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Tips for a road trip with kids

Travel Tips

16 Jan

Tips for a road trip with kids

  • Tips for a road trip with kids
  • Plan the road trip
  • Pack healthy snacks
  • Road Trip Activities for kids 
  • Wear Comfortable clothes
  • Limit journey time
  • Packing for a road trip with kids and toddlers

I won’t lie, we all know that travelling with kids can be stressful. Those journeys when you are stuck on the motorway with no end in sight, and your mini me shouts from the back that they are desperate for the toilet… (like – they can’t wait a moment longer..) or your little baby decides that it is this moment that they would like their next feed… right now..right here.  Those journeys when you leave the house all set for a five hour journey, and within five minutes the famous “are we nearly there yet??” sounds out from the back of the vehicle. Yes.. these moments can be very memorable, and all for the wrong reasons. We know that it is difficult to avoid the unforeseen. But having spent quite some time travelling in our Camper Otis, I thought I would share our tips to try to make travelling with little ones more enjoyable.

People often ask how our kiddies seem to travel so well. I think it is a combination of travelling with them from a very early age, and my newfound love of planning… planning and more planning. (and for those of you who may know me – this is a new concept for me…always preferring ‘last minute.com’).

Since having our eldest M, we seemed to have learned along the way and I wanted to share with you my tips that we have picked up over the years that  just kind of ‘work’ for us …

activities and books for kids to take on a road trip

Plan the road trip

You got it – this it my number 1 rule when travelling with kids. We cover a lot of miles in the camper van, and enjoy staying in one area for a couple of days before moving on to the next destination. We now have the ‘3 hour rule’ in the car  – no more than three hours travel on the road in one go. It works for us. If the road trip is expected to last longer than three hours I do try to plan a stop over. We also try to research before we go, and make sure that there are no unexpected surprises to our journey that we could avoid such as closed sections of the motorways etc.

Pack healthy snacks

 I always try to ensure the kiddies have healthy snacks available to keep hunger at bay.  I usually pack fruit chopped up in snack pots, healthy crisps, raisins, or dried cereal in snack pots, and a bottle of water or milk.

Road Trip Activities for kids 

The children both take a little rucksack or trunki with a few things to do in, story books, crayons and colouring, and the family iPad always works a treat. We also purchased a car organiser last year and found this helpful to keep all the important items within easy reach,  We are lucky to have a DVD player in the camper van and movies are great – Mary Poppins on repeat always helps to pass the time 🙂  My eldest also loves the classic games such as “I spy”  to keep her entertained. There are also loads of fun ideas and free printable games available on the net such as noughts and crosses and word searches. We print out colouring pages of favourite characters to take along with us to keep the little ones entertained during the journey and during meal times on holiday.

Readly magazine app

Wear Comfortable clothes

Why do children love to travel in their PJs?? I am afraid to say I am that mother in the service station that is followed by little mini me’s running around in their onesies at 1 pm in the afternoon.  I am also that mother with kids running round the airport in pjs. I find getting up and setting off early can sometimes mean scooping the children out of their beds and piling them into the camper van to hit the road super early and beat the commuter traffic. We often choose early morning flights as I find the kids are always fresh and in good spirits so find myself scooping them out of bed at an unearthly hour to get to the airport. Our girls do love travelling in their pjs and we get to hit the road with no stress.

Limit journey time

Sounds obvious but I do find planning a journey around the time of my youngest baby’s nap times makes for stress free travel. From past experience  night time travelling is not for us – irritable, tired kiddies makes for a stressful journey. Planning around naps and feeds means we can get a good run before having to stop.

 

Packing for a road trip with kids and toddlers

Since having the camper van and having limited space I have learned to pack carefully and thoughtfully.  I try to pack a small overnight bag with the clothes and toiletries that we will need on our first night, such as nappies, wipes, PJ,s toothbrushes, phone chargers, torch, comforters, milk bottles/beakers etc. This saves time trying to find everything when we get to our destination….. particularly if we have been delayed or have arrive late.

 

Even after all the planning we know that travelling can still end up stressful when kids are involved and you’re stuck on the motorway desperate for a wee… but these little tips we have picked up along the way have definitely reduced my stress levels. I would love to hear of any more helpful tips that you have picked up along the way.

 

Enjoy your adventures!

