In 2016 the first day of the UK school summer holidays coincided with a border security crackdown in France. Thousands of drivers, many with families, spent up to 14 hours in traffic waiting to cross the English Channel. Such nightmares are unusual, as are the scenes of stranded holidaymakers camping in airports, but it pays to be prepared with some basic resources to amuse your children during long and unproductive hours.
High Tech
Whatever your family policy on phones, iPads and Android tablets, there is no doubt that a long journey is the time to let your children loose on one. They can be pre-loaded with videos (old favourites and new), or film the journey; they can play an unlimited variety of activities; they can follow your journey on GPS; they can store books for reading or listening.
A crafty extension to the iPad is an Osmo, which consists of a base and a mirror enabling the tablet’s camera to see what is happening in front of it, so that it can engage with toys and drawings that the children are doing.
You can change your iPad into a colouring book with a Crayola iMarker and app. For younger children a chunky easy grip cover can save you the chore of constantly picking the tablet off the floor.
If your children do not use tablets, stand-alone DVD players, game consoles, and e-readers can occupy plenty of time.
Low Tech
Gadgets don’t need to have the latest touchscreen. It’s a good idea to have an activity pack for each child. It could contain: games, colouring books and crayons, maze puzzles, story or picture books, or the enduring I-Spy books, still going strong after nearly 70 years.
Don’t neglect the value of playing games. Your own stamina will not stand many hours at a time, but as a way of providing variety it’s essential to have a few up your sleeve. Number plate spotting, pub cricket, twenty questions, memory games, there are loads available.
A different sort of ‘game’ is to talk about what you will do when the journey is finally over. Here you may have your own ideas! Thoughts of revenge are not going to help in a traffic jam, but if you are stuck at an airport you can turn your thoughts to the compensation for any flight delays. When you get home look up the flight compensation calculator on the website of Bott & Co Solicitors to get a quick indication of whether you are likely to qualify.
Of course, there is always food, a distraction which usually works when all else fails. For younger children it might be helpful to have the means to eat tidily on the move. Gadget Baby has some clever devices.
Ready to Go
Nobody said that travelling with children was a lot of fun, and usually our main focus is on getting to the destination. But with a little planning and some well-researched purchases, we can take away some of the pain of long journeys, especially when they turn out to be longer than expected.
With the birth of his daughter, Carl Simmons has turned his mind to parenting articles, particularly those focused on travel as he suddenly finds himself the one with the crying baby on the plane! He shares his tips, and insights from others, in his articles.
It is true that gadgets can make traveling with kids much easier. However, I also think that there should be an activity packet aas you described for each child geared to that kid’s abilities.