Ideas for a pain free journey when travelling with children

With summer on the horizon, many families across the country are looking to holiday within the British Isles. It means it’s cheaper, it’s simpler, and it means you can travel there by car. But taking the kids on a long journey in the car is daunting. They become impatient, they moan, and they make life hell for whoever is behind the wheel.

To help ensure your journey to our cottages is a smooth one, we have put together our guide on travelling with kids.

The secret to successfully travelling with little ones is to prepare. Work out the length of the journey so that you can plan how many stops you will need to take, food breaks, and how many activities you’ll need to keep their attention. Mixing the activities up will help keep them occupied for longer, and the stops will ensure regular bathroom breaks are catered for.

If your journey is more than two hours long, make sure plenty of stops are organised along the way. This may mean that you diverge slightly from the quickest route, but they make the task of driving a whole lot easier. Service stations can become boring quick, so try and mix things up. Kids like new places to explore so if you can, keep your eyes out for farm shops, cafes, tea rooms, and other places that will provide food, and a toilet stop.

The trickiest part of the journey will be while you’re on the road. The trick to keeping them happy is planning some car games. Those could include:

• I-spy – A classic that keeps the kids entertained for hours.

• Audio books

• Who can find the landmark first?

• Colouring books

• Sing-a-longs (just make sure they’re songs the kids like, rather than your favourites)

There are some essential items to take that’ll help keep the kids happy and safe.

• Snacks – pack a few treats so that when they’re moaning, you have something to offer as a reward for being good

• Lots of drinks – No one wants to be thirsty. Moderate how much they drink though, otherwise they’ll be a bathroom break at every exit.

• Baby wipes – Spillages happen all the time on the road. Pack some baby wipes so that they can wipe down.

• A first aid kit – You should have one of these in the car anyway. Remember, they save lives in the event of an accident.

Driving long distances with the kids doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Just follow these simple steps to a pain free journey!