 

 

Pin for later

 

 

Flying With A Baby

Photographs copyright – Otis and Us

10 Comments

Previous Post: « MondayEscapes – Chasing the Sun
Next Post: Scotland Road Trip – (Part 2) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Travelling With Our Kids says

    March 3, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    Great tips. Having an overnight bag close by is a good tip. We have one too. Saves taking a big suitcase into a hotel room etc. ☺#fearlessfamtrav

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 29, 2017 at 8:31 pm

      it really does save time, especially when camping! love to read your tips on your blog. Thanks for stopping by x

      Reply
  2. Wandermust mummy says

    March 4, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Fabulous list. As I write this I am sat at a mall just about to go to the airport with my baby in pjs. Just easier. We don’t do big road trips as qatar is so small but this will be useful for when we do

    Thanks for linking to #fearlessfamtrav

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 29, 2017 at 8:30 pm

      it is so much easier when they are in PJs and they really do love it don’t they! thanks for stopping by and commenting xx

      Reply
  3. intrepid bebe says

    March 6, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    always grateful for new traveling tips. thanks #fearlessfamilytrav

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 6, 2017 at 9:50 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Have a lovely evening xxx

      Reply
  4. Plutonium Sox says

    March 26, 2017 at 8:51 pm

    Wow, these are brilliant tips, thank you! We are going to buy a camper van this year and we definitely need some help to make travelling with our girls less stressful. Great idea about travelling in onesies, I think my girls would like that.
    Nat.x

    Reply
    • otisandus says

      March 27, 2017 at 2:31 pm

      That is wonderful I am actually really excited for you that you are getting a campervan! We do love ours. I will look forward to following all of your adventures! thanks for hosting 🙂

      Reply
  5. Carrie - Flying With A Baby says

    March 29, 2017 at 2:29 pm

    Some wonderful tips. I completely agree- starting them travelling from an early age really helps and of course the planning and preparation. Thank you so much for joining in #familytraveltips. Tweeted, and flipped and scheduled for FB too!

    Reply
  6. otisandus says

    March 29, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    Thank you so much for all of the shares. I am hoping our youngest addition equally travels well, this will be his first trip in a couple of weeks!! thanks for hosting xx

    Reply

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Vanlife • Camper Family • VWT5


Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......

I’m reall
Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5


Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕

Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)

🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx


Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my ne
Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?


Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography


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Ad/ Oh the places we will go ....... I’m reall Ad/ Oh the places we will go .......
 
I’m really hoping better days are coming for us all 🌈
 
Tonight I wanted to tell you about a wonderful campaign by @whsmithofficial and I’m honoured to have been asked to be a part of it. 

Their aim is to encourage people to try something new throughout 2021. @whsmithofficial have some wonderful products to help you plan your trips (products linked in stories).
 
I would really love you to join me on Friday at 6pm over on the @whsmithofficial account, chatting about why we love vanlife, our favourite road trips, and what vanlife means for us. Believe it or not before we purchased our camper, we had never camped before! 
 
If you have any questions for me, I would love you to send them my way via my stories and I will do my best to answer them on Friday. 
 
Look forward to seeing you over on the @whsmithofficial Instagram on Friday at 6pm! 

#bringiton2021 #vanlife #vanlifewithkids #vwt5
Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are y Just popping on to check in on everyone, how are you all doing? How are you feeling about the announcements tomorrow?

I know so many are finding it all a bit ‘meh’ at the moment.

So this is a little Sunday reminder to keep doing what makes your soul a
smile, check in on each other often and look after yourselves..... and know that better days are coming 🌈🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 

(My usual Sunday campsite share will be a little late - I’ll post it tomorrow I promise - I’ve been painting the girls bedroom all weekend😆 )

🌈 💕
Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynn Last week I chatted to the lovely Jenny @travelynnfamily as part of her bongo convo series.

Did you catch it?

I think it is the first time I’ve ever chatted on a live, or chatted in front of a camera even 😆

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you  so much for all the messages and lovely comments after the live. I’ve had a few vanlife questions too so I will pop them in my stories for you.

Thank you  Jenny for inviting me to take part in your new live travel chat. Chatting about Van life and road trips .... It definitely made my soul smile :)
🏕Sunday share is back 🏕 My next campsite to 🏕Sunday share is back 🏕

My next campsite to share is a really lovely campsite in Llangollen. We were introduced to this lovely site by my beautiful friend @a_girl_on_the_crescent 

Abbey Farm Campsite

@abbeyfarmllangollen is a working farm set just outside the beautiful town of Llangollen in North Wales.

Suitable  for camping, touring caravans and motor homes and camping pods available.  There are three self-catering cottages to rent and also a static caravan site.

The camping fields are set next to the ruins of Valle Crusis Abbey, and what we loved the most - there is a small brook that runs across the bottom of the field that the kids absolutely loved.

