The Red Sea coast’s new resort destinations are increasingly popular with Saudi families taking domestic holidays, not only with international visitors, and a family trip has a different rhythm to a couple’s getaway or a solo business visit. Our general guide to Red Sea resort transfers covers the destinations and routes; this guide focuses specifically on what Saudi families travelling together with children need to plan for.
Why More Saudi Families Are Choosing the Red Sea Coast
As resort infrastructure along the Red Sea has expanded, it has become a realistic domestic alternative to international beach holidays for many Saudi families, particularly during school holiday periods and long weekends. The appeal is straightforward: modern resort facilities within the Kingdom, without the logistics of international travel and visas for the whole family.
Choosing the Right Vehicle for a Family Group
Sizing the vehicle to your family
A larger family with young children usually needs more than seating capacity alone accounts for: pushchairs, beach equipment and extra luggage all take up real space, so a minivan or larger SUV is often more practical than a standard sedan even for a family of four or five.
Child seats and safety equipment
Booking the correct child seat for each child’s age and size in advance, rather than assuming one will be available on the day, avoids delay at pickup and ensures the seat is actually the right fit rather than a generic option.
Timing a Family Journey to the Coast
Journeys to Red Sea resort destinations from Jeddah or other departure points can take several hours depending on the specific resort. With young children, building in a rest stop partway, and choosing a departure time that lines up with nap schedules rather than working around them, makes a noticeable difference to how the journey actually feels for everyone in the car.
Coordinating Multiple Family Vehicles
For extended family trips involving grandparents or several branches of the same family travelling together, booking two or three vehicles departing together, rather than one very large vehicle, often works better logistically, since it allows for staggered pickup points across the city before the group reconvenes for the coastal leg.
Planning the Return Journey
Families often underestimate how tired children will be at the end of a beach trip, and a late departure home after a full final day at the resort can mean a difficult journey back. Where possible, planning a mid-afternoon departure, with the return pickup confirmed the day before, helps the trip end as smoothly as it began.
Choosing Between a Resort Transfer and a Rental Car for a Family Trip
Some families weigh up self-driving to a Red Sea resort against booking a private transfer. For a family trip specifically, a chauffeured transfer removes the burden of a long desert drive while managing children, luggage and beach equipment, and it means both parents can rest or attend to the children rather than one having to focus entirely on driving for several hours each way.
A private transfer also avoids the need to navigate an unfamiliar resort access road for the first time while tired from a long drive, which matters more with young children in the car than it would for an adult couple.
Making the Journey Itself Part of the Holiday
For families, the journey to the coast does not have to be simply endured. Planning a stop at a scenic viewpoint or a familiar rest point partway, timed around when children are likely to need a break, can turn travel time into part of the holiday rather than just the price of getting there.
Bringing familiar snacks, entertainment and comfort items for younger children, and briefing your driver on any planned stops in advance, helps the whole journey run more smoothly for everyone in the vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What age can a child travel without a car seat in Saudi Arabia? A: Requirements vary by age and size; it is best to confirm the correct seat category for each child’s specific age and weight when you book rather than assume a general rule.
Q: Can we book two vehicles for an extended family group? A: Yes, for larger extended family trips, booking two or three coordinated vehicles departing together is often more practical than one very large vehicle.
Q: How far in advance should we book during school holidays? A: Booking at least a few days ahead, and ideally a week or more for peak school holiday weekends, is sensible given how quickly family vehicle availability can fill along popular Red Sea routes.
Q: Does this guide cover international visitors to the Red Sea resorts? A: No, this guide focuses specifically on domestic Saudi family travel; our general Red Sea Resort Transfers guide covers the wider visitor picture.
Q: How long is the drive from Jeddah to the main Red Sea resort areas? A: Journey times vary by specific resort; confirm the expected duration for your destination when you book so you can plan stops accordingly.
Q: Can we request a specific driver experienced with family trips? A: Many providers can note family-specific preferences on a booking; ask directly when arranging your transfer.
Choosing the Right Time of Year for a Family Coastal Trip
Red Sea resort destinations are busiest with domestic families during school holiday periods and can also see high demand around long public holiday weekends, so booking well ahead of these specific windows matters more than for a quieter, term-time visit.
Shoulder periods just outside peak school holidays often combine pleasant weather with lower demand for both accommodation and family vehicles, which is worth considering if your family’s schedule has any flexibility.
Whatever time of year you travel, confirming vehicle and child seat availability at the point of booking, rather than assuming it will be available closer to your travel date, is the safest approach during any known busy period.
Involving Children in the Planning Where Appropriate
For families with older children, involving them briefly in planning the trip, such as choosing a rest stop or picking entertainment for the journey, can make the travel itself feel like part of the adventure rather than simply the wait before the holiday starts.
This is a small touch, but many families find it noticeably improves the mood in the car during a longer coastal journey.
Considering Travel Insurance for a Family Trip
As with any family trip involving young children, it is worth confirming that your travel insurance appropriately covers the whole family for the specific activities planned at your Red Sea destination, separate from the ground transport insurance covered elsewhere in our guides.
This is a general family travel consideration rather than something specific to ground transport, but it is a sensible item to tick off at the same time as arranging your vehicle and accommodation.
Families who make this trip more than once often develop their own preferred routine, from a favoured rest stop to a preferred departure time that suits their children’s schedule, and it is worth building on that experience for each subsequent visit rather than starting from scratch every time.
Checked sources
Official information for your planning
Transport, airport, visa and visitor arrangements can change. These official sources are provided so you can check the current position for your journey. Checked 2026-07-25.
Book your family vehicle, including any child seats, at least a few days ahead of school holiday periods, when demand for larger vehicles along Red Sea routes rises sharply.