Even before the toys have been packed, and the child-friendly restaurants researched, spare some thought for the journey itself. Travelling with kids in tow can mean tears, tantrums and tension but with a bit of planning all these problems can all be avoided. Check out these three top tips to help you on your way.
1. Get them planning
One of the best ways to keep your kids entertained on their journey is to get them involved in the planning of the trip, and that doesn’t just mean the destination. Travelling by rail is a great way to experience the landscape and an opportunity to keep kids involved. Finding out interesting information about the different regions and cities on your route can be a fun way to learn a bit about geography and history – and a great way to keep them entertained as you pull into new stations.
2. Keep it coming
Train carriages don’t have a lot of space for kids to run around so it’s vital to keep their minds occupied when the train trip begins. To do this, keep a stack of activities on hand for the journey. Sticker books, puzzles, wordsearches and colouring books are all useful tools for staving off boredom. And if the traditional game of Eye Spy gets a bit tired, maybe you could try making a list of things that your child will see on your trip, each to be ticked off as they are spotted. Technology can help here too, with child-friendly tablets and apps making it possible to provide hours of entertainment to kids on the move.
3. Take your time… and enjoy!
There are loads of fantastic family holiday destinations spread across the country, and cheap train tickets make it easy and affordable to visit them with kids.
Travelling with kids can be stressful but choosing to go by train offers a great chance to turn this around and make it a fun experience. Recognise this journey for what it is – by the time you step on the train, the hard work is already done, and you have nothing but quality time to spend in your youngster’s company. As the countryside rolls by it’s the perfect opportunity for you and the kids to have fun together, learning new things and getting into the holiday spirit. And after you and the kids have hopped off the train on the way back home the only question will be:
Where will you go next?
Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of subjects. This article was written on behalf of redspottedhanky.com