Entries Tagged as 'family travel'

Copenhagen with kids

We recently visited Copenhagen and found that it is a really kid-friendly city.  It’s also one of the cleanest cities I’ve been to.    As it is just a 1.5 hour flight away from London, I’m not really sure why I haven’t been before.  It’s a small enough city to explore on foot or on a cycle, if you want to do it the Danish way.  We chose to walk as you always get a great feel of a city when you do this.  We didn’t stick to doing just kids things but mixed it up and decided to do kiddy things as well as things we would enjoy but with kids in tow, if that makes sense. Here’s what we loved and would recommend if you visit Copenhagen with kids:

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flying-long-haul-with-children

With the Summer holidays coming up lots of us are planning a family holiday.  Even though we aren’t going away this Summer travel has always been a huge part of my childhood and adult life for as long as I can remember.  Even when Anya came along, we didn’t stop traveling.  In fact it was the opposite – we realised we just needed to plan a bit better but it was entirely doable.  We also didn’t let long-haul put us off.  She’s only six and has already been to places as far flung as Argentina and Uruguay, San Francisco, India and Nepal (lucky kid!).  Some of these journeys have involved 14-15 hour flights but we managed.

Some people have commented to me that it’s easier for us with only one child and in some ways it’s true – we don’t have squabbles to sort out, no one fights over which plane seat they’d like (except Richard and me who both always want the window seat!).  But on the other hand Anya has no one but us to entertain her.  And sometimes it’s been just her and me on long journeys so that has been a bit trickier but still entirely manageable with a little planning beforehand.

Having been through so many journeys and with the holidays coming up I thought I would share some of my best tips on flying long haul with children.  There are loads of tips out there for flying with toddlers and babies but not as many for slightly older kids who are around 4-7 years old.  I also wanted to share my own experiences of what’s worked and what hasn’t as I’ve tried so many little things to make long flights as bearable as possible.  Long flights can be trying with young children and in some ways a lot harder than flying with babies who don’t move.  So I hope these tips help you if you’re planning a long haul flight with children soon.  And if you’re still thinking about whether you should brave long haul or not,  I hope these tips inspire you and make you go for it!

1. Get them excited not just about the holiday but the journey too.  If they’ve never been on a plane before then this will be a huge excitement in itself.  Even if they have, planes are always exciting – I have taken thousands of flights and I’m still excited every time I get on a plane.  Tell them about what to expect at the airport and on the flight so they know what’s coming – include the good and the bad.

2. Let them pack a little back pack or mini stroller suitcase to take on the flight.  I use the words ‘let them pack’ very loosely.  What I mean is let them believe they are packing a case.  Left up to Anya she would cram the most random things in to her hand luggage (she once tried to pack her collection of pebbles that weigh a ton!) so I keep a sharp eye on what she’s putting in there and subtley guide her towards the things I know we will need.  Try and get the kids to pack their hand luggage a few days in advance of leaving because this not only builds up excitement but it gives you time to see what’s in there and to change things around if needed.   This way you can avoid any last minute panics and arguments.

3.  Buy a few cheap toys from the 99p/dollar store but don’t show it to the kids beforehand.  Keep it hidden away and surprise them with it when they are showing signs of boredom.  In addition to a few toys I also take along surprise snacks and treats which always work like magic.

4.  While I wholeheartedly suggest taking a few surprise toys and treats, you can’t go overboard with these as there is only so much you can carry in hand and you don’t want to end up lugging 50 kilos worth of hand luggage around with you with two tired and whiny children in tow!  The next best thing is an ipad or similar which is fully charged and loaded with games and movies.  I know a lot of parents are against screen time but believe me on a long flight it is a godsend!  If you have two kids and one device then be very clear in advance of the flight as to who get’s it when or let them both watch a movie together if that’s an option.  Besides occupying the kids, ipad’s are lot easier to carry around than toys.  This may sound a bit strange but I have a little calculation I use to decide what entertainment comes along and what doesn’t – minutes/hours of entertainment it can provide divided by weight/space it takes.  The ipad wins every time!

5.  Carry Calpol, iburpfen or similar in your handbag.  When Anya was five and we were flying to India, with no warning she developed a burning high temperature mid-flight.  She was so hot that there was even talk of an emergency landing.  Kids getting sick is bad enough at the best of times but at 30,000 feet above ground, it’s scary!  Luckily there was a doctor on board who checked her out and managed to get Calpol off another passenger.  The doctor suggested waiting to see if the Calpol helped before doing anything else.  Luckily it worked and I learned my lesson. (Even with the no liquid on board rules, you can still take medicines along ).

6.  When flying long haul with children, expect the unexpected like delays, lost luggage and extra long queues.  While you can’t plan for every eventuality, it helps to consider the things that can go wrong.  I tend to keep a spare set of clothes for Anya in her hand luggage which came in very handy when the airline lost our luggage when we landed in Buenos Aires after a 24 hour door to door journey.  Also spare underwear is handy as even at 5-6 years of age, accidents can happen especially if there are long queues to use the inflight loos.

7.  If you too have a fussy eater like Anya (and even if you don’t) it’s a good idea to get the children well fed before a long haul flight.  Meals can be delayed, they may not like the options available, their choice of meal may run out – so many reasons and the last thing you want is bored, tired and hungry kids.  We usually head to the airport early and let Anya have a full meal at one of the restaurants there.  That way she’s fed as late as possible which in theory should keep her full for several hours and then I give her the surprise snacks and treats on board as she won’t eat the airline meals.