Facilities

Hot showers/ toilets
Laundry room
Bistro/bar
Shop
Electric Hook Up
Dogs Welcome 

What we loved 💕

⭐️Family campsite 
⭐️The brook provided hours of fun
⭐️Picturesque Llangollen a walk away 
⭐️Beautiful location with lots of space and walks
⭐️An ideal base to explore North Wales 

Definitely one to bookmark 

🏡For now the message is to stay at home, but my Sunday share is to inspire and introduce you to new campsites for when the time is right xx
Camping with kids 🏕 I was going to share my ne Camping with kids 🏕

I was going to share my next favourite campsite but thought I would mix it up a bit with a new topic. Campervan storage. So tell me... What is your favourite storage hack? 

As our Campervan conversion  isn’t quite fully finished we have had to be clever with storage. As a family of five in a T5 space is super tight! 

Our favourite hacks so far....

➡️ Using cushion covers / pillow cases to store items 

➡️ storage hooks on the back of the seats (I think I learned about this one from @daisy_thefamilycamper ) 

➡️ Using a pop up tent to store the large bulky items such as car seats and strollers etc 

➡️ Packing pods to organise the clothes!!! My absolutely favourite thing ever we have used them for years.

➡️ plastic storage bucket for the outside toys that we take to the beach (and can even double up as a baby/toddler bath 

 
 ➡️ Foldable items, folding table, folding scooters, folding chairs, the list goes on but helps with space 

➡️hamman towels. Absolutely wonderful. We were sent some towels to review a few years back and they are incredible. We haven’t looked back and we are fully converted. They don’t take up much space, dry really quickly, have multiple uses  and basically we just love them! 

🌈 I have linked my post in my stories - but would love to hear if you have any campervan storage ideas to share or add? 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend whatever you have been up to ?
Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for Vanlife with kids - sharing our fave campsites for the time when it is safe to travel again 😍🚐

 Sunnyside Croft Touring Site 

This is my next campsite to share... the beautiful Sunnyside Croft Touring Site - an award winning site located between the villages of Arisaig and Mallaig on the West Coast of the Scottish Highlands 

⭐️What we loved 🌈

Direct access to the most beautiful beach 
Family friendly, clean  and quiet 
Dogs allowed 
Eco friendly
Lovely touches - outside shower for wetsuits, infant and toddler washroom with a bath 
Pets allowed 

We loved staying here for two nights as part of our Scotland road trip with our beautiful friends. Mallaig is the nearest village  and we loved visiting Skye and Glenfinnan too. The campsite has direct access to the most spectacular beach - just a walk away along a dedicated path.  Definitely one to bookmark and a campsite we would definitely return to.

📸 Our first view of the beach from the campsite 
 
➡️ swipe for more photos of Arisaig and Mallaig

🌈 #stayathome and keep hoping for sunnier days☀️

#dreamingofvanlife #keepondreaming #arisaigbeach #scotlandphotography
Happy Sunday!!! So I have decided on a Sunday fo Happy Sunday!!! 

So I have decided on a Sunday for the next few weeks I am going to do a little campsite share. Sharing our favourite campsites that we have stayed in our #t5camper over the last two or three years. I wanted to (hopefully) give you some inspiration for all those dreaming and planning for when we are able to hit the road in the future. 

My first campsite is @love2stay in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK. Set in 22 acres of grounds with touring and Glamping on-site. 

Love2stay is a beautiful resort and an absolute gem of a site. We have booked again for this year and have stayed more than once over the last two years.

Facilities

Love 2 Stay  has serviced pitches and a  glamping village. The toilet block is modern and clean.  There is so much to do on site you won’t want to venture far. 

➡️ swipe for pictures 

There is a natural swimming pool, restaurant and pizzeria, fitness suite and thermal bath, assault course, children’s adventure play zone, barefoot trails, mini and junior craft activities, cinedrome for movie nights, yoga and Pilates classes, paddle boarding and kayaking....... the list goes on 

What we loved 

⭐️So many activities on site for everyone 
⭐️restaurant/pizzeria on site 
⭐️Swimming pool 
⭐️Spa/gym on site 
⭐️Dogs allowed (with separate dog walking area and dog agility course )
⭐️Brilliant size serviced pitches
⭐️Glamping available 
⭐️Usually Open all year round (covid restriction dependent) 

Things to consider 
 
⭐️it gets booked up so book in advance 
⭐️No tents allowed 
⭐️No on-site grocery shop
⭐️it is the most expensive campsite we have ever stayed when you factor in all the additional activities that do -but it’s a wonderful experience and we absolutely love it here and it is a place that we will keep on returning to. 

Please do ask if you have any questions or if you have stayed here too? 

I’ll be back next Sunday with another gem !
Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟 Fairy lights dotted around a Ad🌟Top Tip 🌟

Fairy lights  dotted around a climbing frame
 
= A few more extra hours outside over the winter months 

Add in a flurry of snow ....

#1000hoursoutside 

#wickeyadventure #wickeyplaytime #lockdown3

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