The Great Big Guide To Going On Holiday With The Kids

Wondering where to go, how to get there, what you might need to take and what on earth you can do to keep the little tykes occupied on the journey? Don’t fear – we have all the answers you need to prep yourself for travelling by plane, train, ferry, or car in this great big guide – complete with tips from experts along the way!

1. How To Get A Good Deal and Save Money (especially when travelling in school holidays!)
2. Family friendly accommodation – what to look for
3. The Logistics of Travelling With Buggies, Cots, Bottles, Teddies, Taggies…
4. Travelling by air with small children
5. Travelling by ferry with children
6. Travelling by train with children
7. What to pack – essentials
8. Awesome and ingenious items that will make your life easier

1. How To Get A Good Deal and Save Money (especially when travelling in school holidays!)

If you have kids below school age, the world is your oyster all year round, which means you can travel when it is both quieter and cheaper, but the minute your kids are at school, you are restricted to some seriously slim windows of opportunity. We got expert advice from three parenting experts to find out how to get a good deal going on holiday…

Holiday hacks for finding the best family travel deals from Sue Atkins, Internationally recognized parenting expert, broadcaster, speaker and author of the Amazon best-selling books Parenting Made Easy – How to Raise Happy Children and Raising Happy Children for Dummies.

• Book early to bag the best deals
• Fly from your local airport
• Bookmark great deals pages
• Get a free child place
• Pre-book kids’ clubs and excursions
• Take advantage of low deposits
• Shop around
• Consider an indirect flight
• Use price comparison websites – with care & be wary of buying on price alone, check insurance, extras etc
• Avoid unnecessary frills. Charges for seat selection and priority boarding can vastly inflate the headline price of a flight.
• Travel overnight
• Take your own food.
• Check IT fares. IT stands for “inclusive tour”, the arrangement by which long-haul flights are sold as a package in combination with hotel accommodation or a hire car. Depending when and where you book, it can be cheaper to book this whole package, including the hotel, than buying the flight alone.

Advice to help families book a holiday on a budget from Tanith Carey, Journalist and author of eight books including her most recent, Mum Hacks – timesaving tips to calm the chaos of family life.

“Remember that prices don’t only go high because of the UK summer holidays. The demand also spikes because other children in Europe are also off school. But many countries go back earlier than we do. For example, French kids go back at the end of August, while we Brits can get up to an extra week. So, opt for the latest possible summer dates to save cash. The cost starts to drop the very last week in August and the first week in September. My family has also saved money by going abroad in the two-week October half-term instead, which tends to be cheaper.

“Fly in the middle of the week when travel costs are cheaper. Try and minimise the number of bags you check in. Also, believe it or not, but there are shops abroad that sell exactly the same nappies and formula that are sold here. So save money on baggage and hold your nerve, taking only the basics in your luggage, and stocking up when you get there.”

How to have a great family holiday without breaking the bank from Elizabeth O’Shea, Author, parenting coach and founder of Parent 4 Success.

“Camping may not be your first choice, but children love it. There are some great sites in the UK and in France, with plenty of children’s activities, ideal for families holidaying on a budget. That way more of your money can be spent on activities, than flights or accommodation. Children remember more about the little things on holiday, having chips on the beach, playing Frisbee, going out to sea in a kayak, or exploring the rock pools than eating at expensive restaurants. Carve out some time to do all the little things you may not have time to do at home. Playing board games, lying on the grass and looking at the clouds, or teaching your child the favourite games you played as a child.”

It’s not just tour operators that offer Kids Go Free deals, you can save money by purchasing family friendly travel insurance where kids go free on family travel insurance policies too.

2. Family friendly accommodation – what to look for

Lots of helpful facilities, and no big groups of partying hens and stags next door! Family friendly accommodation may not always be labelled as such, but look out for things like stair gates, highchairs, bottle sterilisers, travel cots, and playpens in the accommodation listings. If the accommodation isn’t specifically labelled kid-friendly, it may be worth confirming with the provider that there won’t be any disturbances from guests with late-night revelling on the agenda when you go to book. Of course if you see crèche facilities, play areas, and kids meals, you can almost guarantee that the only noisy neighbours you will have are other people’s kids!

