| |

7 tips to take the stress out of travelling with children [AD]

Advertorial

According to the Telegraph, going on holiday has a plethora of benefits for a child, helping with everything from family bonding to stress relief. For us parents though, travelling with children can strike fear into our hearts. Will the journey be horrific, will they fight and most importantly, how can we keep them safe? Here are 7 tips to take the stress out of travel with kids and a giveaway to make it easier.

little girl in a car, strapped in on a pink bubblebum inflatable booster seat

1. Slow it down

The first rule of travel with children is that it takes longer. So, don’t rush. Leave time for stops. Not just toilet breaks but play breaks too. If you’re taking a road trip in the UK, I shared my 21 best family stops over on the Hertz blog. We sometimes even make an overnight stopover to visit family or visit somewhere we’d love to go en route.

Timber framed building by a river, you can see the reflection of the building in the river. Geese in the foreground.

2. Keep boredom at bay

Eliminating boredom for children means giving yourself a break. On a long journey, there’s no harm in allowing them to watch films or play games on an iPad or tablet. I advise going for games like Solitaire that they can play alone. Games played together always cause arguments between my two! Take some snacks and treats too, and save up some TV episodes or films that they’re desperate to watch. There’s nothing worse than the constant drone of, “Are we nearly there yet?” So take the boredom out of it to make it a more pleasant trip for everyone.

3. Play it safe

I don’t know about you, but I hate the thought of the girls travelling without a car seat. I know it’s legal in the UK for short taxi rides but I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of them being unsafe. It may be only a small risk, but the stress of worrying about it always puts a dampener on things. So, if you’re not travelling in your own car, why not pack a BubbleBum inflatable booster seat? They are inflatable so they don’t take up much space, but the peace of mind they offer is invaluable.

Two little girls strapped into the back of the car to travel. Both on pink inflatable bubblebum booster seats.

4. Get them involved in the planning

Planning and anticipating a holiday can be almost as much fun as the holiday itself. Deciding where you want to go, what you’ll do and where to stay. Getting excited about the amazing experiences you’re going to have. So, why not get the children involved in that process? My two have very different ideas to us about what makes an exciting holiday. Knowing their opinions often makes us change our plans – and we always end up having a great time.

Putting our Konfidence swim jackets to the test at Alton Towers waterpark

5. Travel hand luggage only

Did you know that children have the same hand luggage allowance as adults? If you make the most of their allowance as well as yours, you might find you can travel hand luggage only. This will dramatically cut down on waiting time at the airport so you can get on with your holiday as soon as you leave the plane. The BubbleBum car seats are hand luggage friendly too – I even took one to London in my handbag when we went for brunch in case we needed a taxi.

pink bag with bubblebum logo on a label attached to it

6. It’s their holiday too

This is a big one for me. It can be pretty difficult to chill out when you’ve got kids. The parent in you wants to make sure they behave all the time. But let’s face it, who really behaves impeccably on holiday? So, remember it’s their holiday too and make a point of saying yes more. They want an ice cream on the beach or chips for tea? Why not?

two little girls in sun hats and jumpers, one with her arm in the air smiling, the other holding an ice cream with chocolate ice cream all round her face.

7. Team up with friends

A few years ago, we wanted to go on a self-catering holiday to Scotland. At the time, the girls were tiny, we had an elderly dog and a puppy and my husband was on crutches. So, instead of a week of exclusive family time we decided to make time to see friends. We went for a big cottage where we could all stay – four children, four adults and three dogs. The other family helped out with the chaos and it took the stress out of the trip. In fact, we enjoyed their company so much that we make a point of having a few days away with them every year now.

Travel with kids | If you want to travel with your children but get stressed out at the thought of it, these easy tips will make the whole process less painful. From safety tips to boredom busters, we've got you covered for fun family holidays without the stress. #familytravel #familyholidays #travel #travelwithkids

Advertorial

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

80 Comments

  1. Sensible ideas 🙂 I used to dread travelling with the boys, but getting so much easier now they’re older and, lets face it, not horrifically distracting and poorly behaved on long car journeys (sending Ollie to sit in the third row of seats in our 7 seater every time he started misbehaving did the trick). Actually looking forward to heading to Cornwall this month! The booster looks really useful – we spent a fortune hiring booster seats for our hire car when we went to Germany two years ago. It cost more to hire them for a week than we’ve seen them for sale in the supermarket!

  2. As I am super boring, I Would choose the black one as it matches with everything and will not look dirty! Also, it would look quite elegant and formal too but I did like the other colours too! 🙂

  3. I would choose the black then it would suit both my son and daughter, my son first though as he’s the older one and can sit without a backed seat

  4. Hi Nat, just the name Bubble Bum is funny enough to make sure children don’t let parents forget the booster seat. I imagine it could come in handy when eating out too. Getting the children involved with the planning of a break is a great idea. And if we can’t be a little lenient when on holiday, then when can we? Ice cream for breakfast all round!

    xx

  5. these are such a super idea, my daughter is at the age/size where she is getting too big for a full backed car seat so this would be ideal. I would choose the black for her

  6. The pink chevron design. This would be so handy for when we go abroad for the first time later this year.

  7. i’d choose the pink chevron (altho if they add a welsh dragon to the range that would be awesome too)

  8. Pink Chevron for my Girlie, I’d love to win to take to Florida where we are hiring a car x x x

  9. Your kids are so cute! I can relate. Before when it was just me and my husband, there was so much less to think and worry about. Thanks for the tips.