8.  Keep the best for last.  In my experience, that last hour of a long haul flight is the most painful.  The last 60 minutes can feel longer than the entire flight!  By that time you’ve probably been traveling for several hours and the kids have just about had enough.  You’re probably tired too and I know I start to lose every bit of patience that I had at the start.  So I keep one special toy or treat, usually the best one for this last hour.  It really helps in taking Anya’s mind of her tiredness and boredom for a little while at least. And every minute of calm at this stage helps.

9.  Lastly, don’t forget to relax and enjoy the journey which is the first part of your holiday.  Once we step inside an airport we are in holiday mode and all normal at home rules are broken from the word go.  It really helps if you focus on the fun side of things and keep your sense of humour because after all if you’re relaxed, your kids will be too.

*I’ve linked up to Honest Mum’s brilliant blog posts and Mums Days the list.

It’s that time of year when many of us start thinking of new year resolutions.  I never make formal lists or even scribble down my resolutions but I do think of a few things in my head.  Recently I’ve been thinking that I’m not having enough family time even at the weekends as we are crazy busy with a house move, work and everything else.  So one of my top priorities for next year is more quality family time.

One way to ensure that we switch off and really have quality time together is to go away somewhere for the weekend which I want to do a lot more of next year.  But in the past whenever I’ve thought of getting away, I always think of going abroad.  It never occurs to me to get away within the UK which is so much more do-able even at short notice.  A little while ago we wanted to get away and of course I started thinking Berlin, Paris or Venice.  But as we had only a couple of free days and couldn’t manage a trip to the continent I almost gave up on the idea of going anywhere when I remembered reading about some wonderful UK breaks over at my my friend Honest Mum’s blog.  That inspired me to think closer to home and after a quick search I thought about visiting Woburn.  It’s not too far from London, has a lovely safari park which I knew Anya would love and some great places to eat which Richard and I would love.

"Woburn family trip giraffe""Woburn family trip zebra""woburn-safari-park-family-trip

We only managed an overnight stay in the end but that was fine.  We got there and had a quick but delicious lunch at The Black Horse.  We would have preferred a slightly more relaxed lunch but someone was desperate to get to the safari park!  So off to the park we went.  And it was fun; really fun for all three of us.  The park has a mixture of animals most of whom roam freely within very large enclosures that you drive through.  You have to stay in your car for obvious safety reasons but it was still so fun to see animals like tigers, bears and lions up close.  No photo’s of these as of course we couldn’t put our car windows down to snap any.  The highlight for me was definitely seeing the big cats which I love.  But for Anya it was the drive around the monkey area.  The monkeys jump on your car and sit there for ages which was really exciting for her.

"kids on the moon Summer""Woburn Abbey family trip ebabee""woburn family trip ebabee"

The next morning we headed to Woburn Abbey and the surrounding gardens which are stunning.  We walked around the place enjoying the gardens and the beautiful architecture.  Anya got to run around, climb on rocks and just enjoy being outdoors as kids do.

"wobirn abbey trip"

After visiting Woburn I knew that next year I would make a conscious effort to get away within the UK more often.  Just quick weekend trips that really allow you to spend quality family time together away from the stresses of everyday life and you get to enjoy the wonderful sites that England has to offer.  With inexpensive hotels like Travelodge dotted around the country and so many wonderful places to see, eat at and relax, there really is no excuse not to.  This short trip really opened my eyes to getting away within the UK and having a burst of pure family time without any distractions.  I can’t wait to get away again and would love some recommendations on where to go as a family?  Where have you been that you think is a must go to within the UK?

This post is brought to you in partnership with Travelodge.  All ideas, words and images are my own.  Thank you for supporting my work with partners that support this blog.

"family holiday rental home Amsterdam"We love to travel in this house.  If we ever win the lottery, I know we would spend the rest of our days exploring the world.  Since having Anya, we haven’t given up on travel and neither have we let distance bother us.  We’ve taken her to far flung places like Uruguay, Argentina and San Francisco, all 12 hour flights or longer.   The one thing we have changed is where we stay.  Before it was always about finding a cool boutique hotel but now it’s always apartments.

With a child, I’ve discovered that the convenience of a holiday apartment is unbeatable.  It means plenty of space for everyone, it also means you don’t have to rush out for every meal and often means clothes washing is possible – so handy with a child and you can travel with fewer clothes (in theory at least!).   Richard and I turn in to night birds on holiday and often stay up late in to the night chatting while Anya sleeps in the next room without being disturbed.  Since I’ve started booking holiday apartments, I’ve never looked back.

"family holiday rental home paris""family holiday rental home Odense Denmark""family holiday rental home London"

A while ago I discovered a beautifully curated holiday home rental site which I have been meaning to share with you ever since.  All the homes on this site are real family homes that are rented out while the families are holidaying elsewhere.    The added bonus of renting a home where someone lives means that you have all the stuff you could possibly need.  There are kids rooms with toys, living rooms full of books and kitchens with all the equipment to cook up anything you want.  All the homes are full of charm and character and look so welcoming.

"family holiday rental home near Paris""family holiday rental home Brighton"

Kid & Coe have so many beautiful homes on offer that include city residences, country cottages as well as beach retreats and mountain chalets.  Their list of holiday properties is always growing but even now there is a very good choice.  I’m hoping to get away to the Continent this Summer and if I do I would love to stay at one of these holiday homes because the idea of staying in a real home really appeals to me.  What do you prefer?  Holiday apartment or hotel?

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