3. The Logistics of Travelling With Buggies, Cots, Bottles, Teddies, Taggies…

The smaller they are, the more “stuff” you seem to need. Travelling with small kids might seem like a logistical nightmare – but hopefully these ideas will help!

1. Send bulky items like travel cots, car seats, and prams separately to your destination.
2. Consider buying cheaper alternatives at your destination.
3. Or buy lightweight compact versions just for your holiday.
4. Ask your tour operator or accommodation provider if they have equipment that you can use or hire.
5. Use sterilising tablets instead of a sterilizing unit for bottles.
6. Only take the nappies and baby milk you need until you get there, and buy more from a local shop when you arrive.
7. Consider using a sling or carrier instead of taking a buggy.
8. Take a pram that doubles as a safe place to sleep at night.

4. Travelling by air with small children

Feeling traumatised at the thought of travelling by air with a babe in arms or toddler in tow? We turned to Easy Jet to find out what parents should know before boarding one of their planes.

• Booster seats, car seats, buggies, push chairs and travel cots don’t form part of your luggage allowance – you can bring up to two of these items per infant or child.
• Kids travelling on laps don’t have cabin space, so all essentials must be included in your hand luggage.
• If you’re travelling with an infant under 2 years of age you can bring an additional small baby changing bag on board the aircraft.
• Children under 2 with their own seat can sit on a forward facing car seat for comfort, booster seats cannot be used during takeoff or landing.
• You can take baby food and milk on-board in your cabin baggage, but you may be asked by security to taste it.
• If you are not taking powdered milk, you will have to purchase liquid milk after security before boarding the plane – this is not restricted to the 100ml rule.
• If you’re travelling with children under 5, you can board your flight early and you can choose your seats in advance to ensure you sit together.
• Kids snack packs come with games to keep kids entertained, and toys are available to buy during the flight.
• Breastfeeding mothers can feed babies on board at any time.
• Babies under 2 weeks old are not permitted to fly with easyJet.

“Each year over two million families travel with easyJet and we understand that sometimes keeping kids entertained at 30,000 feet can seem daunting which is why we want to make travelling with children as easy as possible.

“We have a dedicated section on our website which details lots of useful information and videos for parents prior to travel and a number of family-friendly initiatives in place including allowing families to bring essential items of luggage free of charge such as travel seats or buggies.” Ali Gayward, UK Country Manager.

5. Travelling by ferry with children

Travelling by ferry is an exciting alternative to taking to the skies. We caught up with Brittany Ferries to find out about the child-friendly features of ferry travel.

There are no baggage restrictions on a ferry, and you will of course have your car, and car seats with you when you get to your destination. Other perks of ferry travel include the fact that it should be well-equipped, enough to meet even the most demanding of family needs! Shops will be stocked with toys and games, restaurants and food halls will have kid-friendly food at parent-friendly prices, and there may well be dedicated kids entertainment on board as well as games rooms and cinemas suitable for older children. Here are the most child-friendly routes offered by Brittany Ferries:

Portsmouth/St Malo

• This direct service from Portsmouth to Brittany offers civilised, family-friendly arrival and departure times—you leave Portsmouth at 20.15, giving time for a stroll on deck and a bite to eat before bed, and arrive the next morning at 08.45 – giving plenty of time to get the kids showered, dressed and fed.
• During the summer school holidays, on the northbound daytime sailings from France to the UK, our cruise-ferry Bretagne hosts its very own summer pantomime, free of charge for all the family to enjoy. For younger passengers there are dedicated play rooms, plus during the summer holidays there’s dedicated children’s entertainment including face painting and magic shows.
• Comfortable cabins – Available on both daytime and overnight sailings, these are ideal for enjoying a good rest en route.
• Children’s menu – In the main à la carte restaurant, children under the age of 12 can choose from the same menu as their parents and enjoy whichever dish they wish for just £5.50.

