with the driving involved and with the car you’re renting.
Healthcare wasn’t as accessible as we’d hoped
This one became very real for us because my husband ended up needing to go to the emergency room during our trip.
We had to drive almost an hour to get to one, which was incredibly nerve-racking—especially with a little one along for the ride.
Obviously, you hope you never need medical care while traveling, but traveling with a child makes access to healthcare something we think about much more than we used to. In hindsight, knowing where the nearest hospital or emergency room was before exploring more remote areas would have given us some peace of mind.
Some areas felt unsettling
Where we stayed in Luquillo was beautiful, friendly, and somewhere we really enjoyed being. We truly don’t have enough good things to say about our experience there.
But as we drove around other areas, we noticed more boarded-up buildings and homes with very serious-looking security measures, including heavy locks and gates.
We never had any problems ourselves, and we don’t want to make a broad judgment about safety across the island based on what we saw. But traveling with a little one naturally makes you more aware of your surroundings, and seeing those things made us feel a little unsettled at times.
It was one of those reminders that a place can be both incredibly beautiful and welcoming while still having challenges that are worth understanding before you go.
So, Would We Go Back?
Yes.
Puerto Rico gave us exactly what we were looking for when we started planning the trip: mountains, ocean, wildlife, outdoor adventures, incredible food, and plenty of opportunities to explore together as a family.
Traveling with Milo has changed the way we think about trips. We pay attention to things we never used to consider—roads, healthcare, how comfortable we feel walking around, and whether a destination works with the unpredictable reality of traveling with a small child.
Puerto Rico wasn’t perfect for us, but no destination is.
What it did give us was a really memorable family adventure, and some of our favorite moments were the simplest ones: seeing Milo discover animals, wandering around Luquillo, exploring the rainforest, eating good food, and watching him experience a completely different part of the world.
For a family that loves the outdoors and doesn’t mind a little adventure (and occasionally some questionable mountain roads), Puerto Rico is a pretty special place to explore.
