Travelling with children is always an adventure. It can be especially challenging if you decide to go on a road trip, and have to spend a lot of time in the car. Children are restless, curious and require constant attention, so you have to know how to provide them with a 24-hour entertainment. Various gadgets and games including tablets, cameras, and smartphones can be a great way to amuse them. However, they’ll often ask for parent’s attention, and want them to answer numerous questions about nature, geography, or a certain landmark; so prepare to be a living encyclopaedia as well.
Tips for Mastering a UK Family Road Trip With Young Kids
Sing Along
If you’re a fan of group activities, engage in some with your kids during the trip. The little ones love to sing, listen to silly jokes, and enjoy storytelling. Therefore, if you’ve stated the road trip in the evening, and you are going to travel all night, start the ride by telling the kids an interesting story. Not only will this make them sit still, but it will also put them to sleep and provide you with some quiet time with your spouse.
Tips for Mastering a UK Family Road Trip With Young Kids
Bring Toys and Games
It’s essential that you pack numerous age appropriate toys and games when you set out to a road trip. This kind of entertainment will keep them tranquil for some time, and help you enjoy the ride. The time will go by much faster if the children are not constantly babbling, or picking on each other. Picture books, sticker books, and colouring books, will keep the children entertained and help them express their creativity.
Modern day Entertainment
Modern age brings various advantages, and cell phones, tablets and laptops, are just some of the fantastic devices we’re forever grateful for. These electronics can be the best amusement for the children if they’ve gotten tired of colouring and listening to the stories. If your transportation vehicle has a portable movie player, a road trip will be much more fun once you play your kids their favourite cartoon or show. For those who lack a player, tablets, and smartphones are the best alternative, because you can load numerous shows, cartoons and movies on them. Add a set of headphones for the little ones, and you can enjoy the quiet ride. Most importantly, don’t forget to fully charge the gadgets before the trip, so that kids can enjoy the show without worrying about the battery.
UK Family Road Trip With Young Kids
Educational Fun
A road trip should not only be adventurous, but educational as well. Every time you travel with your kids, try to teach them different things. Bring a map of UK with you, and have the passenger tell them which way you’re going. Teach them how to read a map, and know how to orientate in space. Children’s geography books are filled with interesting and useful information your kids will enjoy learning about.
Once you’re in nature, and decide to have a break from the ride, go on a little expedition. Take your kids to see different plants, trees and birds, if you get the chance to come across any sceneries like that. You will not have to deal with the infamous, “Are we there yet?” sentence, and you will be able to teach your children many valuable lesions.
Get Active
Since travelling by car or a minivan allows you to bring almost anything you think is necessary, without worrying about weight limitations, it would be a great idea to bring along a scooter, a bike, or a skateboard. Children like to be active, especially if they have a large space where they can run, ride a bike or a scooter. Therefore, when you decide to stretch your legs, find an appropriate location where they can run, play with the ball or ride a bike. What’s more, a road trip can be a great opportunity for camping as well. If you don’t want to spend the night travelling, find a suitable location where you can set up a tent, light a campfire, and enjoy the night spent in nature. This will be a unique experience for the children, because they like to explore different places and they’ll definitely find many interesting things to do before they go to sleep.
Family Road Trip With Young Kids in UK
Visit Sherwood Forests
One of the advantages of the road trip is that you can decide at any moment where you want to go next. Nottingham would be one of the exciting places to visit during your trip. This city would especially be interesting for the kids, because of all the gorgeous sights they would enjoy seeing. Take them to the home of one of their favourite cartoon characters – Robin Hood – and show them the wonders of Sherwood Forest. You could also find an accommodation here and stay for a day or two and enjoy all of it’s wonders. If you’re travelling on a budget look for flatmates that will be more than happy to provide you with a nice accommodation. You don’t have to spend a fortune on the hotel if you can find a great flatmate.
Stop by London
If London is one of your stops, make sure you take your kids to the Harry Potter walking tour. Provide them with an unforgettable, spectacular world of wizardry and make them feel as if they’re one of the wizards themselves. Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron, Platform 9¾ are just some of the famous locations you can visit, and the children will be absolutely amazed.
The History of Castles
Furthermore, tell the children all you know about famous castles in the UK, such as Warwick Castle, the Tower of London, and Windsor Castle, and try to include them in your road trip to visit some castles in Ireland. Learn something about their history, and entertain the children with the introductory story before you get to the desired destination. They’ll certainly be excited and astonished once they see how beautiful and big the castles are.
Family Road Trip With Young Kids
Final Thoughts
Going on a road trip with your children can be frustrating and exhausting but also thrilling and fulfilling. Nevertheless, spending time with your kids is essential for their development, so you should try to travel together as much as possible. Therefore, plan a fabulous road trip, have these suggestions in mind and enjoy one of the best adventures of your life.