Journey time: 8¾ hours (daytime); 11 hours (overnight). Frequency: Year round Cruise-ferry service, 1 sailing a day in each direction. Return price: Car+family of four from: £335 (Nov/low-season); £459(April/mid-season); £579 (August/high season) – price includes en suite cabin on outward overnight crossing.

Portsmouth/Santander

• Entertainment for both children and adults.
• Swimming pool.
• Children’s menu.
• Whale and dolphin watching  – sailings to Spain pass through the Bay of Biscay, one of Europe’s very best waters for spotting cetaceans, ranging in size from the harbour porpoise (roughly the size of a dog) to the Blue Whale – the largest living animal. An amazing experience for adults and children.
• Children’s menu – In the main à la carte restaurant, children under the age of 12 can choose from the same menu as their parents and enjoy whichever dish they wish for just £5.50.

Journey time: 24 hours. Frequency:  3 weekly sailings in each direction. Return price: Car+family of four from: £708(Nov/low-season); £918(April/mid-season); £1184 August/high season) including an en suite cabin both ways.

They also offer a wide range of family-friendly ferry-inclusive holiday accommodation from Cottages and villas to hotels, and golf breaks. The range features a wide variety of holidays that have been chosen with families in mind including resort hotels, in addition to our ever-popular range of chalet campsites and apartment breaks. It also includes a special selection of French gîtes and Spanish casas, which are particularly suited to families. To book: Call 0330 159 7000 or visit brittanyferries.com

6. Travelling by train with children

If you are choosing to travel abroad by train, Eurostar will be where you start. Here’s what to expect travelling to Europe with your children:

• Quick 30-minute check-in.
• Free travel for children under four provided they can sit on an adult’s lap.
• Special fares for kids aged four to eleven years old are available in Standard class.
• A generous luggage allowance of two bags per person and hand luggage without weight restrictions.
• As well as luggage allowance you can bring one pushchair and one car seat per child.
• All Eurostar trains have baby changing facilities, which you can choose to sit nearby, simply log in and choose your seats once you’ve booked.
• The onboard bar buffet has food, drinks and snacks, including a special meal deal for kids.
• They don’t sell baby food but you can warm it up.

7. Essential items to pack (depending on the age of your child!)

• First aid kit
• Co sensor
• Baby Sunscreen SPF 50
• Baby Insect repellent
• Insect net for buggy/cot
• Sterilising tablets
• Calpol/Nurofen sachets
• Baby Wipes
• Anti-bacterial wipes
• Comforters and pacifiers
• Bottles and cups
• 48 hours worth of nappies
• Digital thermometer

 Top tip: Pack all comforters such as dummies, blankies, taggies, and bedtime teddies in your hand luggage – you don’t want to risk losing them en route!

 8. Awesome and ingenious items that will make your life easier

Tablet/smart phone – apps go a very long way in keeping kids occupied! Take the old phone that is undoubtedly sitting in a drawer at home.

Aquadoodle – a mess-free way for kids to get creative during a journey or in a plush apartment/hotel.

Trunki – keeps all their stuff together, plus they can ride on it.

Little Life Daysack with reins – excellent way to take a few toys for a toddler and keep hold of them at the same time!

Backpack Scooter – same idea, but for older kids – occupied, and hopefully not complaining about walking!

Pocket high chair – no need to worry about facilities at your accommodation, or wherever you go out to eat.

Koo-Di sun and sleep pop-up cot – nifty sleeping arrangement that won’t use up your luggage allowance (1kg, fits in a small bag) and comes with an integrated blackout/sun blind.

Baby wearing – a sling is lightweight and small compared to a buggy – you can try before you buy or hire for a month at a time from your local sling library.

Disposable bibs – take less space in a suitcase, and no need to wash them while you are away.

Bon voyage with your babes in arms, tottering toddlers, hopefully patient pre-schoolers, and soon-to-be travel-savvy tweenies! Don’t forget that KIDS GO FREE on our family travel insurance policies! Call 01892 833338 or get a quote online.