Travelling with children tips
We know that travelling abroad can be hard enough, but travelling with children can be one of the hardest points of any family's holiday. So we've put together some travel tips to help make your family journey to Britain easier:
Aeroplanes
- Check with the customer services department of your airline to see whether they make family provisions (e.g. healthy children's meals, whether you can take a pushchair to the boarding gate).
- Take daytime flights where possible, children won't sleep well without the routine of bedtime.
- Book airline seats so you can all sit together, and order children's meals at the same time.
- Ask at check-in whether you can sit with other families - they'll provide entertainment for your children and will understand that flying is not easy.
- Take baby essentials as hand luggage - you may get delayed taking off.
- Feed your baby and give older children sweets to suck on take-off and landing to stop discomfort as the cabin pressure changes.
- Take the food your baby is used to and ask for it to be warmed, as many airlines do not provide baby food.
- Pack a small rucksack of toys, books and magazines for your children, and ask the airline what activity packs are provided.
Cars/Trains/Coaches
- If you can, start your journey just before your child's bedtime, when they'll be more likely to fall asleep.
- Make sure there's plenty of room in the back of the car for children, and that they're not surrounded by luggage.
- Invest in a portable DVD player for long trips to keep the kids entertained.
- Bring story tapes or song to play in the car.
- Plan frequent breaks so the children can walk around and you can have a rest.
- If there's an interesting attraction on the way, stop and have a look. It's only a short break and gives everyone something to talk about for the rest of the journey.
- Take a surprise party bag with treats like notebooks, crayons, stickers and sweets to keep them entertained.
- Bring a portable CD/MP3 player so your child can listen to their favourite songs/stories.
General tips
- Don't forget your child's favourite book. It's exciting for children to go on holiday, but a bit of routine will make them feel more comfortable.
- Take a cheap scrapbook and some glue and make a memory book of your holiday, and add photos when you get home. A great souvenir and keeps the kids occupied.
- Pack a change of clothes for everyone on the journey. It's almost guaranteed on a family journey that something will be spilled on one of you!
- Don't forget to pack wet wipes. They're indispensable for all sorts of disasters.
- Prepare your children for the journey in advance. Point out to them on a map where you're going and show them brochures about the place you'll be visiting.
- Tell your children the realistic journey time, and even add time on so they'll be surprised and happy when you get there early.
- Travel games are always a hit. Go to Travel Games to find lots of games to keep your children entertained.
Top tip: Children often travel for half price or sometimes free on public transport. To find out about discounted child rates, visit our
Travel and Transport section.